Hitler: Selbstverstandnis Eines Revolutionars

From reviews of the English version of this German text the English title of which is Hitler: The Policies of Seduction. ". . . a monumental and controversial new study of the politics and policies of Hitler's Third Reich, written by a respected journalist from Die Welt. Most studies of the Nazi regime, taking the bloodiest war and one of the most brutal massacres in history as its most vivid accomplishments, have concentrated on the military and racial depredations of that perverse commonwealth. The Nazi crimes were so monstrous that it is impossible to consider Nazi politics dispassionately, and difficult even to apply to them the usual hypotheses of political science. Zitelmann understands this attitude well, yet he argues it has resulted in a historiography whose flaws are so profound that German academics are unable to explain just how Hitler managed to win a democratic election in the first place. . .Although much of Zitelmanns text is slow-moving and pedantic, relying too heavily on statistics and footnotes, his main point that a true understanding of Hitler's rise to power must take closer account of the policies he promised and pursued is bound to generate debate. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "Zitelmann's book is a milestone in our understanding of Adolf Hitler." -- Journal of Modern History