CONFESSIONS OF THE OLD WIZARD

by Hjalmar Schacht ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 1956

Schacht's autobiography, spanning 76 years in journalism, banking and jail, stands as a belligerent apologia for his masterminding of Germany's economic rise under Hitler. The former Economic Minister describes himself as a conservative democrat, bent on re-establishing his country's role as a major power in post-World War I Europe, reducing unemployment, and regaining territorial possessions in Africa. A staunch opponent of aggressive militarism and persecution of the Jews, Schacht conceives of himself as a moral Fifth Column within the Nazi regime. When arrested on suspicion of plotting Hitler's overthrow, he knew himself guilty of the charge and scarcely complains that he narrowly missed being executed without any right to defense. Of the Nuremberg trial, which finally acquitted him, Schacht is however contemptuous. The trial, more than any other experience, jolts Schacht out of his sweet reasonableness. This reasonableness, a mixture of offended innocence and conceit, is so affecting that even when Schacht shocks us with his ideas we do not immediately register his meaning. For example, he urges that Jewish social and cultural influence must be limited not to incur the hatred of a Christian community and consequently to protect the Jews.... A document, pertinent to this period of modern history and possibly of some permanent value for students, although there are many statements open to dispute. The general reader will find it overlong.

Pub Date: July 17, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton, Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION