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Hitler: Volume I: Ascent 1889–1939 (Hitler Biographies, 1)

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Selected as a Book of the Year by the New York Times, Times Literary Supplement and The Times

Despite his status as the most despised political figure in history, there have only been four serious biographies of Hitler since the 1930s. Even more surprisingly, his biographers have been more interested in his rise to power and his methods of leadership than in Hitler the person: some have even declared that the Führer had no private life.

Yet to render Hitler as a political animal with no personality to speak of, as a man of limited intelligence and poor social skills, fails to explain the spell that he cast not only on those close to him but on the German people as a whole. In the first volume of this monumental biography, Volker Ullrich sets out to correct our perception of the Führer. While charting in detail Hitler’s life from his childhood to the eve of the Second World War against the politics of the times, Ullrich unveils the man behind the public persona: his charming and repulsive traits, his talents and weaknesses, his deep-seated insecurities and murderous passions.

Drawing on a wealth of previously neglected or unavailable sources, this magisterial study provides the most rounded portrait of Hitler to date. Ullrich renders the Führer not as a psychopath but as a master of seduction and guile ― and it is perhaps the complexity of his character that explains his enigmatic grip on the German people more convincingly than the clichéd image of the monster.

This definitive biography will forever change the way we look at the man who took the world into the abyss.

Review

Everyone concerned about democracy should read this book.

-- Richard J. Evans ― The Nation

A superb biography of the Führer’s pre-war years… It is a tribute to Ullrich’s absorbing biography that one contemplates its second volume with a shudder. -- Miranda Seymour ― Daily Telegraph

[A] fascinating Shakespearean parable about how the confluence of circumstances, chance, a ruthless individual and the wilful blindness of others can transform a country. -- Michiko Kakutani ― New York Times

A substantial addition to the Fuhrer canon. -- David Aaronovitch ― The Times, Book of the Year

Where Ullrich adds greatly to our understanding is by making the mercurial, changeable and…profoundly unknowable Hitler believable… This is a major achievement… Impressive and revealing biography. -- Nicholas Stargardt ― Literary Review

From the Back Cover

Selected as a Book of the Year by the New York Times, Times Literary Supplement and The Times

Review:

4.9 out of 5

98.46% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful

R. · 19 January 2021

So, is there anything new to say about Adolf Hitler that hasn't been said already? You may be forgiven for answering this question with a resounding no. Afterall, there are no shortage of books on this most inhuman of human monsters. But if we ask ourselves what we really know about Adolf Hitler 'the man' - and dare I say - the human being, we are more than likely faced with a void. Ascribing uniquely human features to a figure of succh unremitting evil has it's obvious pitfalls. As a consequence, and perhaps because of the assumed void at the heart of Hitler's 'personality', historians have tended to focus on the expression and form that Hitler's power took. Not on the man himself, of which there is simply... nothing. Yet, as Volker Ullrich masterfully demonstrates in this, the first of a two-part biography on Hitler, there is much to learn about the private man that is inextricably connected to the dark phenomenon of Nazism, with its accompanying cult of personality surrounding the Fuhrer. So, who was the real Hitler? The answer to this question, as Ullrich conclusively demonstrates, is by no means straightforward. The enigma that was Adolf Hitler can partly be put down to the paucity of sources available to researchers documenting the early years of the dictator's life, but largely this is due to the incoherence of Hitler's personality, which was consumed by opacity and lacked a unified whole. The bogeyman haunting the twentieth century and beyond was a consummate actor and master of improvisation. This was both the key to Hitler's success and an inescapable aspect of his downfall. As much as it's possible, the eminently brilliant Volker Ullrich unlocks the key of Hitler's personality that is at once complex and consciously schizoid and all the more horrifying because it fills the void of impersonal evil that dominates traditional historiography on this subject.A peerless contribution to our further understanding of the life of Adolf Hitler.Simply masterful.THE definitive biography of Hitler.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good

