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War and Economy in the Third Reich. By R. J. Overy * New York: The Clarendon Press of Oxford University Press, 1994. xiv + 390 pp. Tables, figures, notes, and index. $55.00. ISBN 0-19820290-3.
The relationship between war and economy in the Third Reich has been a major bone of contention among scholars ever since the end of the Second World War. Indeed, even during Adolf Hitler's regime interpretations of the nature of Nazism and fascism, especially--but by no means exclusively--by Marxists, sought links between economic circumstances and policies on the one hand and political developments on the other. And, since the Third Reich spent its first six years preparing for war and the rest of its existence waging a series of unprecedented military campaigns of expansion, most serious historians of the period, whether their main focus has been on political, social, military, or economic events, have found it necessary to take a position on the Nazi concept of war and its implementation between 1939 and 1945.
Recognizing the centrality of war and the economy for the understanding of the Nazi regime does not necessarily mean providing an appropriate interpretation. In fact, it may be argued that interpretations of this key aspect of Nazism have often been strongly influenced by preconceived conceptions of what fascism was all about and of the role of a variety of social classes and political actors in the establishment of, or opposition to, Hitler's dictatorship....