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Geoffrey Cocks is Royal G. Hall Professor of History at Albion College in Michigan. When he took his doctorate at UCLA, majoring in German history, he minored in the history of psychoanalysis. This book shows how he has combined his interests over the years.
The nine chapters of the book are a compilation of previously published book chapters and journal articles of Cocks's. Seven substantially cover the same territory, with some differences in the selection of material. The remaining two chapters are of special interest to psychoanalysis: one in which Cocks explores Jung's feelings toward the Nazis; and another, in which, as editor of Kohut's correspondence, he deals with the question of the identity of Mr. Z. A foreword by psychohistorian Peter J. Loewenberg and an introduction by Cocks present an excellent summary of the chapters that follow. The introduction also includes an evaluative survey of the research others have done on the history of psychoanalysis in Germany under the Nazis and since, material that does not appear subsequendy in the book.
The main point that Cocks develops is that the rise of the Nazis can best be understood in terms of trends in Western culture in general, as well as specific trends in Germany. He successfully minimizes the role, so often referred to in speculations on the subject, of the particulars of the post-World War I situation. Cocks concentrates on the vicissitudes of the health care professions—most especially psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis—to demonstrate what he believes happened to enable an entire modern nation to participate in the Nazi world.