Amazon.com
George VI thought him a "damnable villain," and Neville Chamberlain found him not quite a gentleman; but, to the rest of the world, Adolf Hitler has come to personify modern evil to such an extent that his biographers always have faced an unenviable task. The two more renowned biographies of Hitler--by Joachim C. Fest ( Hitler) and by Alan Bullock ( Hitler: A Study in Tyranny)--painted a picture of individual tyranny which, in the words of A.J.P. Taylor, left Hitler guilty and every other German innocent. Decades of scholarship on German society under the Nazis have made that verdict look dubious; so, the modern biographer of Hitler must account both for his terrible mindset and his charismatic appeal. In the second and final volume of his mammoth biography of Hitler--which covers the climax of Nazi power, the reclamation of German-speaking Europe, and the horrific unfolding of the final solution in Poland and Russia--Ian Kershaw manages to achieve both of these tasks. Continuing where Hitler: Hubris 1889-1936 left off, the epic Hitler: Nemesis 1937-1945 takes the reader from the adulation and hysteria of Hitler's electoral victory in 1936 to the obsessive and remote "bunker" mentality that enveloped the Führer as Operation Barbarossa (the attack on Russia in 1942) proved the beginning of the end. Chilling, yet objective. A definitive work. --Miles Taylor
Book Description
The climax and conclusion of one of the best-selling biographies of our time.
The New Yorker declared the first volume of Ian Kershaw's two-volume masterpiece "as close to definitive as anything we are likely to see," and that promise is fulfilled in this stunning second volume.
As Nemesis opens, Adolf Hitler has achieved absolute power within Germany and triumphed in his first challenge to the European powers. Idolized by large segments of the population and firmly supported by the Nazi regime, Hitler is poised to subjugate Europe. Nine years later, his vaunted war machine destroyed, Allied forces sweeping across Germany, Hitler will end his life with a pistol shot to his head. 48 pages of b/w photographs.
Customer Reviews:
"Working Towards the Fuhrer".......2007-07-22
How could a racial crank with no education rule Germany so effectively for years? If he was an evil genius, Why did he then fail, stupidly leading it into a second war and eventual defeat? Kershaw's answer is the Nazi phrase, "working towards the Fuhrer". When Hitler stated his desires or plans, he didn't have to issue actual detailed commands: he could count on his lieutenants to implement his will in practice.
Thus making Germany's foreign policy (in particular) a copy of his own paranoid, ruthless personality, Hitler won some early victories against opponents used to dealing with "gentlemen" leaders and countries. Also, "working towards the Fuhrer" obscured his personality--that of a crank--behind competent experts. But once he desired the impossible (conquering the USSR) or once his will became increasingly vague and contradictory (during the war), the result was total catastrophic, with Germany willingly starting a war it couldn't possibly win just because the Fuhrer wanted it, with the "bonus" of complete government chaos as numerous competing organizations interpreted Hitler's latest vague speech in a self-serving manner.
Kershaw's history shows in meticulous detail just how "working towards the Fuhrer" worked in practice: how it allowed Hitler to make his personal paranoia and racial hatered Germany's officlal policy, with all that that implies--the holocaust included--which is the main point of writing a new biography of him in the first place. This thesis, while surely it can never be conclusively tested, is a far superior explanation of all that had occured in 1933-1945 than simplistic "Hitler was evil" explanations. Evil he certainly was, but, as Kershaw notes, that explains nothing: numerous evil cranks exist. Why did so many cultured and supposedly humane and sane Germans support him is the interesting question, which Kershaw answers very well.
Highly recommended.
Worth reading without reservation.......2007-04-02
I have read many books about the Nazism, but until I read this one I didn't really feel I understood how a little snake like Adolf Hitler could get intelligent people to follow him. "Working toward the Fuhrer", as Kershaw puts it, became the goal, regardless of the consequences. Being "one of us", rather than "one of them", was the only goal. Facinating stuff, and scary, considering the relevance to our own time.
Excellent.......2006-02-19
To be sure, military historians may be upset because Kershaw doesn't cover every little thing when it comes to the war, but this is the place to start and finish when it comes to Hitler from 1936-1945. The book is very well written and highly readable. If you want more info on the war, there are certainly other places to go, but if you want to know about Hitler, start with Kershaw's 1st volume and move on to this.
