Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. From this distance of time it is easy to question how a person like Hitler can come to power and do the things he did with relative impunity. He could not have done this alone and, like other books on Hitler, this lacks detail about the individuals that supported and approved of his actions. Make no mistake, this book provides valuable insight into HItler, and any treatise on the whole would have to be multi-volume.

This is, to me, a remarkable book on the how Adolf Hitler rose to power. It is not a biography, or a discussion on what he did when he became chancellor, it is a narrative on all the moments from 1925, when he began looking into how to gain power, until 1933 when Hindenburg appointed him as chancellor and the next 12 years got underway. What I found fascinating were the numerous moments where it seemed as if Hitler would quit, be beaten, be marginalized, or just lose it; he would pull himself together and begin again. There were so many times where if someone had foresight (and there were some) and influence, things may have turned out differently, but in the end HItler's self-belief and the willingness of Germany to follow along his path ended with him gaining supreme power.

In the acknowledgments Range mentions starting this book in 2016. Now whether the US elections were in his mind or prompted him, he doesn't say, but there are clearly echos in the book on the rise of a certain "populist" US president.

The author takes the reader through the years of Hitler’s ascent to the top of Germany’s political power. I did not realize how hard he worked, giving speeches, flying from town to town, having elections within weeks of each other and still had enough time for back room grandstanding. He was a great orator and he used that one strength to a huge backing from the German people.
The First World War was over but the cost that Germany was paying both in terms of financial and standing in the world crippled the economy putting thousands of Germans out of work. When the stock market crashed in October 1929 in the US it’s repercussions were felt all over the world and Germany was especially hit hard. The German people wanted to be lead even if that meant a dictate. “a movement in which one man, Adolf Hitler, “is both pope and Caesar.”‘. “a party “held together only by a program of having no program,”‘. “adopted modern advertising techniques, employing simple slogans, bright colors, and frequent repetition to generate what one historian called “an assault on the collective subconscious.”” “Hitler’s hypnotic preachments seemed to lift his admirers into a collective ecstasy.” “Led by Hitler’s monomania, the party had been shaped into a small army of fanatical followers.” “Nationalism, with its aura of patriotism, evoked a macho fighting spirit that appealed to angry young men” “the broad masses are blind and dumb and don’t know what they are doing. . . . the masses don’t think, they act.—Adolf Hitler, 1926”

Hitler had his group of perceived threats to the German people and nation. “Flinging out unfounded generalizations, half-truths, and distortions, Hitler argued that Jews were an unlanded people with no country to call their own.”. Of course Hitler had a high opinion of himself and his mission ““The work that Christ had begun but could not finish, I will conclude.””.

Almost up to the time Hitler took over many people just could not take him seriously. He generated a lot of buzz but that was it. “describing the Nazi leader as a “fanatical crusader” possessed of “forcefulness and intensity” who would nonetheless be found unacceptable by educated people—and thus unelectable.” ““[Germans] are ready to try anything else for a change, even giving their support to [the Nazi Party], whose leaders and promises are irresponsible,”. And even if he did become Chancellor everyone felt that they could control him. “The second impulse was Papen’s (the previous Chancellor) self-induced belief that Hitler could be controlled from below by a sly vice-chancellor.”

Hitler did not have any real ideas or plans for improving the current fate of the German people as he was making all of his speeches going from one location in front of thousands of his base. “Hitler blithely leaped over facts, figures, and economic details. Rather than a jobs program or policies for overcoming the Depression, Hitler proposed rebirth. His vision was utopia.”. “Hitler was notably imprecise on policies and programs.”. ““Here is our program in one sentence,” said Goebbels. “. . . everything will be different.””. The German people were caught up in the drama, the music, the flags and the speeches so they did not care if there was not a real message.

Hitler was not interested in playing by any rules except his own. And once he became Chancellor he had no intentions of respecting the Constitution. “Hitler was sworn to protect the very constitution he hated, a technicality he would cast aside at the first opportunity.”. “Hitler would turn the government into a one-party dictatorship and might even raise the risk of war.”

When it was finally over and Hitler was sworn in as the chancellor of Germany many people who allowed it to happen had this reaction ““Yesterday, I did the stupidest thing of my life. I joined forces with the greatest demagogue in world history.””.

He was a private in World War 1 and now he had total control of German. Many people had seen the danger but either acted to late or never believed it could happen. After he was put in charge one of the first things he did was to silence those that had tried to stop him or people that he felt were not totally loyal to him.

This is a great book, there are no slow parts or fillers. It is told in a direct but clear way that allows the reader to fully absorb the flavor and feelings during those years. I recommend this book to everyone not just those who are interested in Hitler or Germany. “'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.'”.

Very detailed about Hitler's rise to power. First book I've read that goes into detail about the relationships he had to make him who he was and the demons he faces.

The essential, agonized question about Hitler and the Nazi regime - how? HOW did this happen? - is the core of Range's terrific, gripping history. He tells the familiar story - the long odds, the back-room political deals, the uncanny Nazi ability to tap into long-suppressed, atavistic fears and prejudices in large swaths of the German public - with fresh energy and readability. It's entirely possible that Hitler's ascent is every bit as unfathomable at the end of Range's book as it was at the beginning, but even so, readers will understand a good deal more about it.

Many different books about Hitler have documented portions of his rise to power, but this is the most detailed one that I have read yet. I haven't seen a book on Hitler that dealt directly with the relationships he had to forge or the personal demons he was facing when trying to climb from nothing to something--even if that something was ultimately evil, as detailed as this one is.

Massive research must have gone into this book. I liked that there were a lot of new facts presented here that I hadn't seen before, but that it didn't feel like reading a long list of research items. The tone of the book is informative but conversational and there are quite a few quotes that lighten the overall mood and heaviness of the subject matter.

If you are interested in WWII, Hitler's regime, or are just looking for a well-written and intelligent book to read, this is a good choice. I found that this book kept me entertained and taught me a lot, and I can't ask for more than that. I look forward to seeing what else this author has to offer.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley

If you want a better understanding of how Hitler was able to come to power, this book is great. This is a book that shows his ascent wasn’t as quick as he wanted. He was a man labeled a traitor, after trying to overthrow government by force. If anyone thing hadn’t happened, history may have turned out very different but his determination caused so many horrors.

Ross writes a timely look the early days of Hitler's life and the forces that formed one of history's most studied men. The chapter "Boxheim and The American Media" was one of many highlights that examines the Hitler was a ringmaster of controlling message and image. #TheUnfathomableAscent #NetGalley