T. · 2 April 2016

A review in a prominent Sunday Newspaper asked if there was really any need for yet another biography of Adolf Hitler, answering in the negative. In my view such a judgement is wrong. I have read quite a number but found this one engrossing and offering yet another perspective on one of the 20th centuries most notorious leaders. All the usual signposts are here, all the sequential events leading up to the outbreak of WW2 as Hitler rose to prominence and eventual dictatorship of Germany. Yet Ullrich, with a great command of his sources, laces each event with contemporary newspaper headlines and commentaries, diary entries ( mainly of Goebbels ) which highlight the various opinions voiced at the time - without the "wisdom" of hindsight. Such opinions tell us that each of us always has the option of true judgement irrespective of the 'way of the world" and the direction it goes in.The book also offers a fine insight into the various revisionist books that, by quoting many of Hitler's speeches intended for the mass media and those only, paint him as a "man of peace" who never sought war, especially war with Great Britain. By quoting other speeches given at various other times to those closer to him, these recorded in various diaries and other reputable sources, show Hitler as not being beyond lying about his true intentions. Intentions set out unambiguously in Mein Kampf, there for all to see and read. Hitler never deviated from his vision, one that eventually led inevitably to war and the deaths of millions.

5.0 out of 5 stars New perspectives in crafted prose

J. · 2 February 2017

Superb. I appreciated the new perspectives on a familiar subject, the depth of research and clarity of writing. Very well-organised and without falling into the channels created by previous noted writers on Hitler. Ullrich purposefully avoids the sensational and speculative rumours and stays on steady ground. Negative criticism is implied in the unfolding narrative rather than stated categorically.A great read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not yet read all but is avery good book. Look forward to next volume

l. · 27 April 2016

Not yet read all but is avery good book. Look forward to next volume.Are you able to advise when available?

5.0 out of 5 stars Magesterial, the definitive Hitler.

M. · 30 April 2016

I purchased this book with some trepidation thinking how much more can I learn from yet another work on the subject of Adolf Hitler. But what a surprise I got, without doubt has to be the ultimate work on Hitler. Despite being such a huge book, from the start the writing draws you into the world of Hitler and, although somewhat academic in content, it turns out to be a well researched page turner. I highly recommend this book and would be surprised if any reader is disappointed by it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting perspective

W. · 13 January 2023

Nice to read a book written by someone different

5.0 out of 5 stars love it

K.C. · 1 April 2023

love it

5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulously researched

H.N. · 3 April 2016

A very readable, meticulously researched, study of Hitler's political and personal life against the background of early 20th century Germany. An extraordinarily intimate insight into the man and those nearest to him - as well as an assessment of the varying reactions to his rise to power both in Germany and abroad.

Extraordinaire

B. · 22 April 2017

Dans ce livre Volker Ulrich remet Hitler au cente des éventements - ce qui me paraît le plus intéressant dans cet ouvrage.

THE biography

i. · 9 June 2020

Even though the subtitle says this is ‘a biography’, I believe people agree that this can be ‘the biography’ of Herr Hitler. In fact, I have thought so far there will never be any better biography of his than the works by Mr. Kershaw but this one might be. I suspect the subject is so attractive that we can witness talented researchers write good books continuously.In Hitler’s case, it is very difficult to stay objective when writing anything about him. Generally speaking, we may be biased and say any bad things against him even without verifiable evidence simply because no good reason is necessary to condemn a devil. On the contrary, if one is willing to say something positive or even neutral about him, she or he must research every possible source just in case some malicious complaints should occur and she or he be labeled ‘neo-Nazis’. Of course, I am not saying this author acclaims Hitler, but he remains ‘value-free’ as in the sense of Max Weber’s jargon.If you want to learn something valuable from the history of the man, you may well take up this tome.

The making of a monster

A.C. · 23 August 2016

Behind the newsreels and terrible events directed by Hitler was a ruthless politician with a neurotic personality and a disturbed view of the world. How he achieved what he did and with the support of a large section of a desperate Depression era German community, holds lessons for us to this day. This book is exceptionally well researched and written, shedding light on Hitler personality, motivations and the circumstances giving rise to his dictatorship.

Wonderful, insightful.

M.B. · 30 August 2016

A wonderful book that - surprisingly - sheds new light on the man Hitler. Intriguing.

A three dimensional picture of the Fuhrer

A.C. · 14 June 2016

Sustainedly interesting,a real page turner which does not get bogged down in excessive details about the Third Reich but focuses more on Hitler himself.Much that is new even for those who have read the previous biographies by Toland,Kershaw and Alan Bullock.I am waiting eagerly for the next volume.

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Hitler: Volume I: Ascent 1889–1939 (Hitler Biographies, 1)

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