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librarianonparade 's review for:
Hitler
by Ian Kershaw
Hitler is perhaps the most significant figure of the 20th century, simply for the impact and lasting effects of his existence. Would the world today be the same place, for better or worse, if not for Hitler? It's an impossible question to answer, but it's hard to think of another public figure who had the same devastating impact on world events.
And yet the man himself is so little known and so little understood. I cannot say I really had any better idea of who he really was or why he did things he did after reading this book, but that's not criticism of the author. Hitler was such a private person that even those who knew him best scarcely knew him at all, and certainly by the later years of his life it's questionable as to whether there really was any personality left to him outside of the the Führer.
This is, however, a fascinating depiction of how one man could end up believing his own propaganda, how Hitler really did believe that Providence was protecting him, that he had some kind of messianic mission to save Germany, and how in the end, he would rather see Germany fall into destruction than back down or admit defeat, how he finally came to believe that the German people were not worthy of him, not worthy of saving.
One note: this is the abridged paperback version of Kershaw's biography that was previously published in two volumes, Hubris and Nemesis. There seems to be some confusion on this page as to which review is for which!
And yet the man himself is so little known and so little understood. I cannot say I really had any better idea of who he really was or why he did things he did after reading this book, but that's not criticism of the author. Hitler was such a private person that even those who knew him best scarcely knew him at all, and certainly by the later years of his life it's questionable as to whether there really was any personality left to him outside of the the Führer.
This is, however, a fascinating depiction of how one man could end up believing his own propaganda, how Hitler really did believe that Providence was protecting him, that he had some kind of messianic mission to save Germany, and how in the end, he would rather see Germany fall into destruction than back down or admit defeat, how he finally came to believe that the German people were not worthy of him, not worthy of saving.
One note: this is the abridged paperback version of Kershaw's biography that was previously published in two volumes, Hubris and Nemesis. There seems to be some confusion on this page as to which review is for which!