Hitler

“Masterful and domineering, but uncertain and hesitant; unwilling to take decisions, yet then prepared to take decisions bolder that anyone else could contemplate; and refusal, once made, to take back any decision: these are part of the puzzle of Hitler’s strange personality.”-Ian Kershaw (Hitler)After learning about the holocaust a few years back, I’d always wanted to learn more about the man, the regime and the times behind that atrocity. Having read and watched dozens of materials on the holocaust and stories about how the neighbors for decades turned onto their Jewish counterparts overnight, I was always intrigued by and wondered of the situations, systems and mindsets behind those times. Wars do foreshadow the extensive human, morale and materialistic loss but this holocaust wasn’t the consequence of war, it, apparently, was the cause, as per Hitler.This curiosity was my primary motivation behind picking Ian Kershaw’s mammoth 1000-page biography called Hitler.I will start off with the aspects that I loved about this book:1. Top-notch writing: If you fear that a 1000-page non-fiction can bore you off your mind, then you are in for a big surprise. Kershaw’s writing style and storytelling are primarily the factors that kept me hooked throughout my 3-month reading odyssey. Had the book lacked evocative and smooth storytelling, it could have been a real struggle for me to complete it.2. Extensive research: If you start keeping a note of hundreds of names, meetings, conversations, diary-entries referred to in the book, you will realize the amount of research that must have gone into this work, which, for me, also enhances the credibility of the content. This deep research reminded me of O Jerusalem! by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, which, in comparison, was a shorter work, but is definitely an excellent example of good-researched work.3. Titles of chapters: Now, this might not be an important aspect for all the readers, but a good and apt title that sets the tone of a chapter, specifically in a non-fiction, speaks a lot about the writer’s talent for me. And Kershaw’s book just aces the chapters’ title game. Just a look at the index can picture a journey: rise of Hitler from nothingness to a great European power’s leader to the ultimate historic downfall.This was about the book’s structure and writing, its technicalities so to say, but was it worth spending months on this biography, you may ask. And to that I’d unhesitatingly respond with an absolute yes!Kershaw’s biography delivers what it promises. It starts with Adolf Hitler’s birth in Austria’s Linz and ends with his suicide in Germany’s Berlin. It’s not a hidden fact (or conclusion) that if not for Germany’s WWI defeat, if not for the gross humiliation that Germans wanted to avenge for, if not for the deep economic and moral crisis Germany was facing during the post-WWI period, if not for the breeding grounds that various German cities and towns had become for numerous fascist and radical ideas, Hitler and the Nazis would, most probably, have never been born, and even if they did, would have blended with unknown and, like many others, died unnoticed – this is what Kershaw’s biography’s premise is too and the inspiration of my post’s title.Without National Socialist German Workers’ Party and WWII, Hitler’s significance evaporates in history. And that is what this biography’s significant portion covers: pre-WWI Hitler (for which there are various contradictory evidences and accounts and is thus, in comparison, the period based a lot on conjectures), his rise in German Workers’ Party that formed post-WWI (times when dozens of various fascist parties were forming throughout Germany to avenge for the undeserving humiliation they suffered post WWI), the failed beer hall putsch in 1923 that proved decisive in highlighting Hitler’s indispensability for the party and rendering him with dictatorial powers, rise of the Nazi party in Germany between 1920s and 1930s and eventual ascent to the power in 1933, discussions and gradual execution of numerous genocidal plans (not just of Jews), various annexations and expansions from late 1930’s to early 1940’s, and the beginning and the end of WWII.Hitler didn’t create any new wave or line of thought in Germany at the time. All he did was just fuel the world’s most potent and latent weapons – existing hatred and prejudices – and licensed every imaginable bold and brutal way of realizing the barbaric fantasies of Nazis.Like many other hurt, angry and revengeful post-WWI Germans, Hitler could have stayed one in that mix. His being a WWI German soldier (dispatch runner), being sent to newly-formed political party gatherings post WWI to gather intelligence, getting recognized for and realizing his natural talent at being an effective orator and a stimulating demagogue, getting his megalomaniac figure fed with all the right ingredients and German people looking in him the savior of their fatherland, all lead to the creation of a radical, egomaniacal tyrant and his empire, with propaganda and image-building at their core.And if not for the conducive environment and circumstances of that time, even Hitler’s exceptional oratory skills and speeches, which reeked of passionate hatred and meant to evoke the same in others, would have meant nothing and history would have been different – in a better way or a worse, we’d never know.