Amazon.com
Debates concerning the historical and moral significance of Adolf Hitler have gone on since the beginning of his rise to power in Germany. In the decades after his bunker suicide, those debates elevated to arguments over the very nature and existence of evil. An integral part of the arguments has been the ongoing attempt to understand the why of Hitler. In this engaging work of literary journalism, Ron Rosenbaum travels the world to converse with some of the historians, philosophers, filmmakers, and others who have attempted to make sense of Hitler's actions, to find a root cause for the Holocaust.
Rosenbaum methodically examines the evidence for and against all the major hypotheses concerning the origin of Hitler's character. He sifts through all the rumors--including his alleged Jewish ancestry and what biographer Alan Bullock refers to as "the one-ball business"--and the attempts to derive some psychological cause from them. Various Hitlers emerge: Hitler as con man and brutal gangster, Hitler the unspeakable pervert, Hitler the ladies' man, Hitler as modernist artist working in the medium of evil....
But Rosenbaum's portrayals of those who would define Hitler are as fascinating as the shifting perspectives on the führer. Here we see the brave journalists of the Munich Post who attempted to reveal Hitler's evil to the world as early as the 1920s. We witness Shoah director Claude Lanzmann's imperious attempts to stifle analysis of Hitler and the Holocaust, branding such historical inquiries as "obscene." We see the effects, on a frazzled Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, of the controversy surrounding the publication of his Hitler's Willing Executioners. We see the interior crises of Hitler apologist David Irving and philosopher-novelist George Steiner, among others, as they struggle with the ramifications of their work and thought. And, best of all, we have Rosenbaum to serve as an informed, intimate, and on occasion witty guide. In White Noise, Don DeLillo depicted the satirical academic discipline of "Hitler studies;" Ron Rosenbaum breathes a life into the field that no fiction can match. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
When Hitler's war ended in 1945, the war over Hitler--who he really was, what gave birth to his unique evil--had just begun. Hitler did not escape the bunker in Berlin but, half a century later, he has managed to escape explanation in ways both frightening and profound. Explaining Hitler is an extraordinary quest, an expedition into the war zone of Hitler theories. This is a passionate, enthralling book that illuminates what Hitler explainers tell us about Hitler, about the explainers, and about ourselves.
Customer Reviews:
A truly phenomenal read!.......2007-09-19
It would by now take several lifetimes to read all the literature concerning Hitler and the Holocaust but luckily author Ron Rosenbaum has done it for us and has concisely distilled it all into one stylishly written, riveting volume. Everything you ever wanted to know about Hitler, was his ancestry Jewish? Did he have just one ball? It's all here!
Understainding evil.......2007-01-10
This book does not really explain Hilter. Rather it highlights what the various explanations for Hilter reveal about the people or societies attempting the explanations. Rosenbaum offers a balanced assessment of the various opinions commonly offered to explain what happened in Germany in the 1920's through the 1940's and the European reaction to those event. Explaining Hitler is not a full history of the Nazi era but it is a fascinating social analysis of our response to that era.
Rosenbaum thinks only in terms of halocaust evil .......2006-12-18
I'm not going to gripe, as many others have, about the spurious nature of Rosenbaum's arguments, which mostly involve asking fellow Jewish authors why they think Hitler didn't care much for their ancestors.
My gripe is why Rosenbaum thinks that the Jewish halocaust was the only, or even the most important, example of Hitler's evil. In terms of body counts of innocent victims, 10 million of them being fellow Germans, Hitler's sins against the Jews are trumped by his sins against his own people, not to mention those 20 million pretty dead Russians, 10 million of which were completely innocent civilians, which constitutes three times the horror visited upon Rosenbaum's Jewish relatives. Rosenbaum is, like other minority groups, making claim that his ancestors were the champion victims. Perhaps in terms of percentages, but percentages aren't realistic metrics, only total numbers are, which makes the Russians and Germans tops in this competition. I wonder if Rosenbaum ever even considered who was actually massacred by the war, other than his targetted Jews?
Great Information, Egghead Writing.......2006-06-17
The information in this book is excellent. That being said, the prose is at times absolutely outlandish. The introduction gives you a cue of what's to come as the author gives you a "Dennis Milleresque" outline of the facts. After he used the term "Heathcliffian" I knew I may be in over my head. I ended up keeping my Franklin electronic dictionary next to the book to define the plethora of odd synonyms used.
It's worth the dollars. Just prepare to feel uneducated.
One of the most in-depth and thought-provoking historiographies of Hitler.......2006-04-16
Written about the history of Hitler studies, Rosenbaum gives a well-written and thoughtful insight into Hitler historians (be they primarily focused on Hitler or some other aspect of the Third Reich/Holocaust - the figure of Hitler always seems to rear his head). Direct interviews with historians gives Rosenbaum insight into who these historians are, and attempts to explain not only what we believe about Hitler but WHY we believe it. Very interesting, and the bible of Hitler historiographies.
Book Description
In Rabbi David G. Dalin's controversial new book, he explodes the newly resurrected, widely accepted, yet utterly bankrupt smearing of Pope Pius XII, whom Jewish survivors of the Holocaust considered a righteous gentile.
Customer Reviews:
OUTSTANDING WORK!.......2007-09-09
Thank you Rabbi Dalin for telling the true story of Pope Pius XII. I give this book 5 bright stars and would give it more if possible. Pope Pius XII had many Jewish friends, and did much to help save the lives of many Jews before and during the Holocaust. The fact that many have chosen to slander this saintly man's name is a sign of the devil's work.
The cause for beatification of Pope Pius XII took an important step forward on May 8, 2007 when the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted to approve a decree that the life of the late Pontiff showed "heroic virtue." Although I am sure he is a saint in heaven, hopefully it won't be long before he is declared a saint by the Church.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the true story of Pius XII. It is a true historical account of the evil of Hitler and the Nazis. Also, chapter 6 includes a great deal of very interesting information about Muslims and their anti-Semitic beliefs and teachings.
How to review this?.......2007-07-30
Call me obtuse if you want. I just can't think of any way of reviewing this without sounding preachy, or as some loving people say: as a bloody Catholic fundamentalist.
My review is simply this: you hate this Pope in particular or Catholicism in general? Then by all means, go buy and read the Harry Potter series. After having read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I can safely say that Harry Potter is a veritable classic of universal literature. Yes, I used the word 'classic', as in worthy of studying in class - as in school, universities, etc. And and I used 'universal' as in that EVERYONE should read those books.
