Books & documentaries about World War II

“People were perhaps alike in dying and in death, but each of them was different until that final moment, each had different preoccupations and presentiments until all was clear and then all was black.” -Synder, in Bloodlands

Reading a book about a subject is one thing, but seeing a documentary or a movie about it is another experience. Examine your reactions to what you read in class to what you saw on the screen.

The books and documentaries read and watched in this class were both instrumental in providing me with more knowledge about World War II. I really enjoyed reading Bloodlands because I believe the book does an excellent job of portraying the murder of civilians during the war. The book does not only talk about the Holocaust; it also presents the mass executions of civilians that took place under Stalin’s regime, the starvation of POWs, and the continued killings after the war. The book depicts how all of these events were interconnected. Also, Professor Drummond mentioned in class at one point that the majority of Americans think of Hitler as worse than Stalin because the Soviet Union was on our side. This book clears up that misconception. It illustrates that the Nazi atrocities and the Soviet atrocities were equally horrible. It is impossible to say that one was worth than the other. Though Kingdom of Shadows is fictional, I enjoyed reading the novel because it depicts the suspense that was mounting in Europe between 1938 and 1939. It also illustrates how desperately civilians tried to stop the Nazi regime from taking over Europe. I would definitely recommend this novel to someone who would like an idea of what it was like to live in Europe immediately preceding the outbreak of WWII.

Hitler and Stalin...both responsible for atrocities during WWII

Contrasting the two books we read in the class with the numerous documentaries we watched, I would say that the documentaries more effectively brought human emotion into an understanding of the war. Books are irreplaceable and provide a crucial perspective on the war, but documentaries are more engaging for those who are not willing to spend as much time learning about the war. Further, documentaries leave less to the imagination. This can have both a positive and a negative effect. On the positive side, documentaries contain real footage and generally give one an idea of what actually happened during any given event. But on the negative side, documentaries can often have a particular agenda and can skew events with images and visuals. When watching a documentary, it is necessary not to take everything at face value.

In conclusion, I believe that both books and documentaries play a powerful role in giving one perspective on World War II. Documentaries are perhaps better for those who are not willing to spend as much time reading about the war, while books are often superior in order to gain an analytical perspective on the variety of events that took place during the war.

 

• This documentary depicts the similarities between Hitler and Stalin. Both dictators ruled their countries with iron fists, squashed all dissent, and directed government-sponsored programs of terror against their own citizens.