Working toward the Fuhrer.......2006-02-02
The second volume of Ian Kershaw's comprehensive biography of Adolf Hitler is quite different in focus than the first. Whereas "Hubris" was something of a character analysis of the Fuhrer and very much an attempt at "explaining Hitler," "Nemesis" is more an exposé of the Nazi state than a narrative of Hitler's wartime leadership.
Kershaw argues that the Third Reich was unique among totalitarian regimes. Other contemporary despots, such as Stalin or Mussolini, still had some semblance of a central decision making body to contend with, such as the Politburo or the Fascist Council. Nazi Germany had only one decision-making body: Adolf Hitler. A critical component of Hitler's grasp on power was the intense centralization of all authority in his person. Ministers weren't allowed to meet independently and Hitler encouraged competition among his underlings, which played to his strong belief in the benefits of Darwinian struggle for dominance. Nazi loyalists throughout the sprawling bureaucracy were encouraged to "work toward the Fuhrer" on their own. That is, Hitler was clear in articulating his general ideology and vision for the German state ("Mein Kampf" was encouraged as a guidebook), and it was up to individual party members and common Germans to do their part in making that future a reality. This "What Would Hitler Do?" mentality combined with the internal competitive dynamic inexorably led to a rapid radicalization of the regime. Kershaw maintains that Hitler entered the war very much intending to conquer and colonize the Soviet Union (the British colonial Raj in India was his inspiration and model), but with no definitive plans to exterminate the Jews, beyond a vague notion of shipping the whole race to Madagascar (literally). Rather, the Holocaust arose from "administrative cul-de-sacs of ethnic cleansing" as aggressive SS and Gaultiers moved into the occupied territory and independently began "working toward the Fuhrer" and competing with their internal rivals for Hitler's favor.
As the war dragged on and disasters mounted, Hitler became more and more aloof from the German people and his internal circle as well. This detachment is mirrored in the narrative in "Nemesis." Thus, there is relatively little about Hitler the man in this volume. For instance, the details of his relationship with Eva Braun are barely touched upon. Whereas Hitler comes alive in "Hubris" and remains a flesh-and-blood figure through the first third of "Nemesis," he seems to recede in the shadows as the reality of the impending collapse becomes clear. I'm not sure if Kershaw intended this affect or not, but it makes for an interesting approach.
In closing, "Nemesis" provides a lively and detailed account of the growth of Nazi power beyond the Reich and the vulgar descent of the regime to unprecedented acts of evil, but it could just as well serve as a history of Nazi Germany as a biography of Hitler. In fact, you could read "Nemesis" independent of "Hubris" (or vice versa) without any trouble.
Excellent.......2006-01-09
This two-volume work is perhaps the best current profile of Adolf Hitler. Kershaw provides a lucid, comprehensive, and convincing account of Hitler's origins, early unrequited search for respectability, commitment (with millions of others) to a WW1, disappointment in Versailles, utility in post war right wing politics, demagogic skills, opportunism, rise to power, ruthlessness, Darwinian authoritarian (ambiguous) rule, mystic cult and messianic attraction.
The second volume (Nemesis 1936-45) traces the mature Hitlerian state, and the world catastrophe it engendered.
Both volumes are most valuable to those who seek to find why, in the mid-20C, human civilisation seemed to be hijacked by a human virus that meant the death of 50+ million.
Hitler seems a man aware but not satisfied with Machiavellian precepts: he cared little for love or hate. Fear was better, but (perhaps) he really wanted to be worshipped as a God (like post Augustus emperors).
Kershaw's `The Hitler Myth' and `Making Friends with Hitler' are also useful.
Also highly recommended: Bullock's classic `Hitler: A Study in Tyranny (published 1953);' and Fest's `Hitler' (published 1974).
Product Description
From his birth in a small Austrian village to his fiery death in a bunker under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, this extraordinary, award-winning four-volume set is the definitive biography of the most demonic figure of the twentieth century. "The most astute assessment of Hitler's bond with the German people yet written" -Wall Street Journal -- Kershaw's two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler is unique not only in its exhaustive account of the German dictator's life and works but above all in the skill with which the author balances attention to individual moral and political responsibility with a grasp of the context and circumstances without which Hitler would have remained a nonentity. By far the best biography of the most influential individual of the century.
Product Description
From his birth in a small Austrian village to his fiery death in a bunker under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, this extraordinary, award-winning four-volume set is the definitive biography of the most demonic figure of the twentieth century. "The most astute assessment of Hitler's bond with the German people yet written" -Wall Street Journal -- Kershaw's two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler is unique not only in its exhaustive account of the German dictator's life and works but above all in the skill with which the author balances attention to individual moral and political responsibility with a grasp of the context and circumstances without which Hitler would have remained a nonentity. By far the best biography of the most influential individual of the century.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on March 1, 2001. The length of the article is 2036 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: HITLER 1936-1945: NEMESIS.(Review) (book review)
Author: Walter Sundberg
Publication:
First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2001
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 47
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2003. The length of the article is 481 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Hitler, 1936-1945: Nemesis.(Book Review)
Author: Russel Lemmons
Publication:
The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2003
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 65
Issue: 4
Page: 1042(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Letras Libres, published by Editorial Vuelta, S.A. de C.V. on May 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1465 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: RELOJ DE ARENA: Hitler: 1936-1945: nueve años que destruyeron al mundo.(TT: Sandglass: Hitler, 1936-1945: nine years of horror.)(Reseña)
Author: José Emilio Pacheco
Publication:
Letras Libres (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2001
Publisher: Editorial Vuelta, S.A. de C.V.
Volume: 3
Issue: 29
Page: 28
Article Type: Reseña
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
The gripping story of a well-known battle told from the perspective of the "other" side--the Confederates who just barely lost the fight for Little Round Top at the battle of Gettysburg.
The fight for Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, is forever etched in the annals of America's Civil War. The heroic defense of the high ground by Joshua Chamberlain and the men of the 20th Maine is one of the most famous incidents in American history, made more famous by its powerful depiction in the film Gettysburg. There are numerous written accounts of the Union defenders on Little Round Top but considerably less has been written--up to now--about the Confederate attackers who charged up the hill and faced an even more desperate challenge than those who defended it.
Unique and colorful, this new study brings to life the men and officers of the 15th Alabama who gathered that day to assault the Union flank. The lively narration of this dramatic engagement is both detailed and authoritative. Veteran Civil War author Phillip Tucker colorfully evokes the men and the times--from a description of the Alabamans' Chattahoochee River valley home to sketches of the lives and personalities of William C. Oates and other key members of the regiment.
Customer Reviews:
About as bad as a Civil War book can get.......2004-01-16
That a book purporting to be a detailed, comprehensive tactical study offers only one map pretty well reflects the carelessness, and lack of respect for the reader, with which this book apparently was produced. I've written thirteen books on the Civil War and Indian Wars myself, and I understand the importance of good maps. The prose also is sloppy, and the author repeats the same absurd premise - that a few more men in the ranks of one regiment might have changed the course of Gettysburg, and thus of the Civil War - so many times that one feels tempted to toss the book across the room. An absolute disgrace to the field of military history.
wasted words and no maps.......2003-02-21
The author, who did a good job with Burnside's Bridge, repeats himself over and over ad naseoum and fails to include maps or drawings to illustrate what he is describing. His main premise is, that had the 15 th Alabama been fully complemented with men and had it been supported by another regiment, Gettysburg would have been a Confederate victory. That is prepostorous, considering the number of reinforcements the Union had. Oates and his men deserve a lot of credit for their valor but so do the Union troops who put up one hell of a battle from prepared defensive positions. The author is capable of writing a much better product and must have been in a hurry to churn another book out.
Waste of money.......2003-02-05
I totally agree with [a negative reviewer]. I was very disappionted after waiting so long for the release. The authur constantly repeated things, trying to make the book longer. Plus Tucker seems to have a grudge against Joshua Chamberlain. In the last chapter he makes it sound like Chamberlain had nothing to do with the battle and lied about his contribution afterwards. He provdes no maps to prove his "research". He also states the 15th Alabama retired up Big Round Top after the battle. But wasn't Big Round Top in Union hands after the 2nd day? There's many things I didn't like about this book.
Expecting Much More.......2002-09-26
I had originally placed this order almost a year ago with much anticipation. After the publishing was delayed for months I had forgotten I even had it on back order. Well, I finally got my copy and I must say that it is a big disappointment.
To begin with, there are exactly two illustrations: one map and one seriously degraded photo of Col Oates. Unless you have the memory of an elephant it is very hard to get detail on timelines and troop movements/placements on text alone. This, to me, was perhaps the biggest disappointment.
Another area of concern is the, at times, seemingly lack of real research. One example of this is the claim made by the author that the hill, thus the entire battle, could have been won if the 15th ALA had had support, etc. He failed to explain where these units were supposed to come from, neglected to mention that by the time the 15th ALA had run out of steam there wasn't enough daylight left to mount another assault, any supports would have to come from over a mile away under fire, and he doesn't offer any gameplan as to how the Confederates were supposed to hold the hill once it was taken (given the fact that there were 1000s of Union troops within double quick distance). I don't mean to nitpick on one aspect but the entire book is written this way.
I was looking for a book that was going to finally explain the Confederate point of view in detail, with battle maps to accompany the text. But this reads more like a guy who is trying to defend his family's honor after someone hurled a staining insult at them. I agree that the Conf side of this legendary struggle has not been represented in enough detail and scope. I still feel that way.
Bottom line-the premise is a great idea; don't waste your money.
Customer Reviews:
Aung San Suu Kyi.......2003-09-21
The best writing I've ever read ... about striving democracy in peace... I love That Woman!!!!
The eloquent voice of an often forgotten but mighty land.......2003-09-13
I re-read this book shortly after Aung San Suu Kyi was placed, once again, under house arrest in 2003. The daughter of the man who is referred as the founding father of Burma(today called Myanmar) - Aung San - is herself a major political figure in her country. The chapter about her father - who was assassinated when the author was two years old - is an impressive, informative, and dispassionate account of Aung San's days as a student leader and his leadership of the independence movement that established modern Burma as a nation. My own father was a foreign correspondent in Burma in the late 1940s and had covered the assassination of Aung San and his colleagues. This left me since my childhood with a deep curiosity about this period of Burmese history - and Aung San's daughter's account does not leave curious readers like myself disappointed. Most of the book is devoted to the life and times of Suu Kyi herself. It includes several articles by other writers who help readers understand how a Burmese woman rises to national prominence in a country which has known but unbroken military dictatorship for decades. This book is also about Burmese culture, religion, and language, and should be on the bookshelf on anyone who has a serious interest in this curious, wretched country of tremendous unfulfilled potential.
If you have an interest in Burmese or Southeast Asian history, you might also consider reading Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace, a historical novel which I have also reviewed on this website.
Indispensible.......2003-04-19
This book was for me an opener into the evolution of Burma's political scene, and it proved to be a good one.
Whilst it takes some time to get accustomed to the many abbreviations of Burma's political parties and factions, once it is gotten used to, Freedom from Fear becomes an essential book for those interested in the becoming of Aung San Suu Kyi - daughter of Burma's national hero, the late Aung San - and her process of fighting and eventually winning the support of the country she always called home depite her international influences.
Though Freedom from Fear would be a good book to start learning about Burma's modern political history, I would suggest first reading about pre-colonial Burma to get a better grasp and understanding of the country's stand and place in Southeast Asia.
Freedom from Fear and Other Writings.......2002-05-18
This book really inspired me. And all the details information written in this book are 100% accurate and I was so suprised to read all those history things that I have learnt in my childhood in my country, Myanmar. I believe this is one of the books that every patriots of Burma should have.
Freedom from fear.......2002-02-26
this book is very good for me to build my strength
and power for fight against military dictatorship
in my country. Thank you for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
KoKoOo
Amazon.com
Aldo Leopold (1886-1948) is revered among environmentalists and naturalists for many reasons: as an officer of the U.S. Forest Service, he was instrumental in formulating policies that helped protect wildlands and wild animals; as an activist, he helped found the Wilderness Society and other public-interest organizations; and as a writer, he crafted a number of fine, philosophically charged essays and books, including his famous memoir, A Sand County Almanac. Marybeth Lorbiecki's overview of Leopold's life addresses each of these contributions in turn, and it does a good job of explaining why Leopold's influence should endure today. Of added interest are the many photographs Lorbiecki has discovered in family and government archives, images that help flesh out a figure who has, in ecological circles, become something of a saint--and, as a result, a little unreal. Curt Meine's Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work addresses Leopold's work in greater depth, but readers seeking a sense of his many contributions, and why they matter, will find much of value in Lorbiecki's well-written pages. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Aldo Leopold, author of the classic A Sand County Almanac, founder of the field of wildlife management, and originator of the national wilderness system, is revealed in this short, illustrated biography by Marybeth Lorbiecki.
Leopold dedicated his life to answering the question: "How do we live on the land without spoiling it?" And his work and writings inspire millions of people in their continued pursuit of the answers.
Customer Reviews:
An fascinating biography.......2002-01-25
I've been a long-time fan of Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. In reading it again recently, however, I realized how little I knew about Leopold's background. Lorbiecki's biography is a well-written introduction to one of the great 'fathers' of conservation.
Leopold's career truly ran the gamut, from foresty to public relations to writing to academia. But beyond his work life, Lorbiecki illustrates the importance family played for Leopold, both in shaping his values from childhood, and in the devotion he later showed to his wife and children.
I'd strongly recommend that anyone interested in Leopold, and more generally in the history of American land and game conservation, to give A Fierce Green Fire a try.
Great book, great length, very interesting.......2000-01-28
I don't agree with review #1. As a long time Leopold reader and having read Curt Meine's book, I think this treatment of Leopold is great for an introduction to the great man's life and work. This is the kind of book which makes you think about how you live, and what you can contribute to the greater good. Not an encyclopedia on Leopold, but a great intro.
A lightweight treatment of a heavyweight thinker.......1999-04-13
As someone who is intimately familiar with the work of Aldo Leopold I was quite diappointed with this book. Although there are no glaring inaccuracies with the biography there is one obvious problem with it. A far far superior treatment of Leopold's life and work has already been written. Curt Meine's book "Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work" is such a better treatment of both Leopold's 'life and work' that Lorbiecki's book never needed to be written. "A Fierce Green Fire" is a superficial treatment of one of the most, if not the most, profound thinkers of our time and cannot hold a candle to Meine's book. If Leopold enthusiasts really want to learn about Aldo Leopold I would suggest Meine's book--don't cheat yourself.
One of the best biographies I've ever read of this great man.......1997-06-21
Being an environmentalist and teacher I have long been acquainted with the work of Aldo Leopold. This book, while unstinting in praise for the man, lets his life work speak for itself. I was impressed by three things: One, the depth of his feeling for sustainable landscape, whether used or preserved. I had somehow believed that his revelation with the dying wolf was the beginning of his environmental conscience, but it was there almost from the beginning. Two, the evolution of his feeling for the preservation of wildlife. Although he was a hunter all his life, his feeling toward "predators" took a 180 degree turn during his life, as did the nation's, eventually. Finally, we see the handicaps he labored under, from an early severe illness to problems in later life, that makes his accomplishments even more impressive. I am often put off by biographers because they feel that every day in the life of their subjects mush somehow be accounted for. By what looks like severe editorial restraint, she allows her book to flow like an exciting novel. I have already bought extra copies for friends working with the enviornment and will probably do more
Books:
- I Lived to Tell It All
- If This Is a Man and The Truce
- In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: A Memoir of Iran
- Inner City Miracle
- Jack's Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis
- John Coltrane: His Life and Music (The Michigan American Music Series)
- KISS: Behind the Mask - Official Authorized Biogrphy
- Learning Disabilities and Life Stories
- Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
- Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Garden Junk
- Berserker
- Upstate : A Novel
- Top Of The Heap
- A Coney Island of the Mind: Poems
- Chemical Dynamics in Condensed Phases: Relaxation, Transfer, and Reactions in Condensed Molecular Sy
- A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit
- King Kong: Meet Kong and Ann
- Walking Towards Walden: A Pilgrimage in Search of Place
- Forest Plants of Central Ontario
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris
The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich
The Third Reich: A New History
The Coming of the Third Reich
Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-1941