“Hitler’s “mission” since he entered politics had been to undo the stain of defeat and humiliation in 1918 by destroying Germany’s enemies – internal and external – and restoring national greatness.”-Ian Kershaw (Hitler)For me, Germany’s 1920s and 1930s signify the dangers of making a man (or a woman) the nation and its law, and vulnerability and gullibility of human beings in hurt and pain. How soon humans turn to find scapegoats for their own loss and defeat, how humiliation and suffering can unite people and turn them against a common so-called enemy, how easily can distressed humans turn their emotions off for the “outsiders”, how readily can humans be social-engineered in times of crisis – does any of this seem relevant only of a bygone era? To me, all of it is as fitting to any situation today, be it political or otherwise, as it was during that period. Years may have progressed, but humans and their basic psyche are still the same, and that is what marks the global relevance and importance of this book for me.It is extremely convenient to scrutinize the actions and beliefs of a country decades down the line. When we are in a situation, there are only a few people who can really see the situation for what it is. It is only in hindsight do you see the red flags and signs that rang no bell back then.Before reading this book, I always found Hitler the only culprit of the holocaust, of early-mid 1900s melodrama. It served him right too considering his hatred for the conventional parliamentary system, which he hated primarily because of the absence of a single answerable authority. But after my read, it probably wouldn’t be wrong to say that as wrong as Hitler was in, all the ministers and officers that surrounded him and run the Nazi regime, and German civilians that provided him the platform to launch himself, were equally in the same wrong side of the history.If Hitler based his life’s mission of making Germany great again on highly racist, hyper-nationalistic, radical and all-or-nothing principles, the Nazi regime and Germany of the time did everything to provide him the support that could bring his vision to life. As the book rightly mentions that anybody who could, worked towards Führer. It wasn’t always the threat or fear, which I’m sure civilians at the time did face, that made people work towards Führer’s vision and his grandiose and unethical plans for Germany, but just the sheer faith that Führer is the messiah that Germany needed to rise and prosper post WWI’s humiliating defeat were enough to provide Nazis with the resources.Having said that, there were various German civilians that protested (some openly like Georg Elser) against Hitler and his regime, and various Nazi officers and colonels who realized the ruins their own regime was leading Germany and the entire Europe to, and thus, took actions accordingly (Claus von Stauffenberg’s infamous July plot). There were various German Wehrmacht officers too, who tried, unsuccessfully, to contradict and dissuade Hitler from his barbaric or, sometimes, too bold/fatally flawed plans throughout the regime. Thus, Germany did try to save itself – most of those attempts could never be successfully carried out, some were too feeble to be impactful, some came too late, and some, never.It wouldn’t be right to say that the biography answers all my questions, which only increased exponentially while reading this book, but it does leave me at a safe spot where I at least know my questions. And, honestly, after a certain point, like many other historical events, all that is left is an assortment of conjectures and opinions – neither of which help in establishing a fact that I may consider an answer. But, as I said, I do feel confident enough to know what, and if, I want to pursue further on this subject.The only expectation from this biography that, I felt, could lead to disappointment is the search for deep psychological references and answers to the whys of Hitler’s, Nazi party’s and other Germans’ actions – which aren’t there. This book is heavily based on the factual, economic, political and logistical aspects of those times. And, thus, should be read with the expectation of exploring the same.Before I sign-off, I’d just like to keep you informed that this was my first extensive read on Hitler/Nazi regime/WWII and, by no means, I’d advertise this as the best book out there on the subject. But this definitely is an extremely well-researched, well-written and highly informational book, and certainly a must-read for anyone interested in the topic. There is just so much out there on Hitler and Nazi regime that once you start reading, you can pave your own path with the kind of sub-domains that you’d like to further dive into.But after having read this book, I’d not shy away in recommending it to anyone and everyone regardless their nationality, race or age. This biography’s and subject’s relevance precedes any and all the social strands of societal structure, especially in today’s chaotic and complex system of lives, specifically the political ones, where not the dearth, but the overwhelming amount of information, makes us, humans, the most vulnerable we ever have been in history.“The old Germany was gone with Hitler. The Germany which had produced Adolf Hitler, had seen its future in his vision, had so readily served him, and had shared in his hubris, had also to share his nemesis.”-Ian Kershaw (Hitler)

