Hitler: A Biography

Description

Tyrant, psychopath, and implementer of a ruthless programme of racial extermination, Adolf Hitler was also the charismatic Fuhrer of millions of dedicated followers. In this major new biography, internationally acclaimed German historian Peter Longerich brings Hitler back to centre-stage in the history of Nazism, revealing a far more active and interventionist dictator than we are familiar with from recent accounts, with a flexibility of approach that often surprises. Whether it was foreign policy, war-making, terror, mass murder, cultural and religious affairs, or even mundane everyday matters, Longerich reveals how decisive a force Hitler was in the formulation of policy, sometimes right down to the smallest details, in a way which until now has not been fully appreciated. Consistently and ruthlessly destroying both the people and the power structures that stood in his way, Longerich shows how over time Hitler succeeded in forging his 'Fuhrer dictatorship' - with terrifying and almost limitless power over the German people. While many previous portraits have speculated about Hitler's formative years, Peter 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 grasp the man behind the century's worst crimes. Cover ......Page 1 Hitler A Life......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Acknowledgements......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 11 Introduction......Page 16 Prologue: A Nobody......Page 22 Linz......Page 26 Vienna......Page 34 Munich......Page 46 World war......Page 48 PART I: The Public Self......Page 62 1. Back in Munich: Politicization......Page 64 Munich after the crushing of the revolution......Page 67 Hitler’s indoctrination by the Reichswehr......Page 72 2. Joining the Party......Page 78 The DAP and the extreme right-wing scene in Munich......Page 79 The Kapp putsch and the Emergence of Bavaria as a ‘Cell of Order’......Page 87 Propaganda for the NSDAP......Page 90 3. Hitler becomes Party Leader......Page 97 Hitler’s entourage......Page 100 The seizure of power in the Party......Page 102 Heading for conflict with the Bavarian government......Page 107 Looking for donors in Berlin and Munich......Page 109 4. The March to the Hitler Putsch......Page 113 From ‘drummer’ to ‘Führer’......Page 116 1923: The crisis year......Page 123 The Putsch: Hitler takes on the role of ‘Führer’......Page 130 5. The Trial and the Period of the Ban......Page 135 The Nazi movement without its ‘Führer’......Page 141 Mein Kampf......Page 148 PART II: Creating a Public Image......Page 156 6. A Fresh Start......Page 158 Creation of the Führer Party......Page 162 The Führer personality......Page 172 7. Hitler as a Public Speaker......Page 179 The speaking ban is lifted......Page 183 8. A New Direction......Page 188 Positioning after the 1928 elections......Page 193 ‘The lesser of two evils’: Rapprochement with the right-wing Conservatives......Page 201 9. Conquering the Masses......Page 206 Upheavals in the Reich and the Party......Page 211 The 1930 Reichstag elections......Page 215 Breakthrough......Page 219 Soundings......Page 223 Hitler’s policy of legality on trial......Page 230 In the spotlight......Page 233 10. Strategies......Page 239 ‘Nationalist Opposition’?......Page 240 The dynamics of the crisis......Page 246 Going it alone......Page 250 An approach to the Centre Party?......Page 257 11. On the Threshold of Power......Page 262 Election battle and Prussian coup......Page 264 Triumph and humiliation......Page 267 November elections......Page 273 Crisis in the Party......Page 279 Towards a Hitler–Papen government......Page 282 PART III: Establishing the Regime......Page 292 12. ‘The Seizure of Power’......Page 294 Stage 1: Neutralizing the political Left......Page 295 Stage 2: The removal of basic rights......Page 304 Stage 3: ‘Cold revolution’......Page 307 Stage 4: Exclusion and coordination......Page 315 Stage 5: Labour market and rearmament......Page 327 Stage 6: The end of the political parties and development of policy towards the Churches......Page 333 Evolution rather