"The fall of Berlin" de A. Beevor

Résumé du document

Europe was the scene of many wars, all of which killed hundreds and reduced land to ashes. World War II certainly proved to be one of the tragedies of the twentieth century, and Germany's capital Berlin became the source of Europe's destruction. The rise of Nazism brought on by its ruler, Adolph Hitler, changed history for the worst and created nothing but fear and destruction. Berlin was no exception to the rule of death and devastation, and after the war German civilians called the capital the "Reich's funeral pyre." (p 299) As the end of the war approached, the fall of Berlin was inevitable, and the "indestructible" Reich power fell apart. Nazis escaped the dying empire, and its dictator lost his power, sanity, and most of his followers. What would become of the German capital? How did the Reich lose its power? What would be Berlin's future? Here are examples of the questions that will be answered in order to understand the lives of those who lived in the center of a tragedy. The year was 1945, and this is the story of the fall of Berlin...

Extraits

[...] People were afraid, even terrified by the Red Army. According to Beevor, they only had two solutions: either commit suicide ( p115 ) so that they will not be taken alive, or surrender as soon as the Russians enter, which implied rape, execution and/or torture. It is by the end of April that civilians became conscious that their fate will be in the hands of the Red Army and that their will be no miracle weapons nor surrender to the U.S. [...]

[...] fall of Berlin” de A. Beevor Europe was the scene of many wars, all of which killed hundreds and reduced land to ashes. World War II certainly proved to be one of the tragedies of the twentieth century, and Germany's capital Berlin became the source of Europe's destruction. The rise of Nazism brought on by its ruler, Adolph Hitler, changed history for the worst and created nothing but fear and destruction. Berlin was no exception to the rule of death and devastation, and after the war German civilians called the capital the “Reich's funeral pyre.” 299) As the end of the war approached, the fall of Berlin was inevitable, and the “indestructible” Reich power fell apart. [...]

[...] When the red army invades Berlin, Russian will be the language spoken. First of all, the Soviet Nuclear Research needed uranium, which could only be found under German control territory. The development of Sarin and poison gas recipes” were also under German control territory. So in order to divert the attention of the U.S and U.K (ruled by Roosevelt and Churchill), Stalin told the Allies that Berlin had lost its former strategic importance thus the soviet command would only send “second hand forces” to capture the Capital. [...]

[...] A custom that will follow the Red Army wherever they went. Throughout all their battles the Army had managed to convince itself that because it had assumed the moral mission to liberate Europe from fascism, it could behave entirely as it liked” ( p31 As a matter of fact, rape became a common and frequent practice, and women were viewed as a “right of conquest”. Both armies, German and Soviet became unmotivated and badly treated by their superiors, as one soldier said, fought from simple fear” ( p11 For example, the Soviets were constantly remained and brainwashed of how the Russian people had suffered because of the Germans. [...]

[...] The Fall of Berlin is a very enjoyable history book to read, even to someone who may not be a specialist in World War II. It is very well researched and written, stuffed with historical backgrounds and personal experiences which make the reading less boring thus more The fact that the author did not concentrate his writing only on strategies and battles gave its readers awareness about what was really happening on the German side. People were betrayed and deeply deceived by the “government” they trusted the most; the physical and mental suffering undergone became their only for having trusted a mad man. [...]