Hitler, 1889 1936: Hubris

Description

Ian Kershaw's "Hitler" allows us to come closer than ever before to a serious understanding of the man and of the catastrophic sequence of events which allowed a bizarre misfit to climb from a Viennese dosshouse to leadership of one of Europe's most sophisticated countries. With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, Kershaw recreates the world which first thwarted and then nurtured the young Hitler. As his seemingly pitiful fantasy of being Germany's saviour attracted more and more support, Kershaw brilliantly conveys why so many Germans adored Hitler, connived with him or felt powerless to resist him.

Author description

Ian Kershaw is Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield and one of the world's leading authorities on Hitler.

Table of contents

Fantasy and failure; drop-out; elation and embitterment; discovering a talent; the beerhall agitator; the "drummer"; emergence of the leader; mastery over the movement; breakthrough; levered into power; the making of the dictator; securing total power; working towards to Fuhrer.