Author Description
Histories you can trust. At age thirty in 1919, Adolf Hitler had no accomplishments. He was a rootless loner, a corporal in a shattered army, without money or prospects. A little more than twenty years later, in autumn 1941, he directed his dynamic forces against the Soviet Union, and in December, the Germans were at the gates of Moscow and Leningrad. At that moment, Hitler appeared — however briefly — to be the most powerful ruler on the planet. Given this dramatic turn of events, it is little wonder that since 1945 generations of historians keep trying to explain how it all happened. This rich history provides a readable and fresh approach to the complex history of the Third Reich, from the coming to power of the Nazis in 1933 to the final collapse in 1945, distilling our ideas about the period and providing a balanced and accessible account of the whole era.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the rapid political ascent of Adolf Hitler and the subsequent collapse of the Third Reich between 1933 and 1945. Robert Gellately, a historian specializing in the social and political history of Nazi Germany, utilizes a synthesis of archival research and existing historiography to examine the mechanisms of power that allowed the Nazi regime to consolidate control and mobilize the German state for total war. The text provides a chronological framework that tracks the transition from Hitler's marginal status in 1919 to his position as a global military power by 1941.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A chronological analysis of the Nazi rise to power starting in 1933.
- An examination of the social and political factors that facilitated the regime's expansion.
- A synthesis of historical scholarship regarding the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the political and military trajectory of the regime rather than an exhaustive social history of the German populace.
- It does not provide a deep dive into the pre-1933 biographical details of Hitler beyond his immediate post-war status.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and students of the period frequently cite this work as a reliable and accessible entry point for understanding the structural history of the Third Reich. The prose is noted for its clarity and ability to distill complex political developments into a coherent narrative for a general audience.
Page Count:
374
Publication Date:
2022-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0192886851
ISBN-13:
9780192886859
History
Germany history
Nazism
European History
German history
Political History
World War
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