| Hitler's Thirty Days to Power - January 1933
(1996)
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| Front Cover |
Book Details |
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| Genre |
Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
Germany - Politics and government - 1918-1933; Heads of state - Germany - Biography; Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945; National socialism; Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei; Political culture - Germany; Political parties - Germany - History - 20th century |
| Publication Date |
October 1996 |
| Format |
Hardcover (9.4
x
6.5
mm)
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| Publisher |
Perseus Books |
| Extras |
Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover |
|
| Description |
| On January 1, 1933, Hitler seemed destined to return to obscurity. Having suffered devastating blows in the previous November's election, the National Socialist Party was pronounced politically dead by its opponents. Three days later, however, Hitler met clandestinely with ex-chancellor Franz von Papen, who thought he could use the Nazi leader in an alliance to oust then-Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher. Thus began a month of intrigue in which Hitler, though having less than a third of the popular vote, nevertheless successfully pursued an all-or-nothing strategy to become leader of Germany. On January 30, amidst rumors, confusion, and several thwarted attempts to stop the event, Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor, and Germany turned its future over to a madman. Drawing on a lifetime of studying the Nazi regime, and newly available documents, Henry Turner shows how luck, political brinksmanship, and the personal weaknesses of his opponents helped Hitler come to power. He paints vivid portraits of Hitler and the other main players in this political drama - President and aging war hero Marshal Paul von Hindenburg; the miscalculating General von Schleicher (whom Hitler would later murder); and the devious von Papen. Through these characters - and a final brilliant chapter on historical contingency and responsibility - Turner re-establishes the importance of individual actors in the unfolding of historical events. |
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| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
DD247.H5 .T79 1996 |
| Dewey |
943.086092 |
| ISBN |
9780201407143 |
| Cover Price |
$25.00 |
| No. of Pages |
255 |
| First Edition |
No |
| Rare |
No |
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| Notes/Review |
It is a common misconception that Hitler was elected by the German people. He was not, and in fact the popularity of the Nazi party was on the decline by January 1, 1933. This book details the machinations that led to Hindenburg appointing Hitler chancellor. Here we learn how a man who vowed to take power through violent means if necessary, who had no intention of sharing power, was gifted the chancellorship due to conspiracy and bungling. Turner introduces us to the major players; describes the functioning of the presidency, chancellorship, and Reichstag; details the events that set the table for the conflagration that was WW II; and parses out responsibility for the events.
Usually, man made disasters have long chains of causation where if any one link is broken the disaster is averted. This is one of those cases. Here we see how many times, had somebody done or said something different, the misery of 50 million people could have been averted. |
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