To those people I prefer to recommend Harry Potter because this book is basically a well-documented book defending the REAL PRO-semitic actions of this late Pope, as well as the historical significance and repercussions, including of course, all the false accusations laid on against him and the reasons behind those. And to top it all off, is written by a jewish Rabbi. So you either take this as it is, or you simply will risk high-pressure problems.
Harry Potter on the other hand is safe, superbly written adventure, and with a real profound study of human nature.
So, off you go then!
Important and useful that a rabbi would write this book.......2007-05-26
We are getting to the place where anti-Catholic bigotry is one of the few forms of group hatred that is still OK. In a society where any other form of bigotry, or even a suspcious of the same, is viewed with implacable oppositon, it is still pretty much OK to spread the grossest lies and distortions of the Church and its long, complex historical record. In the same way that the only fact most recently educated students know about World War II was that the evil Americans interned innocent Japanese civilians, the only fact which most people know about the Church is a grossly exagerrated and distorted view of the Spanish Inquisition.
In this context, it is possible for most absurd lies to get a great deal of traction. Many people, particularly Jews, believe that the Pope during World War II, Pius XII, actively supported Hitler. They think he was a buddy of Hitler's and helped to round up Jews for the gas chambers. Most Americans find nothing implausible in this story, so, since a few lunatic writers have put it out there, they believe it.
This story is, and always has been, an absurd, malicious lie with absolutely nothing behind it but hatred of the Church. Pius XII was always a determined opponent of Hitler. The Church, as an organization -- and the Pope heads the Church -- saved more Jews from the Holaucaust than any other single institution. At a time when every one was sitting on their hands, or looking the other way, the Church acted. Jews at the time, and in the State of Israel, understood that the Church was one of their only friends in ths time of great horror. To turn this record around, and to argue that the Pope was a friend of Hitler's, has as much validity and legitimacy as those who deny that the Holaucaust (but hope that it will happen again), argue that Bush and Mossad were behind 9/11 and who otherwise wear tinfoil on their head while reading the National Inquirer.
That said, it was very helpful that David Dalin wrote this book, because he is a Jewish Rabbi. By its nature, this kind of defense is best done when it is not a Catholic doing it, but a Jew. It is very hard to accuse a rabbi of being biased in favor of the Church or indifferent to the fate of the Jews. It is very good to see people like Rabbi Dalin reach across religious lines, purely and simply to uphold the truth. It makes me think that, maybe despite everything, there is some chance that people of good will really can unite against those who want to use lies to tear down everything that is good and decent in the world.
Unbalanced defense .......2007-05-11
We should be careful that analyses of Pius do not become attacks on the Church. In the last 50 years, the Church has done many wonderful things to help the poor and serve the world; many parishes have kitchens to serve the homeless. That said, this does not excuse Pius or provide a defense. There are a few common arguments.
1. Nothing more could be done.
This is absurd. Obviously if more people protested, the scope and depth of killing would have been reduced. The Nazi killing machine was efficient simply because it enjoyed the support of virtually all of the German Christian population. Protests could have lessened what occurred.
2. But what would happen to us
Some suggest Catholics could have been attacked. Perhaps. But ultimately moral acts do not include torturing and killing others to save your own skin.
3. Some Jews liked him
Most holocaust analysts do not defend Pius- See Abandonement of the Jews. Gilbert, The Holocaust
To simply cobble together a few statements of Jewish statesmen eager for Vatican recognition of Israel shows little.
4. He helped save Italian Jews. Pius did help Italian Jews and should be commended. However, German Catholics tortured, starved, and killed, Jewish men, women, and children. For every Italian Jew saved, there were 10 killed with the aid of German Catholics and other Christians.
5. They wouldn't have listened This is the most specious arguments- suggesting Catholics, who listened to the Pope on matters of all types, raising children, marriage- would have ignored their Pope had he spoken out against murder.
6. He did say some things.
Unfortunately, when the Pope did speak, he made sure to speak in such vague and obligue terms that it accomplished nothing. Stop murdering Jewish women and children would have accomplished something but was never said.
It's a shame it had to be written!.......2007-01-10
The book is a well written and well documented exposition of the truth about Pope Pius XII's official and personal behavior toward the Nazis and those they persecuted. Rabii Dalin has earned the thanks and respect of every Catholic who seeks truth in a world too full of hate and prejudice.
Average customer rating:
- One man's opinion
- Silly drunken licentious farting about in basic training
- Funny, and yet so sad
- Excellent war memoirs
- A British friend gave me the paperback.
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Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall
Spike Milligan
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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ASIN: 0140035206 |
Customer Reviews:
One man's opinion.......2005-09-06
I first read this book shortly after I had left the military, having served some seven years, two overseas. The book has "the ring of truth" to it, particularly the "barrack room humour." Several sections of the book literally had me in tears. (of laughter.. ) Look for the piece on "the five mile hike." As a soldier, hikes are a fact of life, but the author's description of an early morning "rise and shine" is, as they say, RIGHT ON!!"
Silly drunken licentious farting about in basic training.......2004-10-06
This is the first of Milligan's WW2 autobiographies, from his call up in June of 1940 to him disembarking for action in Algiers in January 1943. A far cry from Remarque's bleak and horrifying All Quiet on the Western Front, Spike recalls with great fondness the early part of the war - think far more something like a football team or band on tour. This is just training, and whole bunch of young men without much to do given a second chance to muck up at school. Getting drunk, laid, and just farting about - at times literally: get a group of blokes together and, really, is there anything more funny?
I didn't laugh as much at it this second time around, but I remember being constantly in hysterics when I first read the series in a few nights back in '85. But Spike can still be trusted for at least a few laugh out loud moments - more if you're in the right mood.
Funny, and yet so sad.......2003-02-10
I'm usually not one to read autobios, but since it is Spike Milligan I made the exception. It was funny, just as I expected it to be, but there were parts that were very moving and sad; as should be expected I suppose for a WWII novel. His accounts of the absurd are always dead on hilarious, and I found myself reading a passage over and over and just cracking up.
I knew that Spike suffered from depression, and I think in parts it was very apparent. The places that are especially poignant are when he relates a humorous tale, and then explain how he visited the place years later, and how the memories are too much for him to bear. In one particular paragraph he laments: "Oh, Yesterday, how you plague me!"
I love Spike Milligan and his comedy, and have read several run-of-the-mill internet bios on him but his own biography really brings him to life. A great read!
Excellent war memoirs.......2003-01-03
I've now read all of Spike Milligan's war memoirs and think they're excellent (I'm also not a big fan of the Goons). While generally very funny you can really sense his depressive moods even at times when he's not explicit about them.
