| Contents |
Prologue: A Nobody -- Part I. The Public Self : Back in Munich: Politicization -- Joining the Party -- Hitler becomes Party Leader -- The March to the Hitler Putsch -- The Trial and the Period of the Ban -- Part II. Creating a Public Image : A Fresh Start -- Hitler as a Public Speaker -- A New Direction -- Conquering the Masses -- Strategies -- On the Threshold of Power -- Part III. Establishing the Regime : 'The Seizure of Power' -- First Steps in Foreign Policy -- 'Führer' and 'People' -- Breaking out of the International System -- Becoming Sole Dictator -- Part IV. Consolidation : Domestic Flashpoints -- Initial Foreign Policy Successes -- The Road to the Nuremberg Laws -- A Foreign Policy Coup -- 'Ready for War in Four Years' Time' -- Conflict with the Churches and Cultural Policy -- Hitler's Regime -- Part V. Smokescreen : Resetting Foreign Policy -- From the Blomberg-Fritsch Crisis to the Anschluss -- The Sudeten Crisis -- After Munich -- Into War -- Part VI. Triumph : The Outbreak of War -- Resistance -- War in the West -- Diplomatic Soundings -- The Expansion of the War -- Operation Barbarossa -- The Radicalization of Jewish Policy -- The Winter Crisis of 1941/42 -- The Pinnacle of Power -- Hitler's Empire -- Part VII. Downfall : The Turning Point of the War and Radicalization -- With His Back to the Wall -- Defeat Looms -- 20 July 1944 -- Total War -- The End. |
| Abstract |
"Acclaimed historian Peter Longerich, author of Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler now turns his attention to Adolf Hitler in this new biography. While many previous portraits have speculated about Hitler's formative years, Longerich focuses on his central role as the driving force of Nazism itself. You cannot separate the man from the monstrous movement he came to embody. From his ascendance through the party's ranks to his final hours as Führer in April 1945, Longerich shows just how ruthless Hitler was in his path to power. He emphasizes Hitler's political skills as Germany gained prominence on the world's stage. Hitler's rise to, and ultimate hold on, power was more than merely a matter of charisma; rather, it was due to his ability to control the structure he created. His was an image constructed by his regime - an essential piece self-created of propaganda. This comprehensive biography is the culmination of Longerich's life-long pursuit to understand the man behind the century's worst crimes."--Publisher's description |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 967-1285) and index. |
| Genre/form | Biographies. |
| Genre/form | Biographies. |
| LCCN | 2019015905 |
| ISBN | 9780190056735 (hardback ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0190056738 (hardback ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9780198796091 (UK edition ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0198796099 (UK edition ; alk. paper) |
