Four days in Hitler's Germany : Mackenzie King's mission to avert a Second World War / Robert Teigrob.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Teigrob, Robert, 1966- author.

Contributor:

Class of 1924 Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

History.

Canada--Foreign relations--Germany--History--20th century.

Canada.

Germany--Foreign relations--Canada--History--20th century.

Germany.

World War, 1939-1945--Diplomatic history.

World War, 1939-1945.

Diplomatic history.

King, William Lyon Mackenzie, 1874-1950.

King, William Lyon Mackenzie.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.

Hitler, Adolf.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xix, 292 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, 2019.

Summary:

"In 1937, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King travelled to Nazi Germany in an attempt to prevent a war that, to many observers, seemed inevitable. The men King communed with in Berlin, including Adolf Hitler, assured him of the Nazi regime's peaceful intentions, and King not only found their pledges sincere, but even hoped for lifelong personal friendships with many of the regime's top officials. Four Days in Hitler's Germany is a clearly written and engaging story that reveals why King believed that the greatest threat to peace would come from those individuals who intended to thwart the Nazi agenda, which as King saw it, was concerned primarily with justifiable German territorial and diplomatic readjustments. Mackenzie King was certainly not alone in misreading the omens in the 1930s, but it would be difficult to find a democratic leader who missed the mark by a wider margin. This book seeks to explain the sources and outcomes of King's misperceptions and diplomatic failures, and follows him as he returns to Germany to tour the appalling aftermath of the very war he had tried to prevent."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Of Lions and Lyons p. 8

2 Arrival p. 12

3 Beholding the Nazi Miracle p. 33

4 Shrugging Off the British Yoke p. 50

5 The Holy Errand p. 62

6 Sympathy for the Devil p. 73

7 Haunted Berlin p. 87

8 Arbeit Macht Frei p. 96

9 Whither the Jews? p. 114

10 The Uses and Abuses of Mackenzie King p. 123

11 Canada Makes Headlines! p. 130

12 Atavistic Beasts: Der Dicke and His Bison p. 137

13 Baiting Godwin's Law p. 149

14 The Interview p. 158

15 Savouring the Triumph, with an Assist from Verdi p. 174

16 Taking Leave p. 187

17 Home p. 199

18 Failure of a Mission, or The War That Harry Crerar Foretold p. 207.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1924 Book Fund.

ISBN:

1487505507

9781487505509

OCLC:

1080997341