A British friend gave me the paperback........2001-05-08
And I haven't stopped laughing. I had never heard of Spike Milligan before, but I found his book funny in a way that only the Brits can be, and touching with many moving parts about the war from a crazy man's perspective. I have since read five other Spike Milligan books, and none of them were a disappointment. Seeing WWII from Spike's point of view is realistic, funny, and very thought provoking. My British friend told me he (Spike) was crazy. At first I thought that was just a saying, but it's true. Spike is mentally defunct, in a very happy and bubbly kind of way. You will enjoy this book.
Customer Reviews:
Great story of God's faithfulness, mercy, and kindness - not w/o some wrinkles.......2007-08-06
I just read this whole book today. The book is fairly well-written and reads easily. The main theme I took away from the book is just how awesome God is in how He sovereignly arranges the affairs of our lives and leads us through very difficult times. It's apparent in this story how God, in His mercy and love, arranged the events of the lives this story recounts.
It was particularly refreshing to read a story about those suffering persecution for their faith in Nazi Germany who were not Jews, but Christians families struggling with the persistent peer-pressure of their friends and neighbors. Further, it was nice to see an honest account of American behavior towards the Germans that included the not so nice stuff that was done under the banner of he American flag. It's very easy to believe that Americans served only in a redemptive capacity during WWII and miss the fact that many atrocities were committed at the hands of American GIs too.
The story is about a seventh day adventist (SDA) family. It could just be me, but I detected a tone in the story, or an implied hint that God was faithful to the characters because of their dutiful keeping of the Sabbath rather than due to His loving nature and rich mercy. Now, before you flame me for my comments, let me just say that I do see in scripture how obedience to God in the face of difficulty pleases God (ie. Daniel,Joseph, etc.), however, this book seems relate the the law-keeping of the family involved to the miraculous way God intervened and less on God's compassion afforded to them due to being in Christ. Every miracle seemed to be credited to that right way of living. This seems to be in contrast to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 4:4-5. There are a few instances where it seems that the writer indicates that the sabbath keepers were spared where everyone else was not as if God only spared the faithful. This is not unexpected given the traditional SDA view that only those whom follow SDA teaching are the "true church" and right with God. Again, I know many SDAs do not hold this view, however I do believe that Ellen White did hold this view and many today still do. Please don't read my comments to be anti-SDA. I believe that God loves them as much as anyone else! There's only one body of Christ and it has no denominational label or associated pet doctines. The basis of our salvation however is the sufficiency of Christ's death on our behalf, not our faithfulness to honor the 7th day sabbath.
That said, I would still buy the book again and still found it to be an encouraging, thrilling testimony to God's mighty hand! I wish there were more stories from this time in history of how God preserved other Christians.
Historical Accuracy?.......2006-04-13
At the beginning, the author states that she is taking some liberties with characters, etc., the usual things authors do in order to better tell the story. No issue there.
It can't be later than 1941 in the book when Moroccan forces invade and devastate a Black Forest village that the family has left just the day before. Now there were in fact Moroccan and Algerian forces attached to the French forces, but the invasion of Germany proper began end of 1944/beginning of 1945. It would have been that much later that Moroccans attacked anything in Germany. In WWII, the entire war changed in the meantime.
That does not take away anything from God's work and protection and the family's faith which is inspirational (albeit, sometimes more focused on the being an Adventist than a follower of Jesus Christ). However, taking liberties to the point that the personal story disconnects from history in general does more damage to the story than simplify anything.
I have not finished the book yet, and while the story itself has me curious about the rest, I wonder whether I would find more inaccuracies. I understand that such a story is hard to tell in all details, but when there are obvious things that are wrong, you are left wondering a bit.
A fine, though overly sentimental, story........2006-02-09
"A Thousand Shall Fall" is indeed an inspirational story of a WWII German soldier, Franz Hasel, and his family who maintain their faith and morality as best they can in the most difficult of times. I found the tale, written by Hasel's youngest daughter who was born during the war, to be thoroughly enjoyable, uplifting, heartbreaking and an extremely easy read. The obstacles that Franz had to deal with while serving in Russia and that his wife, Helene, and their children regularly confronted in Germany are dramatic and suspenseful, and their commitment to their beliefs through it all is a powerful testimony to what is good and admirable in humanity.
Their story is written in a direct and even simple manner, but also from a rather sentimental and I'd say romanticized point of view. The instances of the family's certain failings (they are human, after all) and stumbles with their faith, and their reactions to the events surrounding them are very rare and relatively trivial in degree. The book seems to combine the basic truth of their journey with a bit of myth and perhaps even fantasy. For example (and hopefully without giving too much away), while I have no doubt that there were instances where American soldiers committed unsavory acts during the war, I found the chapter where US soldiers place the village women and children in peril of their lives to be improbable at best, and the soldiers' reaction to the resolution of the situation to be too sentimental to be accurate.
As to the Hasel family's faith and their view of their relationship with God, I found them to be very human in their "willingness" to box God into the kind of God that was most relevant to their circumstances and their own views. Their zealous adherence to Sabbath keeping and the avoidance of pork is both admirable and yet questionably dogmatic (as it relates to scripture and the teaching of Christ). It is also revealing of the egocentric point of view we all struggle with that when Helene and the children are on the only train car that is saved from destruction (from Allied bombers) while traveling out of the city she praises God for protecting her and her children. Surely their were people in the other train cars who were also praying for God's protection and yet died in the attack, as well as non-believers and even "bad" people who were saved in the train car along with the Hasel family. This is not to say that the Hasel's were foolhardy or wrong in their beliefs, only that their view of God seemed somewhat limited in scope at times, which is of course a very normal limitation we all share.
This book might make for a fine small group study and topic of discussion.
A good read..........2005-11-13
This book was filled with intrique and suspense. Reading was a joy. However, I must say that this family seemed to be a bit more captivated by their Adventist teaching than the simple testimony of the grace of God's protection in Jesus Christ. The challenge of maintaining a Christian testimony seemed to get lost in their preoccupation with worshiping on Saturday and staying away from pork. If you can look past the sectarianism you'll enjoy this.
Wow! What a Faith Builder!.......2005-09-12
I read this fast moving book in 3 days and can't say enough good things about it.
The story is about the adventures of a Christian man drafted into the German army in WW2, as well as the struggles of his wife and children to survive back home.
Page after page, they are confronted with obsticals and assaults upon their Seventh Day Adventist beliefs, where they must either stand up for their faith and trust God, or roll over and deny all or part of it. Each act of faith is, in turn, followed by a confirming act of God's provision and protection.
This would be a good book for teens, whether Christian, non-christian, Jewish - any teen, because it shows people standing up for what they believe is right, against what's popular and accepted by the masses, even though they must endure hardship and ridicule.
