Hitler

Adolf Hitler is the most notorious political figure of the twentieth century. The story of his life, how he became a dictator, and how he managed to convince so many to follow his cause is a subject of perennial fascination. Balancing narrative and analysis, this biography employs a chronological approach to describe the main features of Hitler�s career. Set against the background of developments in Germany and Europe during his lifetime, the text tells the extraordinary story of how an Austrian layabout rose to become F�hrer of the Third Reich. The chapters incorporate into their narrative the major debates surrounding Hitler�s ideas, behaviour and historical significance. Particular attention is paid to his experience as a soldier in 1914 -18 and to the reasons why his original left-wing sympathies transmuted into Nazism. Arguments over the real character of Hitler�s dictatorship are analysed and a measured assessment is offered on the disputed issues of how far Hitler initiated the Third Reich�s domestic and foreign policies himself and to what extent he was controlled by events. His destructive leadership of wartime Germany is now a subject of close scrutiny among historians and the book�s final chapters deal with this theme and offer a set of reflections on Hitler�s relationship with the German people and his legacy to the German nation. Michael Lynch provides a balanced guide to this most difficult of figures that will be enlightening for students and general readers alike