Eyewitnesses to catastrophe

Travelers in the Third Reich underlines the power of wilful delusion, and explores indifference of tourists in Nazi Germany to the regime's atrocities, offering a lesson that remains relevant today

Travelers in the Third Reich: The rise of Fascism through the Eyes of Everyday People

Author: Julia Boyd

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Price: Rs 599
 

One paradox of tourist travel is that visitors tend to be indifferent to the contemporary realities of the countries they visit. How many of us have wowed the pyramids without thinking of the corrupt regime that oppresses the people of Egypt? Or admired the Hagia Sophia and  Süleymaniye without giving a thought to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian politics. This willing suspension of awareness is, of course, critical to the enjoyment of foreign travel.

This attitude matters less in