Average customer rating:
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Hitler and His God
Georges Van Vrekhem
Manufacturer: Rupa & Co
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 8129109530 |
Amazon.com
James Pool's Hitler and His Secret Partners exposes Nazi financial machinations dating from Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 to the end of his dictatorship in 1945. In this sequel to his acclaimed Who Financed Hitler, Pool contends that "looting and plundering were the primary motives" of the Nazi elite, arguing that these men waged war and effected genocide in order to line their pockets.
While there have been dozens of explanations of the motives behind the murderous actions of the Third Reich, Hitler and His Secret Partners stands out for its focus on the sheer greediness of the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Pool thoroughly explores how German industrialists reaped immense profits from slave labor and conquest, arguing that Hitler's status among these powerful men was transformed from pampered front man to ruthless master. The most interesting contribution of this book is the story of how Hitler's financial partners spared German industry from the Führer's desperate plans for destruction and sealed his fate in the last days of the war.
Pool has furthered the argument of his previous book that lust for money must be counted among anti-Semitism and totalitarianism as the primary elements within Nazi ideology. Although readers will find a more comprehensive treatment of Nazi beliefs and Hitler's place within the Third Reich in Ian Kershaw's Hitler 1889-1933: Hubris, Hitler and His Secret Partners nevertheless demonstrates the importance of economic considerations within the Nazi state. --James Highfill
Book Description
James Pool's powerful expose, Who Financed Hitler: The Secret Funding of Hitler's Rise to Power, 1919-1933, was praised by The New Yorker as "one of the most useful and illuminating studies of Nazism" ever published. Now, James Pool discloses the shocking and often bizarre financial strategies and relationships that enabled Hitler to consolidate his power and perpetuate his reign of terror. Hitler and His Secret Partners at last tells the full, fascinating story of an amassed legacy that continues to make headlines with the recent emergence of Nazi accounts in Swiss banks. Included are these startling revelations: Top German industrialists and financiers funded Hitler's regime -- and were rewarded with multibillion-dollar returns on their investments. Hitler's foreign supporters included King Edward VIII; his companion, Wallis Simpson, who may have been a Nazi collaborator; and Joseph Kennedy, who gave tacit approval to Hitler's "Jewish policy." Many of Germany's largest companies profited from the Holocaust. There is evidence that the concentration camps themselves were designed as sources of slave labor for German industry. Adolf Hitler's private life was one of extravagance -- in which no expense was spared in the indulgence of his every whim, from the architectural to the sexual. A thoroughly documented account of a controversial subject, Hitler and His Secret Partners is the definitive study of the calculation, exploitation and greed at the heart of the Third Reich.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-02
I have no doubt that most Americans will not believe much of what Mr. Pool outlines with regards to the allied support of Adolf Hitler. I have been doing considerable research on this subject and the more I dig, the worse it gets. And the damnable information comes from numerous varied and different sources. Most Americans have no idea. I am finding out that this book and Mr. Pool's first book on this subject contain more fact than fiction. Which is very, very sad and unfortunate for those of us who harbor any reasonable amount of patriotic fervor. All veterans of any war should read these two accounts by Mr. Pool.
Denial Ain't a River in Egypt.......2005-02-28
It seems that many Americans don't want to hear the facts about where and who kept Hitler's war machine greased. It's about time Aemricans began to see just how the fear of communism by the wealthy led to a war that ulitimately ended with the world's first detonation of a nuclear device and has kept the defense industries palms well greased ever since. Apparently people prefer fear to truth in America and always have. They certainly never heeded the words of Eisenhower in his farewell speech as he left office warning the people of the dangers inherent in giving in a creating a military-industrial complex which is the very thing that led Hitler to WWII and the rest of the world to misery. Wake up America is what this book is about. Communism is not the only path to totalitarianism.
Interesting Insight.......2003-11-30
This book has a different perspective and for that it is interesting. I cannot believe it was written by an academic however; the spelling mistakes "halfs", "Entant", etc. do not suggest someone educated as being responsible.
It does digress from the key issue to a potted, and in some aspects contentious view of the progress of the War without any real basis, as if certain pet themes had to be smuggled into the text because the author was burning to make some political point.....such as suggesting paratroopers attacking Auschwitz.....without explaining why this suicide mission should succeed when even the advancing Red Army was having difficulty killing enough Wehrmacht soldiers to advance.
It is a book artificially bulked-out with unfounded speculation, and diminished by exceedingly poor editing or maybe just illiteracy on the part of the author which suggests a slapdash approach. When I pay money for a book, I do not expect to have to proof-read the manuscript and pencil in spelling corrections.
Overall, worth reading once but check the facts before quoting them too widely, and keep a dictionary handy.
Money interest and the Bottom Line!.......2000-11-21
I've read both of Pool books, and I've found them both very insightful on the American, England and German "money" interest in the Nazi's rise to power. Without their backing, Germany would have fallen into a communist state in the early 1930s. Certainly, the high-powered money interest of Europe preferred the Nazi Party to the communist. This is why the "money" interest supported the Nazi party. Understanding this truth is key to understanding the Nazis rise to power.
We all know what Hitler's views were, but we haven't until Pool research, addressed what powerful forces were instrumental in his rise to power. As a history major, Pool represents what the craft of history is all about. A high recommended reading for anyone.
The Bottom Line!.......2000-11-21
I've read both of Pool books, and I've found them both very insightful on the American, England and German "money" interest in the Nazi's rise to power. Without their backing, Germany would have fallen into a communist state in the early 1930s. Certainly, the high-powered money interest of Europe preferred the Nazi Party to the communist. This is why the "money" interest supported the Nazi party. Understanding this truth is key to understanding the Nazis rise to power.
We all know what Hitler's views were, but we haven't until Pool research, addressed what powerful forces were instrumental in his rise to power. As a history major, Pool represents what the craft of history is all about. A high recommended reading for anyone.
Book Description
This book contains newly discovered documents never published before, either in their entirety or in English. An amazing and irreplacable historical document that is required reading for any scholar or student of the Second World War.
Customer Reviews:
Good Substance, Deserves Better Presentation.......2006-03-24
This is a valuable primary source that has been lacking in English--previously only less complete or German-only versions were published. The editing and transcription and restoration of these transcripts was superb, better than should be expected, and the translation into English, sometimes sloppily done in other works, is just exactly perfect here. The minuses concern what comes before and what comes after. Gerhard Weinberg's sputtering, foaming at the mouth, introduction and comments throughout are execrable. David Glantz's endnotes to the transcripts mean well and could be excellent, but obviously were not at all edited. There is a wealth of information back there (Glantz is a master at this subject), but almost as much dis-information in the form of typos and similar mistakes that any decent editing would/should/will (hopefully?) catch and correct? Ditch the Weinberg rants and edit the Glantz endnotes and this gets five stars--and even so it remains an indispensable primary source for WW2 history.
