Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 6, 2016

The best source for Hitler's life up to the outbreak of WW2. Clear, level-headed. Absorbing.Best source for Hitler's life: Kershaw's classic two-volume biography is the obvious comparison. Ullrich has 15 years of subsequent research to draw on. As well, Kershaw presents a Life and Times, while Ullrich focuses on the life. Ullrich can seem plodding in comparison with Kershaw's brilliance, and subsequent research doesn't overturn Kershaw's analysis, so you may still prefer him. If you've already read Kershaw and you want to go deeper, Ullrich is for you.Clear: Straightforward, fairly concise, readable. Excellent translation, livelier than the original.Level-headed: Ullrich disposes of much of the nonsense written about Hitler -- that he was a shirker in WW1, or gay, or lazy. He doesn't swallow Speer's self-serving lies.Absorbing: Ullrich's method is to give the facts with a minimum of analysis. It's dry, but the events are so powerful that the result is absorbing. I didn't find the book too long. Yes, it's 1,000 pages, but 232 of them are source notes, and there is a lot to cover.Book or Kindle? Buy the Kindle version. The book is workmanlike rather than attractive.

Ullrich has done an amazing job taking existing materials combined with exhaustive research to create a detailed picture of one of the most notorious humans of mankind. After reading this masterpiece, I felt as though I was right there as Hitler created his persona which resonated with his base. The methods he used to rile his followers combined with his exceptional oratory skills look very familiar to me as I watch what is unfolding in 2018 in America.The parallels to our current president are chilling. Using bigotry and xenophobia to create an "us vs. them" mentality played a major role in demonizing the Jews and bringing Hitler's base together with a rallying cry. Also, using easy to remember slogans that were chanted at his rallies created almost a brotherhood. Hitler stated that he always spoke to the "dumbest" person in the room.Facts were not important to Hitler, it was the message.I bought this book because I wanted to understand how a sociopath could get elected and create a loyal, fervent following - I thought that we would never see this again. But it is happening here and now in our country. If you are curious to understand the mess we are in today, this is a good book to read.The similarities are haunting.

Book is absorbing. I couldn't put the book down; I'd argue this is one of the most informational, accurate, and scholarly books written about Hitler's life. I mainly bought this to help with my study of not only his life, but a research paper for college. It did not disappoint, however, the reason this book is so good is because it showcases democratic institutions, and how easy those institutions become corrupted when the people don't protect it. Understanding how thousands of people can blindly follow a man who views certain people as a disease and impure, eliminating thousands of innocent lives in the name of power, but most of all, false promises.Once you read this, you can see how and why he had so much support. Despite how vile he was, I can see now how he had such a large following with the cunning nature of his character, but also his tactful choice in words, leadership, and power.

I buy few translated foreign books because I generally have not been happy with the translations, however I was intrigued enough by a Hitler biography written by a German to download the Kindle sample and was so impressed by the flow and language of the translated version that I bought the book.World War II was the war of my father's generation and I have read quite a bit about it trying to understand how and why the war came about and how it shaped the post-war world, and that has included several Hitler biographies, so I ended up measuring this book against those books. In particular I found myself comparing this book with Ian Kershaw's Hitler biography which I read not too long ago, and much to my surprise I found this book to be both more interesting and more complete. In fact I found this book to be as interesting as the best biographies I have ever read including William Manchester's multi-volume biography of Winston Churchill, which I think is superb.As an example of how good I thought this book to be is the fact that I bought the second volume when I was only half way through this one and will be starting on it shortly. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about both the rise of the Nazis and how one person filled with hatred can lead a country on the path to destruction

Comprehensive but very readable. Plenty of new information even for readers who might feel they have a good knowledge of Hitler's early days and rise to power. There are many books focusing on particular aspects of Hitler's life - especially after 1939 - but surprisingly few full biographies. Ullrich draws on newly available sources and I liked how he specifically addressed mistakes in earlier biographies and also popular myths. Obviously it is a long book and some chapters were more page-turning than others but overall I was very impressed and am looking forward to Volume 2, however distant its release may be.

Despite the hate that I have for this man, this book can take you right there in the middle of ww2. Very profound and can alter your emotions high enough to get pissed at times! I think this book is getting to me ! He hePutting emotions aside in all this book is wonderfully written and it makes a perfect add to my collection of history war books! In time I will finish reading Hitler. A slow read for me...Thank you.

Absolutely fantastic.

Quiero enviarles fotos del libro que recibí, me gustaría un cambio por otro idéntico pero en mejores condiciones. Las hojas por el costado vertical están mal cortadas de imprenta, están dispareja.

Everybody should read this book: The lesson of History projecting a troubling shadow over our present.