Prison Elite

How Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg Survived Nazi Captivity

Erika Rummel

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Hardback

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English

University of Toronto Press
22 June 2021

Biography: historical, political & military; Autobiography: historical, political & military; Second World War; Political leaders & leadership; Prisoners of war

"After the Anschluss (annexation) in 1938, the Nazis forced Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg to resign and kept him imprisoned for seven years, until his rescue by the Allies in 1945. Schuschnigg’s privileged position within the concentration camp system allowed him to keep a diary and to write letters which were smuggled out to family members.

Drawing on these records, Prison Elite paints a picture of a little-known aspect of concentration camp history: the life of a VIP prisoner. Schuschnigg, who was a devout Catholic, presents his memoirs as a ""confession,"" expecting absolution for any political missteps and, more specifically, for his dictatorial regime in the 1930s. As Erika Rummel reveals in fascinating detail, his autobiographical writings are frequently unreliable.

Prison Elite describes the strategies Schuschnigg used to survive his captivity emotionally and intellectually. Religion, memory of better days, friendship, books and music, and maintaining a sense of humour allowed him to cope. A comparison with the memoirs of fellow captives reveals these tactics to be universal.

Studying Schuschnigg’s writing in the context of contemporary prison memoirs, Prison Elite provides unique insight into the life of a VIP prisoner."

By: Erika Rummel
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 440g
ISBN: 9781487527570
ISBN 10: 1487527578
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 22 June 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Erika Rummel is a professor emerita in the Department of History at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Reviews for Prison Elite: How Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg Survived Nazi Captivity

"""Rummel brilliantly describes and analyzes how Schuschnigg attempted to cope psychologically with his personal plight and to explain to himself why he had failed as chancellor."" -- Evan B. Bukey, University of Arkansas, emeritus * <em>Central European History</em> *"