Product Description

Why, of all the nationalist-racist fanatics at large in Germany after the First World War did Adolf Hitler find such appeal? How did such an unlikely candidate gain control of the machinery of a complex modern state? Why was his power not curtailed by the traditional ruling classes and what was his personal role in the shaping of policy?
In this now classic account, Ian Kershaw takes an innovative approach to the Hitler story. Moving away from conventional biography, he focuses in particular on the nature and mechanics of Hitler’s regime to paint a compelling portrait of dictatorial power.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1774495 in Books
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From the Backcover

'...ought to be read by everybody with any interest in Hitler and the Third Reich.' -- the journal History

• An illustrated edition of this best-seller in the Profiles in Power series.
• Explores the nature and mechanics of Hitler's power and how he used it.
• Discusses Hilter's role in shaping policy and how much he was personally making key decisions, right to the end.

This is an illustrated edition of Hitler, a best-seller in the Profiles in Power series. Adolf Hitler has left a lasting mark on the twentieth century as the dictator of Germany and instigator of a genocidal war, culminating in the ruin of much of Europe and the globe. So why, of all the fanatics in Germany after the First World War, was it Hitler who found such a mass appeal? How did such an unimpressive figure some to take control of the machinery of a complex modern state? Why, contrary to all expectations, was his authority not curtailed by the traditional ruling classes and constitutional constraints? Ian Kershaw answers these questions, and more, to provide an interesting and lucid introduction to the character and exercise of Hitler's dictatorial power. This is valuable reading for anyone wanting a better understanding of the Hitler, Second World War , Germany and Europe in the twentieth century.

Ian Kershaw is professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield and has written widely on Hitler and the Third Reich, including HITLER: 1889-1936 Hubris (1999 - W.W.Norton & Co.) and The Hitler Myth (1989- OUP). He was also a consultant to the BBC -TV series The Nazis: A Warning from History, and to The War of the Century.

About the Author
Ian Kershaw is Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield. He has written widely on Hitler and the Third Reich, including the widely-acclaimed two-volume biography published by Penguin. In addition to his publications, he was consultant to the BAFTA-winning BBC-TV series The Nazis- A Warning from History, to the BBC2 programme War of the Century, to ZDF's Hitler- eine Bilanz and to ZDF's series in preparation on the Holocaust.