Product Description

Adolf Hitler was, without doubt, an influential individual of the 20th century. His actions shaped the modern world, and his fearful legacy still influences the world in which we live. This biography of one of Europe's warlords draws on extensive research, traces his rise to power, his astonishing military bravado, his early successes in Western Europe through to the disastrous defeats in Russia, Africa and France, and his final downfall in April 1946.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #274188 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1035 pages

Customer Reviews

A thoroughly interesting read
The initial prospect of tackling over 900 pages almost put me off, but once I started I discovered that this was a book which was difficult to put down. It starts with a description of Hitler's childhood and there is a particularly interesting section of how he came to bear his surname instead of the correct one of Schicklgruber. His youth and student days were in stark contrast to what was to follow and it is clear that Germany's surrender in 1918 was the catalyst for Hitler's dream of 'Lebensraum' for the German race (although he was, in fact, an Austrian). The dream was fostered by a fanatical patriotism and a belief that Germany was the master race. Underlying this was his pathological loathing of the Jewish race, for whom he blamed all of his country's ills. John Toland's narrative draws upon a vast amount of material and his research also included taped interviews with many of Hitler's colleagues and associates. It was particularly illuminating to learn that Hitler was something of a hypochondriac, although in the latter years he did suffer from various genuine ailments. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable book.

A good introduction
Toland manages to give a very consise and informative narrative of the entirity of Adolph Hitlers life without diverting onto the various historical differences surrounding it. An excellent and thorough introduction to the subject and also useful source of reference to those who want to study Nazi Germany in-depth

Gets under the skin
This is a superb look at the life of one the main figures of the 20th century. It gets under the skin of Hitler and gives you an idea of what made him tick. It is fully referenced. A lot of the accounts of incidents are reported with a great sense of immediacy adding drama to the narrative. It is a very balanced account of someone who became more and more unbalanced. You can see the logic of the invasion of the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. The first cracks are seen when ordering the invasion of Yugoslavia. These cracks are extended with invasion of Russia and the subsequent failure of that. The unravelling of his mind is clearly documented and the author uses this to show how subsequent decisions were made and to show how the logic of his ideas (bent as they were) was put into practice. Absolutely fascinating.