Chronicle of the Third Reich

This PBS-aired documentary from filmmaker Michael Kloft chronicles the history of the Third Reich from its earliest days, showing how Nazi propaganda experts used films, party rallies, summer youth camps, and brute force to attain the goal of purification of the Aryan race along with the ruthless, systematic elimination of “inferior” people, particularly the Jews—even as they simultaneously portrayed Germany as a peace-loving country. After winning the 1933 election, the Nazis quickly sprang into action, marginalizing all opposition, boycotting Jewish businesses, and pushing Jews and other minorities out of the mainstream culture. As Germany re-armed itself, most citizens were willing to support book burning and other atrocities in return for a few paid holidays, some leisure time, and tax incentives that encouraged large families. Combining archival footage with insights offered by assorted experts—including Hitler biographer Sir Ian Kershaw, researcher Brigitte Hamann, and author Götz Aly—the documentary covers familiar material, including the Nazi Olympics, the escalating chain of terror and threats, and Hitler's eventual overreach in the invasion of Russia, culminating in the bloody last days of the Reich. Much of the focus here is on the inner workings of the government—both general planning and economic policies—which contributed to the regime's ultimate demise. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)