Inside Hitler's Greece : the experience of occupation, 1941-1944 /

Already acknowledged (the British edition) as one of the best books on modern Greece, this finely produced study surveys in depth the vicissitudes of WW II in modern Greece. In a series of tightly argued chapters based on newly tapped original sources and supplemented by hitherto unpublished photographs, Mazower outlines the conquest, occupation, famine, black market, the traditional and newly emerging leadership, and its repercussions for the civil war period that racked Greece for another five years. He also described the wartime resistance and its social, economic, and demographic impact on the local population, and provides a sophisticated insight into all levels of German attitudes towards the Greeks. The author's chapter on the Jews breaks new ground on this special Greek tragedy for the general historian (cf. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, CH, Jun'90, for specifics). This book, whose scholarship is exceeded perhaps only by its elegant style, is a sine qua non for anyone interested in WW II in general and modern Greece in particular. Highly recommended for all libraries. All levels. S. Bowman; University of Cincinnati

Drawing on eyewitness accounts and previously untapped archives, Mazower's notable study offers a detailed chronicle of the German occupation of Greece and the rise of the resistance movement. He traces the rapid growth of the National Liberation Front/People's Liberation Army after communist activists created an organization that harnessed the anti-Axis sentiment of the populace at large, and describes the bloody reprisal campaigns launched by the Wehrmacht against the guerrillas in the mountains. Mazower also presents a documented account of the fate of Greek Jewry between 1941 and 1944, the first of its kind in English. He covers the bitter fighting between British and Greek forces after the October 12, 1944, liberation of Athens and the internecine clashes that led to civil war. Finally, he reveals new details of the systematic oppression of the Greek Left after the liberation. As late as the 1960s, Greece's prisons were crowded with men and women whose only crime was to have fought against the Germans. Mazower teaches international relations and modern history at the University of Sussex in England. Photos. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Up-close, anecdotal look at the Nazi occupation in Greece, by Mazower (Modern History and International Relations/University of Essex). What with ideology, global strategies, and battle tales, it's easy to overlook what daily life was like for a non-Aryan nation under the Third Reich. From the German anti-aircraft gun in front of the Temple of Olympus and children playing a few yards from resistance fighters left hanging dead by their necks, to the utter disruption of family life and complete economic collapse, Mazower elucidates the particulars of Hitler's fate for non-Aryans. The author's tone is almost detached, but his documentation is overwhelming: Rich and poor Greeks have their say, as do Germans and American observers, and it's clear that even at the peak of its success, Nazi rule--nearly unchallenged and seemingly invincible- -included ``sadistic overtones.'' Hitler wanted to plunder Greece, and, according to Goering's orders, the German leaders ``could not care less...that people...are dying of hunger. Let them perish so long as no German starves.'' Mazower examines how this brutal policy clashed with Greek culture, inspiring local brigands to resistance. Anecdotal evidence abounds here, including stories of priests, whores, politicians, defeated soldiers, black marketeers, and men shipped to work in Germany. Meanwhile, Mazower explores the German experience as well: the satisfaction of controlling what was respected in the West as the birthplace of culture; the profound relief of serving in Greece, away from the Russian front; and, ultimately, the SS terror system as it bore down on the resistance. A grinding, horrific experience, intimately explored. (Seventy illustrations)