Hitler (Profiles in Power) [Textbook Binding]

Ian Kershaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1991 | ISBN-10: 058255277X | ISBN-13: 978-0582552777

How could such an unprepossessing figure as Adolf Hitler gain 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? This innovative study of Hitler's political life addresses these problems by focusing directly upon the nature and mechanics, the character and exercise of Hitler's dictatorial power. This is a powerful piece of analysis that belies its relatively modest dimensions. It will be invaluable to students and teachers of German and world history, and politics, as well as the interested general reader.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...this short book ought to be read by everybody with any interest, whether general or specialized, in Hitler and the Third Reich.' History

From the Back Cover

Hitler'...this short book ought to be read by everybody with any interest, whether
general or specialized, in Hitler and the Third Reich.'             History  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. This innovative best-seller explores the nature and mechanics of Hitler's power, and how he used it. On the face of it, Adolf Hitler was an unlikely candidate for dictatorial power. Why, of all the fanatics in Germany after the First World War, was it
Hitler  who found such mass appeal?How did such an unimpressive figure come 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?What did his personal role in the shaping of policy amount to?Was he personally taking the key decisions, right to the very end? Professor Kershaw answers these questions to provide a lucid introduction to the character and exercise of Hitler's dictatorial power. Ian Kershaw is Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield. He has written widely on Hitler and the Third Reich and is author of the now definitive comprehensive biography Hitler, 1889-1936: Hubris (1998) and a second volume due in 2000.  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.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 240 pages
• Publisher: Longman Pub Group (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 058255277X
• ISBN-13: 978-0582552777
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study by the best Hitler biographer, May 8, 2003

By 

mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hitler: Profiles in Power (Paperback)

Ian Kershaw is the premier historian on Hitler and Nazi Germany and this book from the Profiles in Power series is an excellent study on the roots, success, and ultimate destruction of the "Fuehrercult." Two schools of thought are used by historians to understand the power of Nazism. "Intentionalists" see the Nazi regime as the embodiment of Hitler as the totalitarian leader. "Structuralists," however, believe the policies and, ultimately, the crimes of Nazi Germany were stumbled upon by underlings working under a loose framework rather than a deliberate program. As one would expect, Kershaw takes from both these theories to develop his comprehensive profile.

Kershaw examines Hitler's worldview of racial struggle, anti-Semitism, and living space for the German empire--how these ideas developed (Hitler's background) and how Hitler used them to create his leadership image. This Fuehrercult unified a fractional party, helped repress opposition, and created a mass following. Through Hitler's charismatic leadership the German people would be prepared to fight the Nazi fight (inevitably WWII). Kershaw also looks at the feudal-like power relations inside the Third Reich; a regime of open-ended decrees that left no "smoking gun" pointing at Hitler for the Final Solution. Finally, Kershaw examines the destruction of Hitler's power during which the irrational optimism that "Providence" (i.e. Hitler's will) would prevail was still believed by many (particularly the 'court' of Hitler's bunker). I recommend this book especially to advanced history students who want an in-depth examination of Hitler's power in a compact 230-page book. The book includes footnotes, an index, a chapter on further readings, and a chronology of events.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars structural analysis, March 13, 2004

By 

cifey "cifey" (Houston, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitler: Profiles in Power (Paperback)

This book Focuses on the power structure of the nazi party. It doesn't reveal much about personalities or everyday life, but describes the interrelation between the beauracrats, industrialists, land owners, populace, and nazi party members. It is appropriate for anyone interested in political structures and how they are held together. It gives a fascinating look into the accumulation of power into one charismatic leader and the appointed henchmen/disciples who would literrally do anything to please the whims of their demigod, and thus gain more power for themselves, And how this monopolistic and 'anarchic' power structure ultimately led to such a terribly disfunctional outcome.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Caution - wrong product description, May 2, 2010

By 

HPaul - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hitler (Kindle Edition)

This Kindle book is not the book that's described under "Product description." The description is of the single-volume abridgement of the two volume work of which this Kindle book is the first. Be sure you know what you're ordering.