More than expected. I am very much satisfied with this book.... Delivered one day before

One of the 5 best books in second world war. It was delivered on time.

Very detailed and very well written. Just what I needed

Book is costly

A very detail and accurate account

mesmerising narration at breakneck speed, a real page turner. It is worth any price.

Gostei do produto em si.

Le hubiera puesto 5 estrellas si hubiera escrito el libro de forma imparcial sin dar su opinion personal de Hitler como todos considerandolo como el mismo demonio. Por otro lado da detalles de la vida de Hitler que no se encuentran en otras fuentes de informacion.

Una muy buena biografía. Describe de forma amena el ascenso y caída del líder nazi, su ideología y su fuerte personalismo. Sin embargo, le falta rigor académico con la falta de referencias a algunas afirmaciones y su bibliografía es relativamente corta. Algunas frases puestas en boca de Hitler tales como "la guerra es la esencia del hombre" o sus planes de colonización de Rusia siguiendo el modelo desarrollado por Inglaterra en la India necesitan más soporte referencial. Tampoco descubre cómo un líder con dudosa formación académica pudo alcanzar su privilegiada posición, y embaucar a su país y sus aliados en la locura de la segunda guerra mundial. El capítulo (extinction) de los últimos días de Hitler es muy interesante, mientras el que cubre sus atentados es algo confuso.En resumen, recomendable con los peros esbozados más arriba.

What a trip. Its 1000 pages depict a compelling image of Hitler and the Third Reich. Historical accuracy is present in one and every page of this huge work of reconstruction.The main theme that connects the dots of this horrifying story, the so-called "work toward the Führer" and the strictly associated Führer cult together provide a solid explanation to the workings of the Third Reich. I found interesting also the depiction of the German people during the last stage of the tragedy: Kershaw never loses the opportunity to underline the feeling of the normal people (reported ad SD accounts) and thus helping to clarify the stance of the Germans in that historical period. Movies almost never underline this crucial aspect: they all depict the Germans as criminals, but this is far from true. Suffering of the normal people resulted, astonishingly soon, to a sudden drop of faith in the regime, till the final moment, in which a destroyed country barely payed attention to the death of who was acclaimed as the greatest of the Germans few years before. Germans never really wanted war. They - the population at large - just wanted peace and prosperity. They never really understood their Leader, and payed the consequences.It is difficult to find any weak point in the prose of the Author. The book can be read without be annoying or uninteresting.In the end, I have to say that overall this is a greater work than the great Fest's "Hitler" biografy, which I have in high estimation.Kershaw has written *the* biografy everyone should read.

