Last year I picked up Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy and I finished it over the summer. It was one of the most in depth economic accounts of the National Socialist economy that I have ever read. Aside from a few books afterwards by Edwin Black, that is where my interest in the subject peaked fairly quickly and I lost interest completely. I just wanted to know if anyone else on this forum has read the book as I was never able to discuss it with anyone I know ( most of my family and friends would never consider dedicating their time to reading 848 pages, let alone a book on economic history).
I do have to say that I was fascinated with the sheer amount of stupidity and arrogance among the top-members in the National Socialist regime and can't help to draw parallels at times.
Did it mention the Mefo bill scam?
Yes it did, I believe it was mentioned quite early on in the book.
Would you recommend reading it?
Well, it depends on your interests! If you're interested in taking an in depth look at the centrally planned National Socialist and happen to enjoy economics like myself, this may be a book suited for you. But, you should prepare to invest a very large amount of time reading this book, it's 848 pages in small print. Back in the day when I was infatuated with learning everything and anything about the 1930s and 1940s, it was a worthwhile read, I don't know if I would be that willing to read through it again. But, it's a very nuanced book and covers plenty of aspects. I would suggest that you either go to a bookstore and read through a bit of it or go to your local library to borrow it for a month.
Honestly, it really depends on what you're into and have the time for.
I don't want to read the book at the moment (I have bunch of other stuff I'm reading) but would you mind giving a short synopsis of what you learned from the book? I've never understood exactly how the Nazi's worked besides Keynsianism 101, I assume the whole thing was a war bubble economy that was in no way sustainable
Andrew Ryan, that just about sums up the economic analysis of the book. Aside from several other aspects pertaining to Nazi Germany and the WW2, Tooze basically points out just exactly how the leaders of the Third Reich managed to shoot themselves in the foot and really do significant damage to the German economy by just about nationalising everything under the sun. I'm sure you can find a more elaborate review somewhere on the internet though if you wanted.