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As a teenager, I heard or read or saw (in films or on television) story after story about the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. Despite the occasional \u2018corrective\u2019 offered by Hogan\u2019s Heroes, the impression given was that the Gestapo were all knowing and ever present.\n\nWe now know differently, of course. But knowing that the Nazi state functioned as much or more through consensus as coercion has led historians to think again about the way in which this consensus was created and sustained. And it has produced a series of books addressing the question of what this consensus meant for policy making and execution.\n\nThomas Kuehne\u2018s fabulous new book has contributed greatly to this discussion. Belonging and Genocide: Hitler\u2019s Community, 1918-1945 (Yale University Press, 2013), looks hard at the role belonging played in the emergence and success of the Nazi Party. He tells us how important the desire for a sense of community was in the way people responded to the the crises of the 20s and 30s. And he tells us how this desire for community shaped efforts to exclude people who were not part of the community, whether through isolation, removal, or destruction. It\u2019s a great book.\n\nSkype was not as cooperative as I would have liked during the interview and there\u2019s a low buzz present at times. The sound is not ideal, but it shouldn\u2019t be too disruptive, and Kuehne\u2019s work and words are fascinating. So I hope you\u2019ll give it a listen.You\u2019ll be glad you did.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies