This is a remarkable historical and psychological examination of the enigma of Adolf Hitler—who he was, how he wielded power, and why he was destined to fail.
Beginning with Hitler's early life, Haffner probes the historical, political, and emotional forces that molded his character. In examining the inhumanity of a man for whom politics became a substitute for life, he discusses Hitler's bizarre relationships with women, his arrested psychological development, his ideological misconceptions, his growing obsession with racial extermination, and the murderous rages of his distorted mind. Finally, Haffner confronts the most disturbing question of all: Could another Hitler rise to power in modern Germany?
"Tough-minded evaluation of Hitler's career... That this book was a best-seller in Germany [43 weeks] indicates that Haffner's countrymen welcomed this compact, lucid, hard-headed reexamination of contem-
porary history." —Publishers Weekly
"Sebastian Haffner's book already has received recognition ... as perhaps the best that has dealt with the phenomenon of Hitler and his impact on the 20th century. It is better than Trevor-Roper's best seller, The Last Days of Hitler... a most penetrating analysis of what Hitler was up to in his astonishing career." —The New Republic
Sebastian Haffner, born in Berlin, emigrated to London before the Second World War and returned to Germany in 1954. He has worked as a journalist for the London Observer, Die Welt, and STERN.
