World War I saw the demise of the Austro-Hungarian empire and tsarist Russia thus displacing many aristocrats who had held vast estates and titles. They were used to living under regimes run by an autocratic leader and were adept at using social gatherings for political maneuverings and gossip. Some of these people, notably Princess Stephanie Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfurst, were eager to use their social skills to advance Hitler’s aims.
This is a very well written and researched book. I was surprised to realize how much the displacement of high society people after the First World War contributed to Hitler’s propaganda machine. I had read about many of the participants, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Mitford sisters, and Charles Lindbergh but others were new to me. I found the story of Princess Stephanie particularly fascinating. The author introduces her in the beginning of the book. It makes an excellent point of how these spies functioned.
If you’re interested in World War II, I highly recommend this book. It’s a view of pre-WWII that I had not had before.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment