Hitler : A Study in Tyranny

60 years on, Lord Bullock's classic Hitler (1952; rev. 1962) more than holds its own against any of the later biographies of the fiendish Bohemian Corporal.The first substantial biography on Hitler in English, It's beautifully written, in the clear, lucid tradition of British historians, with such memorably pithy statements like "the gutter had come to power" when commenting on the Nazi seizure of power and Hitler's accession as Chancellor in 1933.The previous substantial work was unquestionably 'Der Fuhrer' by Konrad Heiden which told Hitler's story till 1936. Bullock acknowledges his debt to Heiden's work. On the other hand, Bullock had access to the Nuremberg transcripts to give us the full picture til 1945.Please bear in mind, as the title suggests, this is not a social or economic history of Nazi Germany. So those wanting to know about what it was to live in Nazi Germany or the socio-cultural mutations that occurred during the bleak interwar period should turn to recent works like Richard J. Evans Third Reich trilogy, especially fine being the first two volumes, " The Coming of the Third Reich" (2003) and "The Third Reich in Power" (2005) - brilliant syntheses both.His basic premise is that Hitler was "jobbed into power by backstairs intrigue"; his analysis of the Nationalist Socialist phenomenon is masterful despite specialized monographs and a glut of works on the subject that have been literally flowing since the war.In his book, "Hitler of History", John Lukacs, in purporting to treat a number of historiographical problems surrounding the Hitler phenomenon and analyzing biographies on the dictator, criticizes Bullock's portrait of Hitler as "somewhat one-dimensional", while remarking on the book's commercial success and acknowledging its portrayal of other Nazi bigwigs.This is utterly unfair and unfounded as well. Lukacs gives short shrift to any concrete explanations for his presumption. Anyone chancing on this book should steer clear before reading Bullock's biography.On the contentious question of the "best" Hitler biography, the major works, academic and popular, that came after Bullock include Joachim Fest's much-acclaimed book on the Fuhrer (1973) and maverick American historian's highly readable and non-judgmental Hitler (1976) and of-course Ian Kershaw massive two-volume Hitler: Nemesis and Hubris.While people may have their choices as to which of these works interprets phenomena or structure best, I'd unhesitatingly recommend Bullock's book to the uninitiated as the first stop given its solid, serious scholarship which evenhandedly explores every issue- from Hitler's profile to domestic or foreign policy - without sacrificing narrative drive.

good

Very interesting.

Excellent book

Excellent book

A good book but Ian Kershaw's book on the same topic is better and more contemporary. For a beginner it worth reading.

Very unfortunate a Kindle edition is missing. It would come really handy to book collectors. We need books in a compact format.

One reviewer here describes Hitler as a “deranged nonentity”, which I think is one of the best descriptions yet. I have read a great many books about the third Reich, and in my student travels in the ‘60s met a fair number of unrepentant Nazis, but nothing has given me such a clear idea of the basic character of Hitler as this. A nobody. Someone who even from childhood showed no talents; basically a born layabout. His only talent was his voice, and he employed that to such diabolical effect that by the time it was silenced over 50 million lives had been lost, European Jewry annihilated, and Europe wrecked. The appalling thing about it is that, though he himself murdered no one, his oratory encouraged and inspired so many thousands to murder at his command. Even a deranged nonentity can achieve very little unless there are others to do his work for him, and unfortunately they came crawling out of their obscurity to do just that. A great pity that he survived the First World War!A very impressive book.

THIS IS A STUDY BOOK TO ADD TO MY LARGE COLLECTION AND IT PROVED TO BE AN EXCELLENT VOLUME. THE AMAZON FORMAT IS GOOD, HOWEVER WITH JUST A FEW LINES OF PRODUCT INFORMATION, IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN YOUR INTENDED PURCHASE ELSEWHERE BEFORE BUYING, THERE IS A CERTAIN ''LEAP OF FAITH'' WHEN PURCHASING THIS WAY. I WOULD NORMALLY USE THE TERM ''PURCHASING BLIND'' BUT WITH AMAZON AND THIS SELLER A LOT OF POSITIVE INFORMATION WAS GIVEN ON THOSE SAID , FEW LINES WHICH GAVE ME CONFIDENCE TO BUY, FAR FROM BLIND, AND I WAS EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THIS BOOK. IT IS A THOROUGH REFERENCE AND WITH OVER 800 PAGES OF QUALITY REFERENCE, IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED. MANY THANKS TO THIS SELLER AND THE AMAZON PLATFORM.

I purchased the original paper back over 30 years ago....Unfortunately, over the years it has fallen apart. When I saw the latest edition on Amazon I decided to buy it again. Why? Simply, Alan Bullock's book is a classic piece of historical writing. Any one who wishes to read about the causes of the World War Two; Germany and Hitler should read this publication. It is not sensational in any way, simply an accurate account of why and how Hitler came to power.

This book is a masterpiece.In some areas of the topic it has been superseded by later scholarship, but the main threads of the argument are of a high order.

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