Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945--The Chronicle of a Dictatorship (4 Volume Set) [Hardcover]

Max Domarus (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 086516228X | ISBN-13: 978-0865162280 | Publication Date: June 1, 2004

This translation compiles speeches and proclamations from Hitler's rise to power in 1932 to his demise in 1945. It provides insight into his political agenda and ideology in an unprecedented span of years. Described as 'essential,' 'extraordinarily useful,' and 'indispensable,' this standard reference work on the Third Reich represents the most comprehensive collection of Hitler's Speeches, with an extensive commentary and the largest set of footnotes. It provides insight into his political agenda and ideology in addition to demonstrating his organizational and rhetorical skills. The four-volume set, Hitler Speeches and Proclamations is completely translated into English for the first time and is a much-needed addition to every public, research, historical, or personal library. In 1932, when Hitler became the most important political figure in Germany, Dr. Domarus began to collect his public statements, speeches, interviews, and letters, being conscious of their eventual documentary value. Friends at home and abroad persuaded him to make comments on this unique collection and publish it in its entirety. This publication's most distinctive feature is to be found in the clear, concise and insightful comments of the author.The Complete Hitler: A Digital Desktop Reference to His Speeches & Proclamations, 1932-1945 - ISBN 0865166587
The Essential Hitler: Speeches and Commentary - ISBN 0865166277

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Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

From the Publisher

Volume 1

* Introduction
* Hitler's personality
* Political goals
* Methodology of Hitler's speeches

THE YEAR 1932
Hitler's domestic political struggles reach their peak. His attempt to come to power via plebiscite fails, in spite of tremendous oratorical campaigns. He receives only 37% of the vote. In contrast with this, the influence he wields on leading political personalities grows decisively.

THE YEAR 1933
Acting under the influence of aides, Hindenburg appoints Hitler to the post of chief of a presidential cabinet and conveys upon him crucial, powerful positions. Within months, Hitler does away with all other parties besides his own and crushes the unions. Germany withdraws form the League of Nations and simultaneously launches an unlimited arms build-up.

THE YEAR 1934
Faced with the imminent demise of the Reichsprasident, Hitler attempts to secure the sympathies of the Reichswehr generals to himself. To this end he has the most prominent of the SA leaders murdered (R?hm affair).

Without waiting for Hindenburg's actual death, Hitler has the cabinet proclaim him Hindenburg's successor (in breach of the constitution). An oath of unconditional allegiance to Hitler is required of all soldiers.

Volume 2
THE YEAR 1935
Following the return of the Saar territory to Germany, Hitler initiates general conscription. The swastika flag becomes the official "Reich" flag. Jews are now subject to a special legal code (Laws of N?rnberg).

THE YEAR 1936
Occupation of the Rhineland. German military intervention in Spain. As a consequence of Mussolini's escapades in Abyssinia, Italy falls under German influence. To an extent, Austria is also forced to comply with Hitler's wishes.

THE YEAR 1937
Calm before the storm! No plebiscites, no "surprise" military strikes, except for retaliatory shots fired by German war ships on the Spanish harbor of Algeria. In November, Hitler reveals to the generals his intentions of taking Austria and Czechoslovakia by force.

THE YEAR 1938
Hitler removes General Blomberg and General Frisch and subsequently appoints himself minister of war and commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht.

He succeeds in annexing Austria to the Reich without bloodshed. His intentions of declaring war on Czechoslovakia are quelled by the Western powers (Munich Conference). The cession of only the Sudeten district is a humiliation to Hitler and he gives orders to prepare for the occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia.

APPENDIX
Hitler's ascent to commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht.

Volume 3
THE YEAR 1939
In a breach of contractual agreements, Hitler occupies all of Czechoslovakia and establishes the protectorate Bohemia and Moravia.

Lithuania cedes the Memel district. England and France repeatedly state that they will declare war on Germany in the case of a German attack on Poland or Danzig.

Nevertheless, Hitler, feeling confident because of a non-aggression pact with Russia, does start war with Poland. The declaration of war by the Western powers is tantamount to the complete breakdown of foreign relations, which were based on an amiable relationship with England. The quick conquest of Poland does nothing to change the constellation in Western Europe.

THE YEAR 1940
Without declaring war, Hitler invades Denmark and Norway, then, one month later, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.

As a result of the campaign in the West, France capitulates; England, however, does not, contrary to Hitler's expectations. Hitler is forced to engage in air combat over Britain, a battle he loses within only a few weeks. His terrorist air-raids on London and other English cities provoke retaliation by the RAF, resulting in the destruction of major German cities from 1942 to 1945.

Hitler dispatches troops to Rumania. His attempts to involve Spain, France and Russia in the battle against England fail. Italy's entry into the war proves to be a burden to Germany, with respect to Africa as well as Greece. NEW: Previously Unpublished Material

SEPTEMBER 4, 1938
The Reich Defense Law cancels the Military Service Act of May 21, 1935. It is kept secret on Hitler's order issued the same day. Until July 17, 1939, citing of or reference to the Reich Defense Law in public is forbidden.

MAY 3, 1940
With the launch of the offensive in the West imminent, Hitler addresses 6,000 officer cadets at the Berlin Sportpalast emphasizing the adaptation of the Lebensraum to increasing population, the claim that Germany is the most populous nation on Earth besides China, and struggle as the essence of life.

DECEMBER 18, 1940
Addressing the annual rally of young officers at the Berlin Sportpalast, Hitler again focuses on the inevitability of struggle and the relationship between population and Lebensraum.

Volume 4
THE YEAR 1941
Hitler invades Yugoslavia and Greece without prior declaration of war. Like Napoleon, he subsequently attempts to defeat England in Russia and thus invades his former allies without a declaration of war. Despite considerable territorial gains, Hitler is not successful in taking Leningrad, Moscow or Murmansk. The German army takes a painful beating at Moscow. Hitler uses this opportunity to make himself commander-in-chief of the army.

THE YEAR 1942
Despite initial successes, Hitler is unable to take the Suez Canal and the oil fields in the Caucasus.

The attempt to conquer Stalingard results in the German 6th Army being surrounded. The German Africa corps is forced to retreat at El Alamein.

The efforts to exterminate the Jews reach a peak.

THE YEAR 1943
Collapse of Germany's battle in Stalingrad and Northern Africa. Italy is forced to plead for a cease-fire after Allied forces reach the mainland. Hitler occupies Northern Central Italy.

THE YEAR 1944
The invasion of the Allies in France is tantamount to the end of Hitler's rule in Western Europe. Russia smashes the German army division Mitte. An assassination attempt at Hitler's headquarters makes the internal military opposition to Hitler apparent. Romania, Bulgaria and Finland capitulate. Hitler's Christmas offensive in the Ardennes region falls apart after modest initial successes.

THE YEAR 1945
Germany is overrun by the Allied and Russian armies. Hitler is forced to take his own life in the bunker of the Reich chancellory.

APPENDIX and INDICES
* Hitler and history
* Responsibility for World War II
* Hitler's victories and defeats in World War II
* Synopsis of Hitler's travels abroad
* Epilogue
* Index of subjects
* Index of persons
* Index of places
* Hitler's headquarters in World War II
* Bibliography
* July 20, 1944 assassination attempt

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3400 pages
• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086516228X
• ISBN-13: 978-0865162280
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.7 x 6.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,069,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The most complete list of Hitler's speeches in print, February 2, 2008

By 

Future Watch Writer (Washington, D.C. Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945--The Chronicle of a Dictatorship (4 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

The Domarus's books on Hitler's speeches are considered the authoritative source on this subject. I have all four volumes of these works listed here on Amazon. I also also have all volumes of the original German set. It's a useful historical source. However, there are some very major problems. If you speak German, you should definitely buy the German version rather than the English version. In the first place, it's less expensive. In the second place, the quality of the English translations (like many translated works) is not very good. Even more aggravating is Domarus's editorial style. Beginnings and endings of speeches are not clearly marked in the type setting format. Domarus insists on sticking his comments into the middle of Hitler's speeches at odd intervals, making things even more confusing. Worst of all, this is not a complete record as he claims. There are speeches that are not here. In spite of all these problems, this expensive set is well worth getting if you are a serious student of this subject. Nobody else has published anything quite so complete, and it has a value beyond the speeches themselves. It serves as a kind of guide to Hitler's actions during each year. I have some more books on Nazi documentary history in my Listmania list on this subject you can see below or on my profile. I also have a list on communist documentary history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what it claims to be, but worthwhile anyway, April 3, 2009

By 

Bill Stevenson (West Palm Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945--The Chronicle of a Dictatorship (4 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

This four volume set offers a glimpse of Hitler in power through excerpts of many of his speeches. Unlike the reviewer who found the translation wanting, I think the English version quite readable. What might be wanting for the scholar familiar with the German language is some of Hitler's awkward phrasing or rather somewhat eccentric (at least to German ears) Austrian German. Hitler was self taught and this added to some mannerisms of speech that were unconventional within the context of the language. It must be admitted that the English translation loses this aspect of his style. But Hitler's meaning and content are crystal clear as is his thought process. As a chronicle of his daily routine, these volumes offer a picture of a hectic and disjointed, but energetic politician. Since Hitler was his own speechwriter, his public utterances offer extraordinary insight into his mind, manipulations, and duplicity. As time goes on and Hitler's actions repeatedly confound previous publicly stated positions, it becomes clear to the reader that the man could not be believed. And yet he manifestly was believed by the majority of Germans right up until the end. I think this can at least in part be explained because taken separately, each of his speeches paints a picture of a reasonable man (except of course when and where his carefully constructed choreography called for a different projection). The man was nothing if not deliberate. Perhaps only a few contemporaries such as author Domarus, closely followed and critically compared Hitler's public speeches over time. My overriding criticism of these volumes is twofold: First, there is entirely too much editorializing and commentary by Domarus, whose views, although entirely understandable, detract from the flow of Hitler's words; second, the text is disjointed and incomplete presumably to make room for Domarus's commentary, which is not only confusing at times, but often is taken out of context or chronology, and is not reliably accurate in all cases. I would much rather have had what is claimed, but not to be found here, and that is the complete text of all Hitler's speeches. This set, nevertheless, is worth reading for the patient and serious scholar.

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars National-socialism, May 25, 2006

By 

Piterman Tatiana "fan" (Moscow,Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945--The Chronicle of a Dictatorship (4 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

I always wanted to know what Hitler tells to masses. I have big interest in his speeches, in his style of talking. It is a great book for me because it unclude the most important Adolf's public speeches. I enjoied reading it!