Overview

The shocking number of Soviet citizens who lost their lives between 1941 and 1945 - 26 million, more than any other country - is widely known. But the faces and the voices of these victims of Nazism are conspicuously absent. In this pathbreaking new work of history, Jochen Hellbeck restores the USSR to its proper place in the history of the Second World War, arguing that to truly understand the conflict, we must set its axis firmly in Soviet territory. It was not the Western powers but Communist Russia that Nazi Germany viewed as the greatest threat to its existence - 'World Enemy No. 1.' The German crusade against 'Judeo-Bolshevism' was the driving force of the Nazis' most extreme violence, and Soviet territory became ground zero for systematic extermination. Only later was this shocking regime of killing extended to all Jews, igniting the Holocaust. Revealing the sheer, untold breadth of terror the Nazis inflicted, WORLD ENEMY NO.1 is an astonishing new reading both of the Second World War and of how its history has been told.

Full Product Details

9781529038927

Table of Contents

Reviews

A history of World War II closely focused on its true epicenter: the Russian front . . . An essential contribution to the modern literature of what Russians still call the Great Patriotic War * Kirkus (starred review) * It takes courage, as well as tremendous talent and dedication, to tell this story with so much empathy, eloquence, and insight. World Enemy No. 1 is a magnificent memorial to both the victims and the victors -- Yuri Slezkine, author of <i>The Jewish Century</i> In World Enemy No. 1, Jochen Hellbeck, a pioneering historian of Stalinism, has turned his attention to the German-Soviet genesis of the Holocaust. The book breaks new ground by shifting the focus from some primordial German hatred of Jews to the fierce political competition between Hitler’s fascism and Soviet Communism, which Hitler re-coded as ‘Jewish Bolshevism' -- Keith Gessen, author of <i>A Terrible Country</i> In this passionate, original history, Jochen Hellbeck explores how Adolf Hitler fused his twin obsessions against Jews and Communists into a global battle to the death. A vivid, sometimes terrifying account of the Nazi crusade on the Eastern front - a war like no other -- Victoria de Grazia, historian, Columbia University Essential reading. Jochen Hellbeck brilliantly demonstrates how German brutality, recorded and retold by Soviet journalists and historians in the field, shattered Soviet citizens, enraged them, and mobilized them to fight back with bitter intensity. Hellbeck masterfully explains what made World War II on the Eastern front so destructive and why this matters today. A tour de force of historical writing -- Paul Hanebrink, author of <i>A Specter Haunting Europe</i> Jochen Hellbeck courageously sets out to restore the Soviet role in the defeat of Nazism. Soviet suffering, the colossal loss of more than 26 million Soviet citizens in their four-year war against Hitler, has been largely erased from public memory. Without excusing the pathologies and atrocities of the Stalinist system, Hellbeck unfolds the tragic tale of how a despotic regime saved the democratic world -- Ron Suny, author of <i>Stalin: Passage to Revolution</i>

[An] arresting and deeply researched new book -- Ian Buruma * The New Yorker * There is much to praise in Mr. Hellbeck’s book . . . Hellbeck shares some remarkable human stories and fascinating information -- Brendan Simms * The Wall Street Journal * A history of World War II closely focused on its true epicenter: the Russian front . . . An essential contribution to the modern literature of what Russians still call the Great Patriotic War * Kirkus (starred review) * It takes courage, as well as tremendous talent and dedication, to tell this story with so much empathy, eloquence, and insight. World Enemy No. 1 is a magnificent memorial to both the victims and the victors -- Yuri Slezkine, author of <i>The Jewish Century</i> In World Enemy No. 1, Jochen Hellbeck, a pioneering historian of Stalinism, has turned his attention to the German-Soviet genesis of the Holocaust. The book breaks new ground by shifting the focus from some primordial German hatred of Jews to the fierce political competition between Hitler’s fascism and Soviet Communism, which Hitler re-coded as ‘Jewish Bolshevism' -- Keith Gessen, author of <i>A Terrible Country</i> In this passionate, original history, Jochen Hellbeck explores how Adolf Hitler fused his twin obsessions against Jews and Communists into a global battle to the death. A vivid, sometimes terrifying account of the Nazi crusade on the Eastern front - a war like no other -- Victoria de Grazia, historian, Columbia University Essential reading. Jochen Hellbeck brilliantly demonstrates how German brutality, recorded and retold by Soviet journalists and historians in the field, shattered Soviet citizens, enraged them, and mobilized them to fight back with bitter intensity. Hellbeck masterfully explains what made World War II on the Eastern front so destructive and why this matters today. A tour de force of historical writing -- Paul Hanebrink, author of <i>A Specter Haunting Europe</i> Jochen Hellbeck courageously sets out to restore the Soviet role in the defeat of Nazism. Soviet suffering, the colossal loss of more than 26 million Soviet citizens in their four-year war against Hitler, has been largely erased from public memory. Without excusing the pathologies and atrocities of the Stalinist system, Hellbeck unfolds the tragic tale of how a despotic regime saved the democratic world -- Ron Suny, author of <i>Stalin: Passage to Revolution</i>

Author Information

Jochen Hellbeck is Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University, specializing in modern Russia, the Soviet Union, and the history of World War II. The recipient of multiple prestigious fellowships, he is the acclaimed author of Stalingrad: The City That Defeated the Third Reich, Revolution on My Mind: Writing a Diary under Stalin, and the online project ""Facing Stalingrad"". He lives in Brooklyn.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available