Ribbentrop

Rating:
Summary: Excellent History of Third Reich Diplomacy
Review: Bloch's "Ribbentrop" is an excellent work on a figure who is often only mentioned as a supernumerary in histories of the Second World War and the Third Reich. From Ribbentrop's early years, to his pre-Nazi days, to his rather baffling rise to power, to his last days as a defendant (then convict) at Nuremberg, Bloch's book illuminates the reader as to this important but often overlooked individual. Divided into well-ordered chapters, filled with many fascinating footnotes, and drawing from diplomatic archives, interview records, and memoirs, "Ribbentrop" provides a deeply interesting look at the state of the German diplomatic machine in the 1930's and 1940's and sheds light on the Reichsaussenminister who despite his participation in terrible crimes was, as written by Philip Ziegler in his review, "never quite a monster".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent History of Third Reich Diplomacy
Review: Bloch's "Ribbentrop" is an excellent work on a figure who is often only mentioned as a supernumerary in histories of the Second World War and the Third Reich. From Ribbentrop's early years, to his pre-Nazi days, to his rather baffling rise to power, to his last days as a defendant (then convict) at Nuremberg, Bloch's book illuminates the reader as to this important but often overlooked individual. Divided into well-ordered chapters, filled with many fascinating footnotes, and drawing from diplomatic archives, interview records, and memoirs, "Ribbentrop" provides a deeply interesting look at the state of the German diplomatic machine in the 1930's and 1940's and sheds light on the Reichsaussenminister who despite his participation in terrible crimes was, as written by Philip Ziegler in his review, "never quite a monster".

Rating:
Summary: Very good study on Ribbentrop
Review: I have read a lot on WW2 history and found this study very good. I certainly learnt much from it.

A man promoted well over his ability and experience into a position of foreign minister. Yet in the scheme of things he was a fairly minor character.

Yet it surprizing how much influence that he did play in the conflict. I found the questions raised by the writer in relation to Rippontrop causing Hitler to misjudge Britain response to the invasion of Poland fasinating.





Rating:
Summary: An excellent book on a more minor but critical WWII player
Review: Ribbentrop is an excellent biography of one of WWII's more minor but critical players. Bloch does an excellent job of detailing the life of Hitler's foreign minister when little is currently available on the subject. I was amazed to learn that Hitler promoted one of so little intellectual and emotional ability to such an important post. Bloch explains that Ribbentrop was a by-product of Hitler's system of government, a system of yes-men that more and more told him what he wanted to hear, regardless of the circumstances. In Ribbentrop's case, he convinced Hitler that the French and British would not declare war over Poland and trigger a world war. Of course, he was wrong. Readers of this book with an interest in this period will not go away disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book on a more minor but critical WWII player
Review: Ribbentrop is an excellent biography of one of WWII's more minor but critical players. Bloch does an excellent job of detailing the life of Hitler's foreign minister when little is currently available on the subject. I was amazed to learn that Hitler promoted one of so little intellectual and emotional ability to such an important post. Bloch explains that Ribbentrop was a by-product of Hitler's system of government, a system of yes-men that more and more told him what he wanted to hear, regardless of the circumstances. In Ribbentrop's case, he convinced Hitler that the French and British would not declare war over Poland and trigger a world war. Of course, he was wrong. Readers of this book with an interest in this period will not go away disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent WWII Biography
Review: This is an excellent biography of one of WWII's most influential, but overlooked personalities. Bloch does a thorough job of outlining the life of Hitler's foreign minister, from his early days as ambassador to Berlin to his ultimate caputure by the Allies. A good read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent WWII Biography
Review: This is an excellent biography of one of WWII's most influential, but overlooked personalities. Bloch does a thorough job of outlining the life of Hitler's foreign minister, from his early days as ambassador to Berlin to his ultimate caputure by the Allies. A good read.