Hitler in his own words.......2005-12-09
This is an absolutely indispensable book for anyone who wants to understand how military decisions were made in Nazi Germany, and what Adolf Hitler was really like as a Supreme Commander. I've been reading books about the Nazis for 25 years and this is the first one which literally puts you, the reader, at "Der Fuhrer's" elbow as he directs his war.
"Hitler & His Generals" is a collection of the surviving transcripts of Hitler's military conferences from the very end of 1942 until the last days of the war in April of 1945. It contains all the transcripts included in the 1956 book "Hitler Directs His War" and new ones subsequently discovered. It also has extremely elaborate end notes (hundreds of pages long) packed with charts, biographical info, history, the context of certain remarks, and so on. A truly massive work more than 1,000 pages in length.
Hitler had ordered the presence of sternographers at his situation conferences during the Stalingrad campaign, when his relationships with his generals were at an all-time low. He believed his orders were not being carried out as he directed and planned to use the transcripts to write his post-war history. 99% of them were destroyed at the end of the war, but the survivors make a fascinating picture of the dictator in action.
The Hollywood version of Hitler is of the carpet-chewing maniac hurling abuse and nonsensical orders at quailing generals. General Guderian in particular described Hitler's tantrums in his own memiors, and unprovoked outbursts of rage were also frequently alluded to by Field Marshal Keitel and others. The transcripts show a different picture of Hitler, the one painted by Speer, who described a leader who radiated calm during the deepest crisis and used sarcasm rather than screaming to express his displeasure. They tend to support Field Marshal Manstein's theory that Hitler's tantrums were much less frequent than is believed and probably simulated (a classic case of the bully who knows who to pick on and who to leave alone).
The transcripts show a lot about Hitler's leadership style and personality. He seemed to have no "long view" and immersed himself soley in tactical details. He possessed tremendous technical knowledge and liked to expound about weaponry, ballistics, construction, and other subjects of a similar nature. His insistence on holding every inch of ground was clearly predicated on a desire to keep the war "on the periphery of the Reich" and he was often worn down and disgusted by demands for "flexible defense" which he equated with retreat.
Hitler frequently digressed into political, ideological and historical discussions which are of great interest to the reader (though they probably bored the hell out of his listeners). Expressions which show his philosophy of life abound -- terror can only be broken by terror, intellect is less important than will-power and strength of character, perserverance and toughness win wars, and so on. Most interestingly, he often spoke about the personalities of various generals and Party leaders, often in sarcastic or disparaging terms, but occasionally with great praise. He regarded Rommel as a great leader in attack, but lacking in tenacity. Manstein he described as a brilliant general but one who could only operate if his divisions were in perfect order. Rosenberg he believed a genius -- "one of the sharpest thinkers on world outlook" -- but like most geniuses, suited better to the classroom than the real world. Halder and Beck are blasted as ivory tower eggheads and defeatists. Hitler's sense of humor is often displayed in such moments. Not surprisingly, it shows a sharply sarcastic streak. At one point, Hitler is told by Sonnleithner: "Concerning Kasche, my Fuhrer, the Foreign Minister has always suggested you replace him, since the Foreign Minister thinks that Kasche is quite a respectible man but in a certain respect obsessed."
Hitler replies: "He is a respectable man. It's just that respectable men go to the dogs as soon as they get into the Foreign Office."
I consider this compilation a "must-have" for anyone who wants to understand how the Nazi war machine was directed, what Hitler really sounded like in unstructured conversation, or how the top Nazis (besides Hitler we hear from Goering, Goebbels, Bormann and numerous ranking generals) interacted with each other as the war turned against them. It radically changed my view of Hitler as a military leader, and I strongly recommend it even if only to see if you have the same reaction.
IMPORTANT PIECE OF WORK.......2005-07-26
As with other reviewers I found this book to be largely bland and boring. I am sure similar transcripts of American, British, and Soviet conferences (I would love to see some of the Soviet transcripts with Stalin if any exists) would also be pretty bland.
The vast majority of the transcripts were destroyed at the end of the war and these 700+ pages represents only a small minority of the conferences. There are few highlights. The first conference in the book is about the time a crisis was developing in Stalingrad. Shortly thereafter it jumps to a conference where word has just come in stating Field Marshal Paulus had surrendered and the participants were speculating over whether that was true and the Fuhrer declaring he would never appoint another field marshal. (He did appoint others however after that declaration). The transcripts included some planning sessions for what became the Battle of Kursk -- the largest tank battle in history -- and the Germans trying to respond to the overthrow of Mussolini in Italy. There were some planning sessions before and during the Battle of the Bulge. Probably the most interesting remnants, though, were the last conferences in the Berlin Bunker in late Apr 1945. But other key transcripts were missing and are probably gone forever. These include the D-Day invasion, the attempted assassination on 20 Jul 1944, and his last conference before taking his life. But for the most part I would guesstimate that about 90 percent of the book was about troop movements, weapons, and other mundane issues that are discussed at military conferences and briefings -- and not just German conferences in WW II.
These transcripts do not record the actions or atmosphere these conferences transpired in. There are no references to the Fuhrer jumping on a table and screeching obscenities and threats at his staff with veins popping out of his neck. These are just the spoken words of the Fuhrer and his staff in black and white. Most of what his generals and other senior military staff wrote after the war blamed him for what happened to Germany but these transcripts show that he was not quite the lunatic they made him out to be.
In some respects these transcripts offer some vindication for Hitler. Historically he comes off as some kind of lunatic who destroyed his country by refusing to work with his generals. Although he did destroy his country -- and millions of other Europeans along with it -- he comes off as mostly a fairly knowledgeable person. For example the historical image of the man is somebody who in the face of impossible odds refused to order troops to withdraw to better positions. Yet throughout this book Hitler is aware of the situation at the front and often concurs with withdrawals and retreats -- something the Germans did a lot of after 1942.
There were 2029 footnotes that were distracting but mostly important for the reader. There are references to personalities and events that would mean nothing to the reader but meant something to the participants at the time. However it was annoying having to flip between the text and the footnotes at the end of the book. However I cannot think of any better way for the editors to present these notes. I probably read about 10 percent of the footnotes.
