Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939
The first volume of a biography of Hitler, tracing his rise from youth through the political and social forces that brought him to 1939.
Work Information
It portrays the making of a dictator through both personal history and the atmosphere of his era.
Volker Ullrich’s major biography refuses mythologizing and instead carefully reconstructs Hitler’s path to power.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Knopf
- Published
- 2016-09-06
- Pages
- 1008 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 16.76 x 4.83 x 24.13 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780385354387
- ISBN-10
- 038535438X
- Category
- 洋書/History/Europe/Germany
A New York Times 2016 Notable Book A major new biography—an extraordinary, penetrating study of the man who has become the personification of evil. “Ullrich reveals Hitler to have been an eminently practical politician—and frighteningly so. Timely… One of the best works on Hitler and the origins of the Third Reich to appear in recent years.” — Kirkus Reviews “An outstanding study… All the huge, and terrible moments of the early Nazi era are dissected…but the real strength of this book is in disentangling the personal story of man and monster.” — The Guardian (U.K.) For all the literature about Adolf Hitler there have been just four seminal biographies; this is the fifth, a landmark work that sheds important new light on Hitler himself. Drawing on previously unseen papers and a wealth of recent scholarly research, Volker Ullrich reveals the man behind the public persona, from Hitler's childhood to his failures as a young man in Vienna to his experiences during the First World War to his rise as a far-right party leader. Ullrich deftly captures Hitler's intelligence, instinctive grasp of politics, and gift for oratory as well as his megalomania, deep insecurity, and repulsive worldview. Many previous biographies have focused on the larger social conditions that explain the rise of the Third Reich. Ullrich gives us a comprehensive portrait of a postwar Germany humiliated by defeat, wracked by political crisis, and starved by an economic depression, but his real gift is to show vividly how Hitler used his ruthlessness and political talent to shape the Nazi party and lead it to power. For decades the world has tried to grasp how Hitler was possible. By focusing on the man at the center of it all, on how he experienced his world, formed his political beliefs, and wielded power, this riveting biography brings us closer than ever to the answer. Translated from the German by Jefferson Chase.
VOLKER ULLRICH is a historian and journalist whose previous books in German include biographies of Bismarck and Napoleon, as well as a major study of Imperial Germany, Die nervöse Grossmacht 1871–1918 (The Nervous Superpower). From 1990 to 2009, Ullrich was the editor of the political book review section of the influential weekly newspaper Die Zeit .
Reviews
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Hilter … Volume 1
Well Done overview of the man. 800 pages details Hitler until his 50th birthday in April 1939. Looking forward to reading Volume 2.
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great biography
Volker Ullrich gives an authorship viewpoint that is objectively derived, and untethered to the politicized agendas of other WWII scribes. He is also concise, often terrifyingly so, in laying bare the facts of the ascent of the Third Reich, a plague cast upon the German people and the world by Hitler, abetted by the committed, radicalized cohorts surrounding him. The book also explains the complicit approval and condonation of the German people, some of whom were passionately approving, though often naive to the full scope of the murderous movement. Others, as the book shows, were not vested or committed, but carefully making their way while showing at least default levels of approval, in order to thrive - or at least survive - in this extreme environment of upended history. Hitler, the man, is also probingly presented at all stages of his life though the range of years of the book. His actions, temperament, and personal life, from his youth in Austria up through his absolute seizure of power, are all presented in revealing and relevant detail. The book ends its documentation of Hitler's ascent on the eve of Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 - the first phase of WWII - which the author marks as the starting point of the demise of Hitler and the regime. This is a well-written and uniquely clear-eyed accounting of Hitler and the fascination and destructive energy he generated.
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Libro en mal estado
Quiero enviarles fotos del libro que recibí, me gustaría un cambio por otro idéntico pero en mejores condiciones. Las hojas por el costado vertical están mal cortadas de imprenta, están dispareja.
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Excellent biography
Ian Kershaws two volume biography has always been considered THE biography of Hitler. This two volume Biography By Ullrich offers a new, updated perspective. An extremely interesting read. I've already read to two volume paperback version, and now intend to Read Both Kershaws and Ullrich's biographies again in hardback.
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Excellent Read
I found this book to be an excellent read. If you are a serious WWII aficionado, I highly recommend this book and Volume 2 by the same author. The prose is well written and easy to read. The research is impeccable, so much so, you do not want to put the book down.... I think the word I am looking for is, RIVETING! Most subjects covered are rich in information and facts and the author injects little details I have not read in other works. This book covers the early years to the start of the war. Book 2 picks up from there and goes to the end. I found both books well worth purchasing. I suggest you purchase the paper back versions. The hard cover version is pricey and is poorly bound (Book Club binding) where as the paperbacks are high quality and more in keeping with quality you would expect for the price. One last thing about the author, his style and depth of research is similar in scope to anything I have read on the subject by Joachim Fest. Fest continues to be one of my favourite WWII historians. I believe Volker Ullrich is in the same league.