than revolution......Page 342 Summer break......Page 345 13. First Steps in Foreign Policy......Page 348 Recognition and demarcation: the Concordat......Page 350 Rearmament and détente: flexibility towards the western powers......Page 353 Ideology and activism: the Austrian question and the Soviet problem......Page 357 14. ‘Führer’ and ‘People’......Page 361 A ‘Führer’ without a private life......Page 368 15. Breaking out of the International System......Page 373 Plebiscites as a tool of government......Page 376 Overcoming isolation?......Page 379 16. Becoming Sole Dictator......Page 383 Church policy......Page 385 Party and state......Page 388 More and more ‘grumblers and whingers’......Page 391 The crisis comes to a head......Page 395 A bloody showdown......Page 398 The Austrian putsch......Page 409 The death of Hindenburg......Page 412 PART IV: Consolidation......Page 416 17. Domestic Flashpoints......Page 418 The economy in the shadow of rearmament......Page 419 Failure to ‘unite’ German Protestantism......Page 422 A crisis of confidence and a show of loyalty......Page 426 18. Initial Foreign Policy Successes......Page 430 19. The Road to the Nuremberg Laws......Page 440 Hostility to Jews, the Churches, ‘reactionaries’: unrest among Party members......Page 441 Hitler’s decision to introduce the Nuremberg Laws......Page 446 20. A Foreign Policy Coup......Page 453 21. ‘Ready for War in Four Years’ Time’......Page 462 A new alliance......Page 469 Summer Olympics......Page 472 Hitler’s Four-Year Plan......Page 476 Plans for the anti-communist bloc......Page 481 Domestic consequences of the preparations for war......Page 487 22. Conflict with the Churchesand Cultural Policy......Page 492 Cultural politics......Page 499 ‘The Third Reich’s Master Builder’......Page 506 Politics but not a cult......Page 511 23. Hitler’s Regime......Page 515 The ‘Führer’ between state and Party......Page 517 Intervening and directing......Page 526 Hitler’s charisma......Page 531 PART V: Smokescreen......Page 540 24. Resetting Foreign Policy......Page 542 Hitler’s plans to acquire living space......Page 546 25. From the Blomberg–Fritsch Crisis to the Anschluss......Page 555 Austria......Page 558 26. The Sudeten Crisis......Page 570 ‘The week-end crisis’......Page 574 Decisions on military policy......Page 578 Economic consequences and a crisis of morale......Page 581 The campaign against the Berlin Jews......Page 586 Discontent among the military leadership......Page 587 The Sudeten Crisis intensifies......Page 589 The Munich Agreement......Page 592 27. After Munich......Page 599 A further increase in rearmament......Page 602 Pogrom: ‘The Night of Broken Glass’......Page 604 Economic bottlenecks......Page 612 Visits from foreign statesmen......Page 615 Hitler as ‘Prophet’: War against domestic and foreign enemies......Page 618 The occupation of Prague......Page 621 The annexation of Memel......Page 625 28. Into War......Page 627 Hitler’s decision to attack Poland......Page 628 Sabre-rattling and fear of war......Page 630 Alliances......Page 634 Hitler’s war scenarios......Page 637 Summer performances......Page 641 Getting the generals on board for war......Page 645 German–Soviet rapprochement......Page 647 War aim: ‘The destruction of Poland’......Page 650 War or peace?......Page 652 PART VI: Triumph......Page 664 29. The Outbreak of War......Page 666 War and terror in Poland......Page 667 Mobilization for war and ministerial decisions......Page 671 Continuation of the war......Page 675 The ‘ethnic reorganization’ of Poland......Page 678 ‘Euthanasia’......Page 683 30. Resistance......Page 689 Preparations for the attack in the West......Page 693 Mussolini, a reluctant ally......Page 698 ‘Weserübung’ [Weser Exercise]......Page 701 31. War in the West......Page 704 From ‘Sea Lion’ to ‘Barbarossa’......Page 708 Madagascar......Page 715 The Blitz......Page 718 32. Diplomatic Soundings......Page 720 Molotov: A tough opponent......Page 725 33. The Expansion of the War......Page 733 Hitler’s ‘warning’ and the radicalization of anti-Jewish policy......Page 735 Final