Overall this is a good book for history buffs like myself. It was mostly boring but it is good not for its content but for its overall significance in giving a peek into what was going on in the military planning sessions of the Third Reich as it was in full retreat to its ultimate demise.
Reads more like a Quartermaster's diary!.......2005-07-21
There's hardly any discussion or debates on strategy or operations in this book, every page is filled with details on the movements of troops, planes and panzers, down to the company level.
If you are into that minuate, then it's a book for you. The book also highlights the singular lack of strategic competence or operative insights in the OKH, a sad reflection on Hitler's propensity to appoint unqualified, armchair fellow South Germans to the post of Chef of the OKH.
Buy this only at the bargain bin.......2004-04-15
This manuscript is not worth the money, at least at full price. The advertisement touts this as a record of Hitler's war briefings. But as the other reviewers point out most of the briefings were lost or destroyed during the war. In general, most of the day-to-day briefings are pretty mundane and not overly interesting. About the only good thing to say about the manuscript is that it confirms why the Germans lost the war. I would agree with the other reviewers; there was little grand strategy emanating from Hitler's headquarters. Hitler and his generals to often micro-managed and focused on details that were largely superfluous to the war situation. If you read alot of WWII history you are likely to have arrived at these conclusions already. Thus, I don't believe you'll add much to your knowledge base. If you absolutely have to have it, buy the book at the bargain bin like I did, $1.99-$3 tops (mine's back there now!). If you're a casual reader and want to read about Nazi Germany do not purchase this book! Instead. Read Schirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Book Description
From 1939 through 1944, the Axis military machine conquered all or part of 16 European nations. In each of these countries, resistance movements fought to shake loose the yoke of Nazi tyranny. Participants recall how and where each of these groups formed, the key figures in their development, the tactics they used to confront fascist military mightand much more.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Good, Concise History of a Broad Subject.......2002-05-16
This book provides a really good overview of the resistance efforts opposing the Nazis in Europe, with one large omission -- the Soviet partisans are largely ignored. I would imagine this is because their actions would completely fill the book. Several well known actions are highlighted and obscure efforts are also explained and put into perspective. The sections on France and Norway are particularly strong. Overall this book is a good introduction and basic history of the WW2 resistance movements. I enjoyed it.
Average customer rating:
- WAGNER PREDICTED THE NAZI DEFEAT
- Lack of information
- The marching music...
- There are flaws, but the overall thesis is solid.
- The absense of evidence proves the depths of the conspiracy
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Wagner's Hitler: The Prophet and His Disciple
Joachim Kohler
Manufacturer: Polity Press
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ASIN: 0745627102 |
Book Description
Wagner's Hitler is an important and controversial contribution to the literature on Hitler's Germany. Köhler powerfully argues that Wagner's influence played a vital role in shaping the cultural context in which Nazism developed.Köhler traces the legacy of the German romantic tradition and the irrational, egocentric, nationalistic and intolerantly utopian features which were shared by Wagner and Hitler. He explores how Hitler discovered characters he could identify with in Wagner's work, as well as concepts he could apply to his political career, up to the point when Wagner's anti-Semitic tracts were turned into violent reality by the politician he had inspired. In a compelling study, Köhler traces Wagner's influence on Hitler from the young Austrian scraping together the price of an opera ticket, to the dictator enacting his megalomaniac Wagnerian visions of a Germany that would rule the world. He also shows how Wagner's family in Bayreuth supported Hitler from the beginning of his political career, and aided his introduction into highly influential circles.Considerable controversy surrounded this book upon publication in Germany and the English-language edition of Wagner's Hitler is bound to provoke similar heated discussion among all who are interested in the debates about Hitler and his context, Wagner's political influence, and the social and cultural factors which shaped the rise of Nazism in Germany.
Customer Reviews:
WAGNER PREDICTED THE NAZI DEFEAT .......2007-07-16
The Wagner/Nazi connection has been around for a long time now. and I just don't think there is much direct linkage there. Wagner himself was long dead before Hitler even showed up and cannot be judged by the acts of his family and followers. The most prominent later Wagner family member who was definitely a Nazi sympathizer was Winifred Wagner, and she was British.
Certainly Wagner and the Germans of Wagner's day were seriously antisemitic, but then so were British, Americans, Poles, Russians etc. While he objected to Jewishness in theory, Wagner worked with Jews throughout his life and in many other respects had advanced liberal views. He was a great German composer obviously loved by Germans, not to mention many other nationalities, including that bastion of liberal progressivism George Bernard Shaw.
I struck by the failure of many to realize that far from glorifying war and conquest, Wagner was quite the other way. His major work, the Ring of the Nibelung is a story of the downfall of the gods who seek to consolidate power in their Valhalla fortress. It and they are destroyed at the end of the Ring. So if the Nazis had realy been paying attention they should have been very nervous about what Wagner was saying.
The Nazi's even named their major defence line, the Siegfried line, however, Siegfried is destroyed in the last opera after being misled into betraying his "wife" Brunhilde, so why did the Nazis want to make him a talisman of security?
I think they were blinded by the stirring militaristic music which appears in sections of the opera, and ignored the overall stories.
There is a book crying out to be written about how the Nazi's blinded themselves to the obvious messages in Wagner's work esepcially about the arrogance of power. These were not just incidental matters in his work, but his main story themes and should have acted as a warning and given them pause.
Lack of information.......2007-06-07
This book is excellent. It lacks the information that Richard Wagner was a SS member and a fanatic nazy party member. After the war he escaped from Nuremberg trials to Paraguay, where he composed his last opera "Parifal". All the other information in this book is absolutely correct and real.
The marching music..........2003-11-27
I read this together with Magee's recent The Tristan Chord and the two together create a funny dissonance, if not a blown gasket, but the twice over left a few question marks next to Kohler's book. This does not subtract from the book's remarkable interest and I would recommend Wagner defenders 'face the music' here to the extent of at least not ignoring it. Wagner wasn't your garden variety shmuck.
However, I felt as if I were left hanging by a text that was poorly documented, and found myself suddenly distanced from the text with some of the speculative takes cut into the footage. No footnotes, no deal, and the question is on hold since tracking down this data is not an afternoon's work. That's a pity since I doubt if this objection will deflect the author's basic point. The interleaving of Hitler bits with Wagner bits was confusing also, better to have simply laid out the sequence. Then it might be clearer that, while Wagner probably cannot be easily absolved here, it is also doubtful if we can establish a full or correct chain of consequence. Finally, blaming all this on the Romantic movement doesn't quite wash, and the fact is, as the Magee book shows, that we are dealing with a very complex figure in Wagner (as Nietzsche well knew)and a very tangled social question involving the sources of fascism in the rightist reaction of the nineteenth century. Indeed, it is sad to see the hothead of 1848 turning into the cultural derelict pursuing the 'aesthetic state', with such a bone crushing opposite result. Important, but sad book. Needs further commentary, however, with some historical backup.