In 1871 a customs officer in the Austrian-Hungarian empire changed his surname from Schicklgruber to Hitler which proved to be fortunate for the fourth child of his third marriage, Adolf (one of only two from six who survived). The idea of thousands of arms being raised to shout ‘Heil Schicklgruber’ wouldn't have had the same effect as ‘Heil Hitler’. Alois was ‘pompous, status-proud, strict, humourless, frugal, pedantically punctual and devoted to duty’ in his work but at home was ‘an authoritarian, overbearing, domineering husband and a stern, distant, masterful and often irritable father who was frequently drunk’. Klara Hitler was devoted to her children and submissive to her husband. While not a mummy’s boy Hitler was devoted to her.As a boy Hitler emerged as a leader in war games and adventure stories, which appears to have continued throughout his life. His aptitude for drawing led him to conclude he was going to become an artist. His interest in the arts extended to the anti-Semitic Wagner and his operas. His personality, like that of his father, was overbearing and opinionated. He viewed himself as the great artist of the future. He travelled to Vienna and applied for membership of the Academy of Fine Arts which he failed, although the Rector agreed he was suited to architecture rather than painting. This disappointment was followed quickly by the death of his mother. The family doctor described Hitler at the time as a boy who ‘lived within himself’. Between 1908 and 1913 Hitler lived the life of a drop out in Vienna. While he saw women as subservient and prefered them to be stupid Hitler was more of an abstainer from sex than the closet homosexual that later detractors claimed.. He experienced poverty, flirted with socialism and came to detest Social Democracy. Yet his description of his time in Vienna was doctored when he wrote Mein Kampf.Early in his career Hitler considered himself a person who considered all aspects of a problem before reaching a decision. This was not borne out in practice. After the Munich Putsch fiasco in 1923 Hitler fled and hid for two days. He had tried to emulate Mussolini’s march on Rome in the mistaken belief that he could overthrow the Weimar Republic. In 1934 he vacillated over the decision to destroy the SA and, even after the Night of the Long Knives, hesitated about killing Rohm. Shortly before the outbreak of war he sacked two generals on what were trumped up charges influenced by those amongst his cronies who wanted more power for themselves. He surrounded himself with acolytes who did not provide him with the support required, gradually reducing his ability to control the governance of the Reich itself. The government broke up into ‘the near anarchy of competing fiefdoms and internecine rivalries’. Theoretically in control Hitler rambling outpourings ‘were the purest expression of unbounded megalomaniac power and breathtaking inhumanity’.Hitler contributed his survival from the final assassination attempt on his life in July 1944 to Providence when, according to Kershaw, it was the luck of the devil that he avoided more than a dozen attempts on his life between the outbreak of war and Operation Valkyrie. In addition, although there was widespread opposition to the Nazis it was not organised and not encouraged by the Allies who did not want to alienated the Soviet Union. Valkyrie reinforced Hitler’s belief nothing would happen to him as he fulfilled his self-proclaimed destiny. Not all those involved in the Valkyrie were executed but over 200 were. Newsreels of the show-trials were circulated as a warning. Hitler still believed in his own ability, ignoring Rommel’s warning that ‘the unequal struggle is heading for its end’.Goebbels’ declaration of ‘Total War’ was an admission that the war was not going well for the Germans. By the end of 1944 the UBoat war was lost. The Luftwaffen were ineffective and Hitler imagined his new rockets would win the war. Hitler was physically ill and mentally deranged, convincing himself that he could still win the war in the west. When things went wrong he blamed everyone but himself.Yet it was Hitler whose ideas had become fossilised which prevented effective direction of the war. He was obsessed with the war, relying less on reason and more on gambling with the fate of other Germans. It was obvious that he had grown old before his time and by 1944 was a stooped, warm out parody of the great dictator. Surviving twenty-eight pills a day he developed Parkinson’s disease and shuffled rather than walked. As all decisions required his authorisation he was unable and unwilling to delegate and effectively became paralysed in his thinking. Having lost the ability to sway the masses he stopped talking to them creating a chasm between rule and ruled. His only role was preventing the end to the war which he did by clinging to his fantasy world. Upon hearing the Russians had broken into Berlin Hitler knew the war was lost but pretended he would lead the fight for control of the city. Goring claimed Hitler was no longer head of state and said he would surrender to the Americans in the west. Hitler (under Bormann’s influence) declared him to be a traitor.The hubris of Hitler’s rise ended with the nemesis of his downfall. It was all so predictable yet it could have been different as the corporal not imagined himself to be a great general. Those who supported him proved to be more even fanatical than himself, the Goebbels murdering their children rather than live in a non-Nazi world. They were not the only ones. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Leipzig did the same with over a thousand attributable to propaganda about Soviet brutality, although in practice it was on a par with Nazi brutality. Kershaw’s book reads like fiction. Regrettably it is factual, specifically separating reality from myth. A must read book for everyone, five stars.