Eight stars
While I steer clear of Second World War histories, anything by Erik Larson is worth my time. The book explores the early days of Germany's Nazi control and the response the Americans had by sending a new ambassador to serve the region. Larson explores the struggles of William E. Dodd and his family, as well as the increasingly troublesome power grab that Hitler and his party members had over the country. Through a series of well-paced, factual storylines and stellar historical narrative, Larson develops a chronology from which the reader will not be able to turn away, no matter their sentiments about the Nazis or wartime history. Larson does a wonderful job and keeps the reader enthralled throughout.
Early in 1933, the world was in a state of flux. In Europe, the Nazi Party has come to power in Germany, its leader, Adolf Hitler, had plans to turn the limping country into a powerhouse. America was dealing with its own newness, with the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal, to help the country work its way out of the Depression. When FDR sought an ambassador to Germany, no one was all that interested, leaving a history professor, William E. Dodd to take the position. Dodd was lukewarm to the idea, but agreed to take his wife and adult daughter, Martha, to Berlin, in hopes of handling Hitler and espousing the American ideals in Europe's core.
Larson lays the groundwork for this timid man to assume an important role in Germany. The world shift is prevalent through all that Hitler has been doing and Dodd was trying to get his feet on level ground, when things kept changing. Martha Dodd proved to be the more encompassing of the new role, making connections of her own throughout Berlin. Making social and romantic connections as best she could, Martha Dodd kept her life busy with interactions that could sink the Dodds and the American influence in the country. All the while, Hitler pursued his agenda by vilifying the Jews or sending them into their lowest of social castes, all as Europe and America barely blinked.
Ambassador Dodd tried to gain control in the role, though he was meek and without much direction, failing to properly represent the Roosevelt Administration's views on quelling the Nazi power across the country. As Hitler spread his power through a number of strong forces, both political and military, Dodd stood idly by and kept the country from being reined in, choosing instead to watch like a toddler with their finger up a nostril. Larson explores this repeatedly in the narrative, while painting the elder Dodd as being useless while Martha sowed her own wild oats and drew the attention of secretive Soviet forces.
Larson posits throughout the tome that the Nazi flamboyance overshadowed some of the treacherous views and actions by another power in the region. The Soviets sought to increase their own power, with a ruthless dictator of their own. Joseph Stalin stayed quiet enough, not letting his power seep outside the borders, as he sought to grow his power and heighten the iron fist he kept. Using spy organisations to push views on his people and infiltrate into the American nation, Stalin was conniving and kept his finger on the pulse of the region, as well as the uselessness of the Dodd ambassadorship in the heart of Europe. In what would be a significant shift of power, Larson argues that William E. Dodd proved a toothless representative in a region in need of much power and control. Might this have led to Hitler's rise to power and a lack of American oversight which led to the Second World War? Larson makes some strong assertions that are sure to keep the reader wondering.
Erik Larson does a formidable job with this piece, pushing some strong hypotheses out and supporting them with well-documented research. The American response to Hitler's rise to power proved to be neutered by a poor choice of ambassador. Dodd served more as a figurehead than a well-established leader in the region, which might have led to another raging war across the continent. Larson's well-paced chapters keep the story moving forward without getting lost in minutiae, while informing the reader about many of the key aspects of the tome's foundation. With key elements presented, many of them new to me, Larson kept the reader's attention with his key deliveries throughout the time. Wonderfully researched and full of great vignettes, especially those about Martha Dodd's social endeavours, the book leaves the reader feeling educated and entertained in equal measure.
Kudos, Mr. Larson, for another stunning book that has me eager to find more of your writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment