Reviews for History of the Munster Anabaptists: Inner Emigration and the Third Reich

The average rating for History of the Munster Anabaptists: Inner Emigration and the Third Reich based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-04-04 00:00:00 Michael Hardesty During the years of the Third Reich, many anti-Nazis stayed in Germany. Under the totalitarian regime, anti-Nazi sentiments were inexpressable on pain of execution. Therefore, anti-Nazi writers and artists went into "Innere Emigration." They continued to write and create, and their work reflected and commented on the Hitler regime. But they had to disguise what they were doing. Reck's "History of the Münster Anabaptists" is a fascinating account of the uprising and subsequent Anabaptist totalitarian dictatorship in Münster of 1534-35. Such fanaticisms as knocking down all the church steeples so as to level the buildings equally, presaged Stalinism and Hitlerism. But because of the nature of Innere Emigration, there is another layer. Jan Bockelson, "King of Münster" is clearly a representation of Hitler. As a historical record of the Münster rebellion, Reck's work lacks academic rigour; but as a contempory commentary on the Third Reich, it is startling. Interestingly, Jan Bockelson was also known as John Lydon (Jan van Leiden,) and his prophet was called Johnny Mathis (Jan Matthys.)

Review # 2 was written on 2018-02-15 00:00:00 Greg O'brien Horror upon horror....society is unrecognizable...mores are adjusted due to the leaders whim...up is down down is up...group psychosis ...the loss of the traditional values of right and wrong. Loyalty to evil leaves no escape valve for those that opt in. The author makes subtle similarities of the experience in Munster in the 1530 s and Germany in the 1930's. Very courageous man who almost made it through the war but the Gestapo got to him. The author so compared the situation to the French Revolution....yes indeed Munster foreshadowed many evil revolutions ( including Communism). Great refence material