There are flaws, but the overall thesis is solid........2003-09-03
The controversy still rages over the relationship of Wagner's music and writings to Hitler's conception of the Third Reich. It usually comes down to two camps: a. Those who cannot listen to Wagner if he was an inspiration to Hitler, an anti-semitic or both. So, they spend their time ignoring or downplaying any evidence of these "facts." b. Others do not see an problem if the music influenced Hitler philosophy or if Wagner was an anti-semitic in relation to enjoying the music. They can interphet the mythology to exclude anti-semitic interphetation.
And there are anti-semitics and Nazi in the world today.
This book is over 300 pages without footnotes. His arguement is proven in various degrees by a number of sources. But, overall the theory is solid. I can't see how others would think this is not so since the writings of Hitler, Chamberlain, Wagner and others clearly show the relatioship between these three men and others. A relationship based on an anti-semitic mythology.
Read all these reviews, but still read the work on your own.
Then do a web search for additional information.
The absense of evidence proves the depths of the conspiracy.......2002-02-06
Joachim Köhler argues that Adolf Hitler was merely a puppet of dead composer Richard Wagner. The destruction of democracy, the German conquest of most of Europe in pursuit of a dream of world domination, the mass murders of European Jews, the whole Third Reich: all Wagner's idea.
Really? Let's see. Overthrow of democracy? Wagner supported constitutional monarchy, with political parties of "men with equal rights"; the monarch to stay above politics and ensure stability. His essay _State and religion_ is clear enough.
German conquest of Europe, and world domination? Wagner's _What is German?_ specifically condemns German attempts at military conquest, saying that German culture and polity never prospers when Germans rule other peoples.
The Holocaust? Wagner's most antisemitic essay, _Jewishness in Music_, calls on German Jews to abandon their separate culture and assimilate into German culture. That's racist, but did it influence Hitler? Since Hitler preferred racial segregation followed by extermination, it would seem not. Nor could Hitler have been comfortable with Wagner's opposition to the rule of one "race" by another, nor his suggestion that Europeans get used to racial intermingling (_Heroism and Christianity_). Meantime Köhler ignores the mainstream antisemites of Wagner's day, who really did influence Nazi racial policies.
(Wagner privately made some loathsome antisemitic remarks to Cosima Wagner, who duly recorded them in her diaries for Köhler to make the most of. But they weren't published till after Hitler's death, and for other reasons can't have been an influence.)
Look up "Wagner" in the indexes of Hitler's books and speeches, and accounts of his conversation by Speer and other eyewitnesses, and you find, despite Köhler's picture of an "obsessed" Hitler, that Hitler hardly ever mentioned Wagner. Köhler even admits this, but claims - seriously - that it's part of a conspiracy to hide Wagner's posthumous puppet-mastery. But Hitler never once referred to Wagner's ideas or essays, only to music. Hitler didn't even find Wagner's antisemitism interesting or important enough to mention.
It's clear that Wagner's influence on Hitler is essentially the same, that is, emotionally intense with without intellectual content, as his influence on Theodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism. Both men were passionate Wagnerians. Herzl loved Wagner's music, regularly attending Wagner operas and concerts for inspiration and renewal while he wrote Zionism's founding texts. But that doesn't make Wagner the founder of Israel. Hitler likewise loved the music but showed little interest in Wagner's ideas.
Köhler deals with these intractable realities in five ways:
1 Make stuff up
Here's Köhler describing Hitler in the bunker, 1945: "As the outside world disintegrated, it was to his inner world ... that Hitler turned ... Like a film projected onto the screen of his consciousness, he was suddenly gripped by a vision". Köhler then describes Hitler's "vision", which turns out to be about Wagner and to support Köhler's thesis. But no source mentions this "vision". Köhler seems to have invented it because the historical record wouldn't give him what he needed. There are many other examples.
2 Footnote fakery
Though the book is festooned with footnotes, they only add credibility if you don't look them up. For example that "vision" passage is footnoted, but follow it up and you won't find a source. Instead it says that an irrelevant phrase Köhler threw into the passage echoes words Hitler used in 1936. Soon after, Köhler describes a 1944 meeting between Hitler and Wagner's grandson Wieland, with Hitler dismissing Wieland's claim to Wagner's manuscript scores "over supper". Follow up the footnote and you find that no meeting took place. A little further Köhler alleges that Hitler's words "The people will not tolerate any act of clemency", in relation to the murders after the Reichstag fire, are "taken almost literally from _Rienzi_". The footnote directs you, rather vaguely, to Act II, which I have just checked in vain for those words or anything like them. And so on.
3 Twisting words
Köhler's quotes from Wagner tend to give only two to perhaps ten words at a time, wrenched from context and ascribed sinister meanings. Thus Köhler describes Hitler's "orgies of killings in dark, secret places ... `in the bosom of darkness and death', as Wagner once put it." But check "in the bosom of darkness and death" back to the source and you nothing whatsoever to do with "orgies of killing": Wagner meant "caves". This is no occasional slip-up; it is systematic. Almost all Köhler's Wagner quotes are twisted in this way.
4 Irrelevancy
Köhler's deceptiveness on that non-meeting between Wieland and Hitler is odd, because Wagner's grandson's access or non-access to Hitler in 1944 is irrelevant. Some of Wagner's descendants and their partners supported the Nazis, some went along, and some defied them. Köhler spends much of the book showing that some Wagner descendants were contemptible, but the Wagner Köhler wants to arraign was then long dead and gone.
5 The big lie
Sometimes Köhler just lets rip, and it's breath-taking. Try this, about the _Ring_: "The gods in Valhalla had ordained that the destruction of their `deadly enemy' must precede the age of the `master race'." That would certainly be damning, if true, but instead it's bizarre nonsense. Other claims, especially about the operas, are similarly fantastic.
There's much more, shonky chronology, dodgy sources, etc, but I'm out of space. Of course there's much to condemn about Wagner, but that's no excuse for fabrication. This is a bad book, partly for untruth concerning a flawed man, mainly for its evasion of the actual historical persons and forces that led to Nazism, the Holocaust and attendant horrors. Neither the far-right political parties, unions and associations, nor the antisemitic Christian right groups, nor the opportunistic business backers, nor the street thugs behind Nazism and neo-Nazism cared then, nor care now, a hoot about opera.
Misdirection like Köhler's not only tries to cede to Nazis a cultural treasure that they do not deserve, but by obscuring the actual historical origins of Nazism it gives comfort to those who deserve none.
Cheers!
Laon
Book Description
Nothing so much as my own descriptions from that period convinced me that Professor Heston and his wife have come to the correct conclusion.--Albert Speer
Customer Reviews:
Was Hitler a tweaker? Find out!.......2006-01-11
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. The Hestons are the absolute authorities on this subject....this book is referred to in many other texts about Hitler. He had a lot of strange medical problems and an even stranger doctor in Theo Morrell. So did he have Parkinsons? Syphilis? Was he addicted to methamphetamine? Was his freaky doctor poisoning him? Read this and see!
Unsolved Mysteries.......2005-07-10
I would recommend you this book, if you are a student of the medical science and/or if you are interested in "the unsolved mysteries" of WWII.
Anyway, you should have some basic knowledge of biochemistry and human genetics to take advantage of this book!
Always remember: the truth is somewhere out there ...
Ich empfehle dieses Buch denjenigen, die Medizin studieren und/oder ein Interesse an den ungelösten Geheimnissen des 2. Weltkrieges haben.
Um den Inhalt des Buches besser bewerten zu können, sollte man über Grundkenntnisse der Biochemie und Humangenetik verfügen!
Tja, die Wahrheit ist irgendwo da draußen ...
One of many alcohol or other drug addicted despots.......2004-12-11
Adolf Hitler was variously diagnosed as bipolar, schizophrenic and paranoid schizophrenic. He was also diagnosed as having had Parkinson's disease. Yet Hitler had none of these disorders: he was an amphetamine and barbiturate addict.
This marvelous little book, which reads like a medical mystery novel, slowly dismantles every other explanation for Hitler's increasingly reckless behavior. We can conjecture that he may have triggered barbiturate addiction long before amphetamine addiction. However, the reader is left with no doubt that injections given to him by the doctor without whom he "could not live," Dr. Morell, included large quantities of amphetamine, beginning by 1937. (Because Hitler can be seen moving his hands back and forth on his upper legs in a way consistent with amphetamine use, called "stereotypical behavior," in 1936 Olympic Games videos, use likely began a bit earlier.)
The authors offer numerous clues to addiction. When injections, widely believed to be multi-vitamins "specially compounded for the Fuhrer," ceased on occasion, Hitler experienced severe depression, a common symptom among newly abstinent amphetamine or cocaine addicts. He engaged in all-night monologues with an endless repetition of stories, along with increasingly disorganized thinking and confused syntax. As the authors point out, the latter would not be expected of someone considered to have been a supreme orator. His mood swings became more volatile, paranoia increased (a common side effect of amphetamine addiction) and, while early on he accepted blame for tactical errors, he developed a tendency to project blame onto others, a classic indication of addiction to psychotropic drugs (those capable of causing distortions of perception and memory).
Intravenous injections of the "special compound" increased from one to as many as five daily. While intravenous amphetamine use has the same effect as injecting cocaine, it is much longer lasting: the half-life of amphetamines is twelve times longer. He took barbiturates every night during WW2, no doubt needed to offset the effect of amphetamines to allow for sleep. Hitler also used narcotics from 1938 onward, in particular, Eukodal, an early version of Percodan. A potent mix of drugs such as this has adverse effects on a person's personality, thinking, perceptions and, consequently, behaviors (which I describe in my book, "Hidden Alcoholics").
Over-confidence and intoxication with his early successes, common to early-stage addiction, fuelled a propensity to risk-taking and impulsive behaviors. As his use progressed during WW2 he experienced tremors, often attributed to Parkinson's disease. However, heavy amphetamine use mimics Parkinson's, probably because the neurotransmitter dopamine is affected by both.(Interestingly, Yasir Arafat was also diagnosed by some to have this disease; if we look at Arafat's pupils, however, in almost every photograph they are big as the moon--a classic physical indication of amphetamine addiction.) A stereotypical behavior very common to amphetamine addicts, an incessant scratching (the description offered by amphetamine addicts is "bugs are crawling under their skin"), began by 1943.
The fact that no one figured this out until the first hardback printing of this book in 1979, 34 years after Hitler's death, provides some of the most damning evidence ever of how completely unaware biographers and historians are of the role of addiction in determining the course of events. They don't look for it because they don't know it's relevant. In my first book, "Drunks, Drugs & Debits," I wrote that someday historians and biographers would view their subjects in a new light when looking through the lens of alcohol or other drug addiction. Judging from the treatment of Yasir Arafat even after death, there is still a long way to go.
The only flaw in The Medical Casebook is that barbiturates are only mentioned in passing, explaining that Hitler didn't take them in large enough pharmacologic doses for addiction to have occurred. However, the mix of drugs, the fact that drugs potentiate each other in remarkably potent ways (two plus two equals ten) and continuous use strongly suggests that this addiction intertwined with amphetamine use to create the most reviled monster in history. It is an irony of history that Hitler chose never to drink because of the vile effects that alcoholism had on others, in particular his violent alcoholic step-father.
Very dry reading, but interesting nonetheless.......2004-03-01
Heston doesn't write especially well, so expect no fireworks among the pages. However, he has presented an accurate and clinical history of Hitler's health. The most interesting portions relate to Dr. Theo Morell, who became Hitler's personal physician in 1935. Morell was a hygenically-challenged mess whom all in the Hitler inner circle despised. Eva Braun said she would not allow "that pig" to get near her. Still, Morell exerted considerable influence over Hitler, who became physically dependent on the array of drugs Morell injected into him. By 1942, Hitler's physical decline was alarming, and Morell was dousing him with uppers to get up in the morning and downers to allow him sleep.
The "raving lunatic" side of Hitler, always depicted in motion pictures, is a myth. He was nothing like the movie Hitlers, as this book eloquently shows. He was, however, hopelessly addicted to amphetimines and barbituates for many years prior to his 1945 death. Though dry reading, it still will hold your interest.
Great book.........2002-06-27
Although I have little interest in or understanding of this particular subject (medicine, health & illness, etc.) it is quite interesting for me inasmuch as it pertains to the Fuehrer. I was struck by the way the authors treated "Patient Hitler", presenting the facts in a clear and unbiased way.
The book is brief and offers the reader clear-cut medical data and explanations, sans negative commentary and personal prejudices, which I found pleasantly refreshing.
It was particularly insightful reading which drugs Hitler was given and how he reacted to each one. I also found their remarks about Hitler's mental state--especially throughout the last year of his life--of great value historically.
All in all it was really a quite fascinating read.
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