The reissue of Charlotte Beradt's book, The Third Reich of Dreams, highlights the psychological impact of totalitarianism as reflected in the dreams of Germans during Hitler's regime. Beradt meticulously recorded the dreams of her friends, transforming the oppressive reality into coded "night diaries" that captured their fears and experiences. The dreams serve as a unique lens into the psyche affected by totalitarian rule, articulating how the environment of terror influences the subconscious. This poignant work not only sheds light on individual experiences but also critiques the broader implications of repression on human consciousness.
Charlotte Beradt, a German Jewish journalist who experienced Hitler's rise, found the messages in her friends' dreams irresistibly interesting, reflecting the psyche under totalitarian rule.
Beradt recorded dreams from 1933, coding them for safety, knowing it was dangerous, as some even dreamed that dreaming itself had been made illegal.
It took Beradt until 1966 to turn her collected dreams into The Third Reich of Dreams, a profound examination of the regime’s impact on subconscious thoughts.
The system is total because the brain is recruitable; every intimate space can be touched, revealing the stresses of living under a terrorizing regime.
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