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  • KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps

  • Written by: Nikolaus Wachsmann
  • Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
  • Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)

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KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps

Written by: Nikolaus Wachsmann
Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
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Publisher's Summary

In KL, Wachsmann fills this glaring gap in our understanding. He not only synthesizes a new generation of scholarly work, much of it untranslated and unknown outside of Germany, but also presents startling revelations, based on many years of archival research, about the functioning and scope of the camp system. Examining, close up, life and death inside the camps, and adopting a wider lens to show how the camp system was shaped by changing political, legal, social, economic, and military forces, Wachsmann produces a unified picture of the Nazi regime and its camps that we have never seen before.

A boldly ambitious work of deep importance, KL is destined to be a classic in the history of the 20th century. Many books have explored the general history of the Holocaust and the Nazis, or anatomized individual concentration camps. But there has, surprisingly, never been a comprehensive history of the camps that integrates the stories of both the broad development of the system and daily life in the camps. In KL (the widely used acronym for konzentrationslager, German for concentration camps), Wachsmann offers an unprecedented account of the development of the camps, similar in scope and approach to Anne Applebaum's best-selling and award-winning Gulag: A History (2003). We will publish on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of most of the camps in April 1945.

Wachsmann is the first to synthesize a new generation of original scholarship on the camps, much of it only available in German and little-known in the English-speaking world. And he has unearthed a wide range of new documents, offering startling new revelations about the history of the camps.

©2015 Original Material by Nikolaus Wachsmann (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
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What the critics say

"Nikolaus Wachsmann has written an admirable historical overview of the Nazi concentration camps, effectively combining decades of recent scholarship with his own original research. He captures both the trajectory of dynamic change through which the camp system evolved as well as the experiences and agency - however limited - of the prisoner community. This is an impressive and valuable book." (Christopher R. Browning, Frank Porter Graham Professor of History Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
"It is hard to imagine that Nik Wachsmann's superb book, surely to become the standard work on Nazi concentration camps, will ever be surpassed. Based on a huge array of widely scattered sources, it is a gripping as well as comprehensive and authoritative study of this grim but highly important topic." (Ian Kershaw, author of The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944 – 1945)

What listeners say about KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps

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  • Overall
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An epic account of the Nazi concentration camp system.

In one volume the story of Germany’s decent into a period of history marked by the total degradation and destruction of the people of Europe. This is the story of Gypsies, Poles, political prisoners, homosexuals, Russian prisoners of war and the Jews. Placed in “protective custody” the existence of such people as enemies of the Third Reich saw their lives in jeopardy as they were imprisoned and worked to death in inhuman conditions. The book clearly outlines the creation, development and massive expansion of the KL system. It is a study told with cold facts enhanced by personal stories of both those detained and those who abused the prisoners. It is a chapter of history that must be told. The only detriment to the book is the use of “character voices” to articulate personal reflections. These narrations detract from the seriousness of the book. On the whole this is a massive literary work and a true statement of this time period. I initially read the book a number of years ago and it was useful to hear it again on Audible. I highly recommend this book for those interested in the history of the not only the Holocaust but also the decline of the German judicial and social systems under the Nazi government.

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Linking

I have read and watched much about the concentration camps but I was always left with questions and things that were not linked. This book has filled in many of those blank spots giving me a much higher understanding of the what, why , when and how. I highly recommend this book.

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Incredible!!

This highly detailed examination and evolution of the Nazi concentration camps was heartbreaking and extremely educational. The author took you on a journey to a different time and as the reader you felt the devastation the people went through. I highly recommend this book for those who want to deep their understanding of what happened. I will never be the same after reading this book.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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an interesting read

this is such an important read and im glad I did. the fakw German accent was tough to listen during such a serious book. it made me want to laugh which felt out of place

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It’s a lot

There is a lot here. This is an in depth study of the darkest spaces in history. It does a good job of showing lots of angles of the situation and doesn’t go for simple answers. I enjoyed the narrators flair for accents. Made it easier to listen.

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Book is great but accents were unnecessary

The book itself was wonderful (as wonderful as this horrific story can be), but the reader used accents when reading quotes and I found it a bit difficult to figure out what he was saying. Overall the recording was good but the accents were a bit unnecessary.

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Deeply Sadened

The depth of following an ideology of one man and his twisted view of reality.
It is a sobering reminder when we look at society today and what some leaders are attempting. After you read this works you will likely take a second look at where you consider your voting.
History repeats itself and looking around it is alive and well even in this age of easy access to the past.

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Engrossing, Disturbing

I have read dozens of books on WWII and none have made me cry, until now. The loss of humanity, the brutality.

This book also follows the history of the SS. In other books, movies, documentaries, the SS are glorified and shown to be automatons. This books shows just how much the men (I use this term loosely) reveled in the terror they could inflict.

KL should be part of school curriculum, because we should not be allowed to forget.

KL left me contemplative and a bit numb after I finished it. I usually jump from one book to the next. It took me days to digest this, in thoughtful silence.

I do highly recommend this book. 5 stars doesn't do it justice.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

A gripping, excellently researched and somber tome. So much information, I will need to listen again to ensure I have experienced it thoroughly. Highly recommended.

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