Life and Death in a German Town

Panikos Panayi is Professor of European History at the School of Historical and International Studies, De Montfort University, Leicester

'The book represents a major academic achievement. It makes good use of the methodologies developed by the 'history from below' or 'microstoria' school over the past twenty years to produce fascinating case studies of a German city under Nazism, during war and in the post-war period. It is particuarly commendable that Professor Panayi goes beyond the usual end point of 1945 and seeks to combine an analysis of events during and before the war with an analysis of events thereafter. Only this way can we hope to capture the many coninuities that range from the war years into the post-war era. Under Professor Panayi's careful craftsmanship the microcosm of ethnic minorities in Osnabruck comes to life and their interactions among themselves and with the mainstream German population of that town are closely oberved. His results are meaningful far beyond the local case study and throw a revealing light on those dtamatic two post-war periods in Germany's tumultuous twentieth century. They reveal how fluid the borderline between victims and perpetrators was, how quickly perpetrators could become victims and how diverse victim groups could still be adamant on delineating their fate from that of others. Professor Panayi has produed a wonderful book which is rich in primary source material (he spent years in diverse German archives) and which has digested an enormous amount of secondary material to produce a range of original perspecties on these dark years in modern German history.' Professor Stefan Berger, Universtiy of Manchester 'Professor Panayi's research on 'Life and Death in a German Town' is a fascinating contribution to the growing field of Alltagsgeschichte...It covers all of the economic, social and political aspects of everyday realities in Osnabruck between 1929-1949...Although the town today publicises its tolerance and openness towards minorities, Panayi demonstrates that during the early part of the twentieth century, genocide became part of its history. The time scale chosen is unique in the historiography, as most studeis of this period simply focus upon the Nazi period, and, at best, bring in the immediate Weimar background. The concentration upon all ethnic groups (including the Germans) is also unique, examining experiences before, during and after the Nazi period.The aalysis of the relationships between the different ethnic groups is also an impressive innovation.' '...will be read with interest by anyone who is working on Nazi Germany, particuarly those who are interested in the everyday lives of all sections of the population, as well as anyone who is studying ethnicity, genocide and interethnic relations during the unique period under consideration.' Dr Johannes-Dieter Steinert, University of Wolverhampton