preparations for the war in the Balkans......Page 736 The Balkan War......Page 739 Failure to secure a strategic agreement with Japan......Page 741 The Hess affair......Page 743 Towards the war of racial extermination......Page 745 Victory and beyond: Hitler’s plans for world power......Page 749 34. Operation Barbarossa......Page 756 Initial military operations and conflicts......Page 758 Hitler’s further war plans......Page 765 Occupation fantasies......Page 768 Occupation policy......Page 771 The propaganda war ......Page 775 35. The Radicalization of Jewish Policy......Page 778 The ‘war against the Jews’......Page 783 36. The Winter Crisis of 1941/42......Page 792 War with the United States......Page 799 Conflict with the generals......Page 802 37. The Pinnacle of Power......Page 811 38. Hitler’s Empire......Page 842 The regime at home......Page 846 Hitler’s charisma in the Second World War......Page 855 The development of rearmament......Page 814 The radicalization of the murder campaign......Page 821 Crisis in the judiciary......Page 824 The conduct of war in spring 1942......Page 828 Heydrich’s death and its aftermath......Page 832 The summer offensive......Page 836 The reorganization of the judicial system......Page 839 PART VII: Downfall ......Page 858 39. The Turning Point of the War and Radicalization......Page 860 Stalingrad......Page 864 ‘Bearing’......Page 866 The destruction of the 6th Army......Page 868 Goebbels’s total war......Page 870 Hitler’s total war......Page 872 Further setbacks......Page 882 The dismissal of Mussolini......Page 885 The intensification of the air war and ‘retaliation’......Page 888 Italy capitulates......Page 891 40. With His Back to the Wall......Page 893 Power struggles......Page 897 How to proceed?......Page 900 The invisible ‘Führer’: Repercussions for the regime......Page 907 Crumbling alliances......Page 911 Stand firm, whatever the cost......Page 912 Hungary: The last chapter in Hitler’s Jewish policy......Page 916 41. Defeat Looms......Page 920 42. 20 July 1944......Page 929 43. Total War......Page 939 44. The End......Page 950 Conclusion......Page 964 Prologue: A Nobody......Page 982 Back in Munich: Politicization......Page 996 Joining the Party......Page 1001 Hitler becomes Party leader......Page 1008 The March to the Hitler Putsch......Page 1012 The Trial and the Period of the Ban......Page 1016 A Fresh Start......Page 1021 Hitler as a Public Speaker......Page 1027 A New Direction......Page 1028 Conquering the Masses......Page 1032 Strategies......Page 1038 On the Threshold of Power......Page 1042 The Seizure of Power......Page 1049 First Steps in Foreign Policy......Page 1067 Breaking out of the International System......Page 1072 Becoming Sole Dictator......Page 1075 Domestic Flashpoints......Page 1084 Initial Foreign Policy Successes......Page 1087 The Road to the Nuremberg Laws......Page 1089 A Foreign Policy Coup......Page 1093 ‘Ready for War in Four Years’ Time’......Page 1096 Conflict with the Churches and Cultural Policy......Page 1104 Hitler’s regime......Page 1110 Resetting Foreign Policy......Page 1114 From the Blomberg–Fritsch Crisis to the Anschluss......Page 1117 The Sudeten Crisis......Page 1122 After Munich......Page 1132 Into War......Page 1139 The Outbreak of War......Page 1148 Resistance......Page 1157 War in the West......Page 1161 Diplomatic Soundings......Page 1166 The Expansion of the War......Page 1169 Operation Barbarossa......Page 1174 The Radicalization of Jewish Policy......Page 1181 The Winter Crisis of 1941/42......Page 1187 The Pinnacle of Power......Page 1193 hitler’s empire......Page 1201 The Turning Point in the War and Radicalization......Page 1203 With His Back to the Wall......Page 1213 Defeat Looms......Page 1220 20 July 1944......Page 1223 Total War......Page 1224 The End......Page 1226 Archives......Page 1230 Periodicals......Page 1232 Contemporary publications......Page 1233 Documents, memoirs, and collections of sources after 1945......Page 1238 Post-1945 secondary literature......Page 1248 List of Illustrations......Page 1302 Index......Page 1304