Behemoth
Struktur und Praxis des Nationalsozialismus 1933 - 1944. Neu herausgegeben von Alfons Söllner und Michael Wildt
📘 About This Book
Franz Neumanns "Behemoth" gilt heute als ein "moderner Klassiker" der Sozialwissenschaft. 1942, in der Entscheidungsphase des Zweiten Weltkrieges publiziert, war das Buch die erste Gesamtdarstellung Hitler-Deutschlands aus Emigranten-Feder. Die empirische Analyse der vier Säulen der NS-Gesellschaft und die kühne These von der chaotischen Struktur des nationalsozialistischen "Unstaates", auf die der Name aus der jüdischen Mythologie verweist, sind eine Herausforderung für die historische NS-Forschung geblieben. Das Vorwort von Alfons Söllner zu dieser Neuedition skizziert die Biographie von Franz Neumann als "political scholar". Das Nachwort von Michael Wildt stellt den "Behemoth" in den Kontext der internationalen NS-Forschung. "In einem einzigen verblüffenden Aufriss legte Franz Neumann dar, wie sich die gesamte deutsche Gesellschaft unter dem Nationalsozialismus in vier festgefügte, zentra-listisch organisierte Blöcke mit Führerprinzip und je eigener Gesetzgebung, Verwaltung und Gerichtsbarkeit untergliederte. Die vier Hierarchien – Staatsapparat, Armee, Industrie und Partei – konnten unabhängig voneinander arbeiten, ohne dass Gesetze ihre Kreise störten." Raul Hilberg
📖 Summary
Franz Neumann's Behemoth, originally published in 1942 during a critical phase of the Second World War, stands as a monumental modern classic of the social sciences. As the very first comprehensive analysis of Hitler's Germany written from the perspective of an emigrant, the book offers a deeply empirical examination of the internal mechanics that sustained the National Socialist regime. The core of Neumann's thesis rests on a provocative and striking characterization of the Nazi system not as a monolithic, highly organized totalitarian state, but rather as a chaotic and fragmented unstate. Drawing on the biblical imagery of the mythical sea monster Behemoth, Neumann illustrates how the regime operated through a destructive web of competing power centers rather than orderly legal or bureaucratic frameworks. Through rigorous empirical analysis, the book dissects the four primary pillars of Nazi society, mapping out the intricate relationships between the party, the state administration, the military, and monopolistic economic interests. By portraying the Nazi system as a realm of lawlessness and institutional chaos, Neumann challenged contemporary and subsequent historical interpretations, cementing Behemoth as an enduring intellectual challenge for historians of the period. This modern edition is further enhanced by scholarly framing, featuring a preface by Alfons Söllner that sketches Franz Neumann's biography as a dedicated political scholar, alongside an afterword by Michael Wildt that contextualizes the enduring significance of Behemoth within international National Socialist research. Spanning over six hundred pages, the book remains an indispensable resource for understanding the structural anatomy of fascism, blending sociological insight with historical depth to explain how a modern society could collapse into institutionalized lawlessness and terror.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Provides a groundbreaking empirical analysis of Nazi society written by an insightful contemporary emigrant.
Challenges conventional understandings of totalitarianism with the compelling thesis of the unstate.
Includes helpful scholarly additions like a biographical preface and a contextualizing afterword.
Serves as an essential foundational text for modern social science and historical research on fascism.
⚠️ Cons
The dense academic writing style and massive length may prove challenging for casual readers.
Some structural interpretations reflect the specific mid-twentieth-century perspective of its wartime publication.
❓ FAQ
When was Behemoth originally published? +
The book was originally published in 1942 during a critical phase of the Second World War.
Who is the author of Behemoth? +
The book was written by Franz Neumann, a political scholar and emigrant.
What is the central thesis of the book? +
Neumann argues that Nazi Germany was a chaotic, fragmented unstate driven by competing power pillars rather than an orderly totalitarian government.
What are the four pillars analyzed in the book? +
The text examines the four pillars of Nazi society, which include the party, the state administration, the military, and economic monopolies.
Does this edition feature any additional commentary? +
Yes, this edition includes a preface by Alfons Söllner on Neumann's biography and an afterword by Michael Wildt contextualizing the book in historical research.
