War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity, and German Occupation in World War I

This is a sleeper that never gained a wider public audience. Nevertheless the author is a first-rate scholar and shows how the German experience in the East during World War One shaped their attitudes toward the people of that region. The German contempt and condescension that developed for the various ethnic groups on the Eastern Front would translate into atrocities in the forthcoming war.
As Hitler and the Nazi war machine often overshadow many other topics, research like this is often neglected. Liulevicius fills this gap and shows how Hitler was able to play to the sentiments internalized by Germans during their WWI interaction in the East.In effect, this book shows "why" Germans were so receptive to his message. Once Slavs were show more reduced to a sub-human status, there was no moral quandary in mistreating and annihilating them.
Unfortunately, because this book has remained in relative obscurity, it has been hard to obtain. Only a rare copy is available via the usual online purchase outlets, and it is not a standard in library holdings. If you have access to a nearby university collection or interlibrary loan system that can obtain it, I recommend it. It opens another window in worthwhile line of inquiry. show less