Eva Braun; Life with Hitler

Description

In this groundbreaking biography of Eva Braun, German historian Heike B. G?rtemaker delves into the startlingly neglected historical truth about Adolf Hitler’s mistress. More than just the vapid blonde of popular clich?, Eva Braun was a capricious but uncompromising, fiercely loyal companion to Hitler; theirs was a relationship that flew in the face of the F?hrer’s proclamations that Germany was his only bride. G?rtemaker paints a portrait of Hitler and Braun’s life together with unnerving quotidian detail—Braun chose the movies screened at their mountaintop retreat (propaganda, of course); he dreamed of retiring with her to Linz one day after relinquishing his leadership to a younger man—while weaving their personal relationship throughout the fabric of one of history’s most devastating regimes. Though Braun gradually gained an unrivaled power within Hitler’s inner circle, her identity was kept a secret during the Third Reich, until the final days of the war. Faithful to the end, Braun committed suicide with Hitler in 1945, two days after their marriage. Through exhaustive research, newly discovered documentation, and anecdotal accounts, G?rtemaker has meticulously built a surprising portrait of Hitler’s bourgeois existence outside of the public eye. Though Eva Braun had no role in Hitler’s policies, she was never as banal as she was previously painted; she was privy to his thoughts, ruled life within his entourage, and held his trust. As horrifying as it is astonishing, Eva Braun will undoubtedly be referenced in all future accounts of this period. "[A] riveting account...Braun may not have influenced Nazi policies, but thanks to Gortemaker's groundbreaking work, it is now clear how Braun catered to Hitler, fostering his reliance on cronies and lackeys and reinforcing his tendency to shut himself off from the awful reality of what was happening to Germany and to the world." —Minneapolis Star Tribune "Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to whip up any sympathy for or to empathize with one of history’s most notorious mistresses, Görtemaker does provide a more nuanced view of this marginalized woman by examining the pivotal role she played in Hitler’s life and within his inner circle…This breakout biography is a solid contribution to the ever-increasing body of Third Reich literature and scholarship." —Booklist Originally published in Germany as Eva Braun : Leben mit Hitler, by Verlag C.H. Beck, Munich, in 2010 Includes bibliographical references and index Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Introduction Part One: The Meeting 1. Heinrich Hoffmann’s Studio The Nazi Party’s House Photographer “Herr Wolf” Trustee in Personal Matters 2. Munich After the First World War A City of Extremes Everyday Life and the Political Environment The National Socialist Movement 3. The Braun Family Middle-Class Normalcy The Constant Companion: Margarete Braun The Distant Sister: Ilse Braun 4. Rise to Power at Hitler’s Side The “Führer’s” Long-Distance Lover Martyrdom or Calculation? Alone in the Vestibule of Power Part Two: Contrasting Worlds 5. Women in National Socialism Ideology and Reality Magda Goebbels: “First Lady of the Third Reich” Emmy Göring and Ilse Hess Eva Braun’s Role The “Diary” 6. The Myth of the “Führer,” or Herr Hitler in Private At the 1935 Party Convention in Nuremberg The Unnoticed Climb A “Lost Life”? Hitler and the Braun Family 7. The Mistress and the Inner Circle Albert and Margarete Speer Karl and Anni Brandt Martin Bormann 8. Life on the Obersalzberg Refuge and Center of Power The “Royal Court” Politics and Private Dealings Dr. Morell Hermann Esser “Lady of the House” at the Berghof, 1936–1939 Travels Part Three: Downfall 9. Isolation During the War The Outbreak of War The Berghof as “Führer Headquarters” The Beginning of the End 10. The Events of July 20, 1944, and Their Aftermath The Inner Circle’s Reaction A Trophy for Eva Braun Eva Braun’s Will 11. The Decision for Berlin The Final Offensive Life Underground The Wedding and the End in the “Führer Bunker” 12. After Death Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index Illustration Credits A Note About the Author A Note About the Translator