This book is not an orderly account of the history of German imperialism. It does not contain a chronological analysis of all the pertinent problems. It is a selection of works on the development of German imperialism in the 20th century, on its home, foreign and colonial policy, its ideology and historiography. They were written over a long period beginning in the mid-twenties and ending in the present. Each had its own, often limited, purpose. Some are independent studies of Soviet, German, British and French documents and of documents from archives in the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic and the scientific institutions of the Weimar Republic. Others are studies of the more significant trends in the historiography and ideology of German imperialism. Still others were writ ten “in the make of the events”and are journalistic in complexion.
Briefly, some of the topics, treated as objects of scientific investigation, have a solid documentary foundation, while others were dealt with in a journalistic vein. These latter are now an echo of past history even where the author succeeded as historian and contemporary to size up the events more or less correctly.
The writer always had a liking for historical journalism, to which he devoted himself before the war and after it was over, but especially in his capacity of war correspondent. He has accumulated a vast amount of notes (regrettably irregular) taken in Moscow, in the front lines and abroad.
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recording facts and impressions, and events indicating the influence exerted by the Soviet Union and the other mem bers of the anti-nazi coalition on international affairs. The bulk of the notes are related to the military and political aspects of Hitler Germany, to nazi propaganda, etc. They were the meat for articles in Krasnaya Zvezda, Pravda and Izvestia, and radio broadcasts (chiefly beamed abroad).
The writer hopes that they will be of interest to the reader as the record of a Soviet historian's view of nazi Germany.
The collection is arranged in chronological order by subjects. The various works have thus been converted into chapters and grouped in four parts. Some are presented as originally written. Others have been touched up, but no amendments or additional facts were inserted even where new documentary material has come to hand, for the writer wished to preserve the original interpretation of events, save where they contradicted contemporary research. Some chapters, on the other hand, have been considerably ex panded and partly revised. Besides, a few new’chapters have been added.
The date at the end of every chapter indicates the time of writing of the original text. Two dates are given where the account was expanded or brought up to date at a later time.
Translated from the Russian by Vic Schneierson
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