Very disappointed :(

Fantastic!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

If you are looking for a first-rate history documentary that not only features plenty of excellent archival footage, but is also one of the most incisive and informative (as it clearly retells the true story of Nazi-rule in war-torn Germany), then, believe me, this is definitely the one presentation to see.Impressively directed by Laurence Rees - This 6-episode program is a very serious "Warning From History" - Indeed - Cautioning us all that if a horrific event like the "Holocaust" did happen once, then, to be sure, it could, most certainly, happen again.And, of course - As we all know - The chief orchestrator behind all of the endless oppression and atrocity that prevailed throughout WW2 was the biggest and vilest villain of them all - Adolf Hitler, an utterly despicable, low-life worm whose sole objective was to rule the world "his way".

It is ironic that in their attempt to prove Germans a "Superior Race" Hitler and Nazi supporters demonstrated themselves to be more sub-human than the "sub-humans" they so cavalierly murdered and profited from. It was most interesting to me in this series to see interviews of the "by standers" of the war. One citizens that benefited from and supported the forcing of Jews into Ghettos had no remorse at withholding food he had access to from starving people after they could no longer bribe him with diamonds for bread. I rejoice that he and others have admitted on camera exactly how they feel. You see that, while a Nazi soldier would have been shot for disobeying orders, there was no coercion at all for many of the people who betrayed their fellow citizens who were Jews. They did it freely and from their evil hearts. It is also clear that people wanted to be proud. They wanted to be big shots. They wanted anyone other than themselves to be the unpopular ones as the Germans were after World War I. So they developed this egomaniacal belief of their complete perfection and invincibility. When one sees the pattern of belief and thinking of the ordinary German citizen of that time, it becomes a delicious irony, rather than a tragedy that the Communists took over East Berlin. Many of those very same people who ended up behind that Wall had cheered when the German Jews were hauled away to be gassed. The Jews were specifically hated because of the belief they were all Communists. And it is once again ironic that the Germans who sought so much to regain their proud, good image after World War I etched a more permanent stain on themselves in trying to remove the first one. Almost like a shameful tattoo.

I first saw THE Nazis: A WARNING FROM HISTORY when it was originally broadcast on BBC 2 in 1997 but wasn't too struck by it . I found it somewhat dry and academic and unlike several documentaries dealing with the holocaust ( Most notably the episode from THE WORLD AT WAR ) it didn't leave much of an impact with me . I also noticed some irritation with the writing , for example the phrase " Ethnic cleansing " is used but this is both an anachronism and a misnomer . Anachronistic because the term wasn't used until 1991-92 during the Balkans conflict and a misnomer because what the Serbs , Croats and Bosniaks ( All sides used the technique and no one had a monopoly as perpetrator or victim ) were doing in the former Yugoslavia was fairly different from what the Nazis did in the occupied territories during the second world war . " Migratory genocide " is a phrase that came from the Soviet-Afghan war and can be said to be the precursor phrase to " Ethnic cleansing " and would be accurate to describe the tactics used in the former Yugoslavia . Nazi tactics from 1939 to 1945 were different and " Literal genocide " would be the most accurate phrase instead of " ethnic cleansing " I did catch the final episode when it was repeated a couple of weeks ago and I have to take issue with some of the points raised . For example Laurence Rees script argues that because the fascist policies of Italy were different from German Nazi racial policies , Nazi Germany couldn't sue for peace the way the Italians had done . This is a bizarre argument because whatever the ideology of Italy was during the second world war they had no real military success , even if Italy was led by someone as bloodthirsty and as racist as Hitler the Italian military had no military success as such , they'd captured very little territory . The Italian military leaders were incompetent and the average soldier in the fascist Italian army is still the butt of jokes today so it's totally irrelevant what the racial policies of Il Duce were . By a bitter irony the most serious critics of Hitler in Germany during were the Prussian aristocracy , the officer class whose generals conquered Western Europe and knocked on the gates of Moscow in 1941 . Without these officers who had little love of Hitler Nazi Germany wouldn't have been able to capture most of Europe and engage on a policy of industrialised murder It's also open to interpretation as to how much fighting spirit the Germans had in the final months of the war was down to the fear of being tried for their crimes against humanity or if it's down to the notorious German mentality . During the great war of 1914-18 Germany wasn't led by a genocidal madman or committed a policy of mass extermination but they still fought on when they realised they weren't going to win the war and the allies on the Western front were shocked by this attitude as the Germans fought until the final seconds before 11am November the 11th 1918 . Even today the Germans in sport are infamous as to their win at all costs mentality and there has always seemed to be something in the German psyche that doesn't allow them to know when they've been beaten Much of the selling point of the series - And the reason why it's so highly regarded by some critics - is that it interviews people who have innocent blood on their hands . One man tells of the time he was told to prosecute a farm worker who made a joke about the Nazis blowing up a bridge . The farm worker was found guilty of treason and hanged in the village square in front of his wife . The prosecutor in question was later found guilty of murder and sentenced to six years imprisonment . But what do we learn from these interviews ? That the Nazis murdered millions of innocent people ? I think we already knew that . That they're sorry for what they did ? That they're not sorry at all ? How can anyone prove or disprove that and what good would come out of it anyway ? Watching THE Nazis: A WARNING FROM HISTORY is a disappointment since it doesn't shed new light on a topic we already know about

I've seen my fair share of documentaries about World War II and Nazism. Some were good and some downright awful. But this one gets at some issues that are often addressed poorly by other investigations.One question this six-part series attempts to answer is how did Germany fall under Hitler's spell? How was it possible? Perhaps one of the best moments is in laying the ground work for answering this complex question by detailing the circumstances and climate of the time. It certainly solved some mysteries for me concerning the hatred of Germans toward communism and Bolshevism.The interviews themselves are hard hitting. I am amazed that some of these former Nazis agreed to be interviewed and unblinkingly told why they acted as they did. Some give excuses but many simply state it...as if daring anyone to deny them their right to feel that way. It is simply amazing and stunning to watch. And to realize that even in the light of how horrific their actions were, they still would have acted in such a manner. It defies description.The series' creators seem to understand that in no way can they tackle all the issues of Nazism so they pick their issues with care. I especially appreciated hearing how the ethnic Germans returned to their newly expanded homeland, causing the SS to have to throw out the Poles living there. It was an aspect of the annexation I knew nothing about until now.My only complaint was that there was so much I am sure they had to leave out. But what is included is first-rate, well done and definitely skillfully pieced together. The graphics are also top notch. I must also applaud the creators for choosing original music or period music and not the usual synthesizer overdubs one hears in most documentaries.Kudos, too, to narrator Sam West, who does a top-notch job.