Hitler: A Biography

Cover
......Page 1
Hitler A Life......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Acknowledgements......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Abbreviations......Page 11
Introduction......Page 16
Prologue: A Nobody......Page 22
Linz......Page 26
Vienna......Page 34
Munich......Page 46
World war......Page 48
PART I: The Public Self......Page 62
1. Back in Munich: Politicization......Page 64
Munich after the crushing of the revolution......Page 67
Hitler’s indoctrination by the Reichswehr......Page 72
2. Joining the Party......Page 78
The DAP and the extreme right-wing scene in Munich......Page 79
The Kapp putsch and the Emergence of Bavaria as a ‘Cell of Order’......Page 87
Propaganda for the NSDAP......Page 90
3. Hitler becomes Party Leader......Page 97
Hitler’s entourage......Page 100
The seizure of power in the Party......Page 102
Heading for conflict with the Bavarian government......Page 107
Looking for donors in Berlin and Munich......Page 109
4. The March to the 
Hitler Putsch......Page 113
From ‘drummer’ to ‘Führer’......Page 116
1923: The crisis year......Page 123
The Putsch: Hitler takes on the role of ‘Führer’......Page 130
5. The Trial and the Period 
of the Ban......Page 135
The Nazi movement without its ‘Führer’......Page 141
Mein Kampf......Page 148
PART II: Creating a Public 
Image......Page 156
6. A Fresh Start......Page 158
Creation of the Führer Party......Page 162
The Führer personality......Page 172
7. Hitler as a Public Speaker......Page 179
The speaking ban is lifted......Page 183
8. A New Direction......Page 188
Positioning after the 1928 elections......Page 193
‘The lesser of two evils’: Rapprochement with the right-wing Conservatives......Page 201
9. Conquering the Masses......Page 206
Upheavals in the Reich and the Party......Page 211
The 1930 Reichstag elections......Page 215
Breakthrough......Page 219
Soundings......Page 223
Hitler’s policy of legality on trial......Page 230
In the spotlight......Page 233
10. Strategies......Page 239
‘Nationalist Opposition’?......Page 240
The dynamics of the crisis......Page 246
Going it alone......Page 250
An approach to the Centre Party?......Page 257
11. On the Threshold of Power......Page 262
Election battle and Prussian coup......Page 264
Triumph and humiliation......Page 267
November elections......Page 273
Crisis in the Party......Page 279
Towards a Hitler–Papen government......Page 282
PART III: Establishing the Regime......Page 292
12. ‘The Seizure of Power’......Page 294
Stage 1: Neutralizing the political Left......Page 295
Stage 2: The removal of basic rights......Page 304
Stage 3: ‘Cold revolution’......Page 307
Stage 4: Exclusion and coordination......Page 315
Stage 5: Labour market and rearmament......Page 327
Stage 6: The end of the political parties and development of policy towards the Churches......Page 333
Evolution rather than revolution......Page 342
Summer break......Page 345
13. First Steps in Foreign Policy......Page 348
Recognition and demarcation: the Concordat......Page 350
Rearmament and détente: flexibility towards the western powers......Page 353
Ideology and activism: the Austrian question and the Soviet problem......Page 357
14. ‘Führer’ and ‘People’......Page 361
A ‘Führer’ without a private life......Page 368
15. Breaking out of the International System......Page 373
Plebiscites as a tool of government......Page 376
Overcoming isolation?......Page 379
16. Becoming Sole Dictator......Page 383
Church policy......Page 385
Party and state......Page 388
More and more ‘grumblers and whingers’......Page 391
The crisis comes to a head......Page 395
A bloody showdown......Page 398
The Austrian putsch......Page 409
The death of Hindenburg......Page 412
PART IV: Consolidation......Page 416
17.
 Domestic Flashpoints......Page 418
The economy in the shadow of rearmament......Page 419
Failure to ‘unite’ German Protestantism......Page 422
A crisis of confidence and a show of loyalty......Page 426
18. Initial Foreign Policy Successes......Page 430
19. The Road to the Nuremberg Laws......Page 440
Hostility to Jews, the Churches, ‘reactionaries’: unrest among Party members......Page 441
Hitler’s decision to introduce the Nuremberg Laws......Page 446
20. A Foreign Policy Coup......Page 453
21. ‘Ready for War in Four Years’ Time’......Page 462
A new alliance......Page 469
Summer Olympics......Page 472
Hitler’s Four-Year Plan......Page 476
Plans for the anti-communist bloc......Page 481
Domestic consequences of the preparations for war......Page 487
22. Conflict with the Churchesand Cultural Policy......Page 492
Cultural politics......Page 499
‘The Third Reich’s Master Builder’......Page 506
Politics but not a cult......Page 511
23. Hitler’s Regime......Page 515
The ‘Führer’ between state and Party......Page 517
Intervening and directing......Page 526
Hitler’s charisma......Page 531
PART V: Smokescreen......Page 540
24. Resetting Foreign Policy......Page 542
Hitler’s plans to acquire living space......Page 546
25. From the Blomberg–Fritsch Crisis to the Anschluss......Page 555
Austria......Page 558
26. 
The Sudeten Crisis......Page 570
‘The week-end crisis’......Page 574
Decisions on military policy......Page 578
Economic consequences and a crisis of morale......Page 581
The campaign against the Berlin Jews......Page 586
Discontent among the military leadership......Page 587
The Sudeten Crisis intensifies......Page 589
The Munich Agreement......Page 592
27. After Munich......Page 599
A further increase in rearmament......Page 602
Pogrom: ‘The Night of Broken Glass’......Page 604
Economic bottlenecks......Page 612
Visits from foreign statesmen......Page 615
Hitler as ‘Prophet’: War against domestic 
and foreign enemies......Page 618
The occupation of Prague......Page 621
The annexation of Memel......Page 625
28. 
Into War......Page 627
Hitler’s decision to attack Poland......Page 628
Sabre-rattling and fear of war......Page 630
Alliances......Page 634
Hitler’s war scenarios......Page 637
Summer performances......Page 641
Getting the generals on board for war......Page 645
German–Soviet rapprochement......Page 647
War aim: ‘The destruction of Poland’......Page 650
War or peace?......Page 652
PART VI: Triumph......Page 664
29. 
The Outbreak of War......Page 666
War and terror in Poland......Page 667
Mobilization for war and ministerial decisions......Page 671
Continuation of the war......Page 675
The ‘ethnic reorganization’ of Poland......Page 678
‘Euthanasia’......Page 683
30. 
Resistance......Page 689
Preparations for the attack in the West......Page 693
Mussolini, a reluctant ally......Page 698
‘Weserübung’ [Weser Exercise]......Page 701
31. 
War in the West......Page 704
From ‘Sea Lion’ to ‘Barbarossa’......Page 708
Madagascar......Page 715
The Blitz......Page 718
32. 
Diplomatic Soundings......Page 720
Molotov: A tough opponent......Page 725
33. 
The Expansion of the War......Page 733
Hitler’s ‘warning’ and the radicalization 
of anti-Jewish policy......Page 735
Final preparations for the war in the Balkans......Page 736
The Balkan War......Page 739
Failure to secure a strategic agreement with Japan......Page 741
The Hess affair......Page 743
Towards the war of racial extermination......Page 745
Victory and beyond: Hitler’s 
plans for world power......Page 749
34. 
Operation Barbarossa......Page 756
Initial military operations and conflicts......Page 758
Hitler’s further war plans......Page 765
Occupation fantasies......Page 768
Occupation policy......Page 771
The propaganda war
......Page 775
35.  The Radicalization of Jewish Policy......Page 778
The ‘war against the Jews’......Page 783
36. 
The Winter Crisis of 1941/42......Page 792
War with the United States......Page 799
Conflict with the generals......Page 802
37. 
The Pinnacle of Power......Page 811
38. 
Hitler’s Empire......Page 842
The regime at home......Page 846
Hitler’s charisma in the Second World War......Page 855
The development of rearmament......Page 814
The radicalization of the murder campaign......Page 821
Crisis in the judiciary......Page 824
The conduct of war in spring 1942......Page 828
Heydrich’s death and its aftermath......Page 832
The summer offensive......Page 836
The reorganization of the judicial system......Page 839
PART VII: Downfall
......Page 858
39. The Turning Point of the War and Radicalization......Page 860
Stalingrad......Page 864
‘Bearing’......Page 866
The destruction of the 6th Army......Page 868
Goebbels’s total war......Page 870
Hitler’s total war......Page 872
Further setbacks......Page 882
The dismissal of Mussolini......Page 885
The intensification of the air war and ‘retaliation’......Page 888
Italy capitulates......Page 891
40. With His Back to the Wall......Page 893
Power struggles......Page 897
How to proceed?......Page 900
The invisible ‘Führer’: Repercussions 
for the regime......Page 907
Crumbling alliances......Page 911
Stand firm, whatever the cost......Page 912
Hungary: The last chapter in Hitler’s Jewish policy......Page 916
41. Defeat Looms......Page 920
42. 20 July 1944......Page 929
43. Total War......Page 939
44. The End......Page 950
Conclusion......Page 964
Prologue: A Nobody......Page 982
Back in Munich: Politicization......Page 996
Joining the Party......Page 1001
Hitler becomes Party leader......Page 1008
The March to the Hitler Putsch......Page 1012
The Trial and the Period of the Ban......Page 1016
A Fresh Start......Page 1021
Hitler as a Public Speaker......Page 1027
A New Direction......Page 1028
Conquering the Masses......Page 1032
Strategies......Page 1038
On the Threshold of Power......Page 1042
The Seizure of Power......Page 1049
First Steps in Foreign Policy......Page 1067
Breaking out of the International System......Page 1072
Becoming Sole Dictator......Page 1075
Domestic Flashpoints......Page 1084
Initial Foreign Policy Successes......Page 1087
The Road to the Nuremberg Laws......Page 1089
A Foreign Policy Coup......Page 1093
‘Ready for War in Four Years’ Time’......Page 1096
Conflict with the Churches and Cultural Policy......Page 1104
Hitler’s regime......Page 1110
Resetting Foreign Policy......Page 1114
From the Blomberg–Fritsch Crisis to the Anschluss......Page 1117
The Sudeten Crisis......Page 1122
After Munich......Page 1132
Into War......Page 1139
The Outbreak of War......Page 1148
Resistance......Page 1157
War in the West......Page 1161
Diplomatic Soundings......Page 1166
The Expansion of the War......Page 1169
Operation Barbarossa......Page 1174
The Radicalization of Jewish Policy......Page 1181
The Winter Crisis of 1941/42......Page 1187
The Pinnacle of Power......Page 1193
hitler’s empire......Page 1201
The Turning Point in the War and Radicalization......Page 1203
With His Back to the Wall......Page 1213
Defeat Looms......Page 1220
20 July 1944......Page 1223
Total War......Page 1224
The End......Page 1226
Archives......Page 1230
Periodicals......Page 1232
Contemporary publications......Page 1233
Documents, memoirs, and collections of sources after 1945......Page 1238
Post-1945 secondary literature......Page 1248
List of Illustrations......Page 1302
Index......Page 1304