five years Ago, the historian and former “time”editor Volker Ullrich published the first volume of his Hitler biography of the “year of ascension 1889 to 1939”. The author of the 1000-page work was aware that “long been a global entertainment industry, ( … ), the have taken possession of object”, and Hitler, in a kind of “Pop icon of horror” scores. In support of his monumental work, the author refers to Thomas Mann, who wrote in 1939 in his Essay “brother Hitler”: “The guy is a disaster; this is not a reason to find him as a character and fate are not interesting”; no one is relieved of “the employment, with its dull character”.
such As “mirror”founder Rudolf Augstein also Ullrich believes that the employment of the inspection could be completed membered myth of Hitler “never”, it will remain “unexplained residual”. Of the many previous attempts to approach the phenomenon of this “murky figure” biographically, he is only four for “really important, and always stimulating”. These are composed in exile in Switzerland, first-ever biography from the pen of the journalist, Konrad Heiden, Hitler neither mystifizierte into the Ridiculous, moved, then the first scientific study of British historian Alan Bullock (1952), further, the great psycho-gram of the outsider, Joachim Fest (1973) and, most recently, the largest and “standard-setting” two-volume publication by Ian Kershaw. The British historian, who was followed in the eighties with the exploration of the “myth of Hitler” a structural approach, had now written a “biography in a society of historical intent.”
For most of the reviewers of this work, a scale for the work Ullrich. They praised the extensive research of the author, and noted not only the “connection” to Kershaw, but at the same time, the successful attempt to back Hitler’s personality back in the spotlight.
situation reports of the security service
In the comments from foreign countries, including the United States, dominated the political update of the theme. The renowned professional historian Christopher Browning rated the book as “disturbing, enlightening reading rich – not only about the past, but also with the views of the present”, and the “New York Times” discovered in the Band is a “fascinating” Anti-Trump-parable. The author keeps comparing trump to Hitler “not appropriate” and sees this as a “great trivialization of Hitler”.
Now the second volume, “The years of loss” also with a monumental scope. It is only now that the comparison with the total plant Kershaws is useful. Meanwhile, other biographies are also on the market, with whom Ullrich himself had to deal. Peter long self image of the “omnipotent dictator”, who could at will exercise, he criticises that the society of the “third Reich” stay weird “underexposed”. It was the role of Hitler’s satraps, who worked with him, contrary to the word Kershaws – not.
No state has fought back ever so blindly against the inevitable defeat, as the Nazi Regime in the spring of 1945. The prisoners-of-war swarmed from their feats of Arms, while deserters as cowards were despised. Also the conspirators of the 20th century. July 1944 was “only too aware” that they had no support in the population and an assassination attempt on Hitler is hardly consent.
Always after the “leader” requires
A significant source of goods for Ullrich in this context, the 8000 pages of secret reports of the “messages from the realm” of the security service of the SS delivered by the “leader” and his paladins for the years 1938-1945 an “honest picture of the mood in the country”. The SD-domestic competent, Otto Ohlendorf was, as he explained, “to create a body that (…) should enable the government (…) in the location, the people existing or emerging views and to take account of”. To whom the reports have been forwarded to, is not known in detail. Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, or Heydrich’s Statements reveal, however, moods have a detailed knowledge of the People. In the center of the observation the description of the relationship of the Germans to Hitler. Thus, it is reported, for example, in November 1940, “that a ,weekly’ don’t be held without pictures of the leader for fully. They wanted to always see how the leaders looked, whether he was serious or laugh“. Agree with Hitler, one could think that in the criticism of the “luxury life of the plutocrats”. Particularly important appeared to the SD-rapporteurs, the opinion of the “retaliatory actions” against the “Jewish Bolshevism”. Here, too, the “newsreel” was the Central Barometer.
No “accident” or “natural event”
In addition, Ullrich second volume gathers together a broad range of voices of supporters and opponents. As a “key document not only for the biography of Hitler, but the Nazi rule at all” a rating of the author of the extensive diary of Joseph Goebbels. It illustrates in detail that the main aim of the Nazi propaganda Minister was to merge the people and the leader total. Goebbels supported the self-portrayals of Hitler up to his creepy Endritual before the image of Friedrich the Great. And even Goethe had to serve in 1943, in the anti-Semitic Propaganda for the preservation of “German traditions”.
Revealing the statements of Hitler’s opponents, and exiled authors in this context. So, Thomas Mann, founded in exile in the US self-critical, why did he consider Hitler a “real German phenomenon”.
eat after the destruction in March of 1943.Photo: Albert Renger-Patzsch/from the book: the Ruhr area, photographs, Verlag der buchhandlung Walther König 2018
Would have been the biggest break in Civilisation in the history of the war of extermination in Eastern Europe and the murder of the European Jews without Hitler? Hardly. However, without the “social pathology of the German society,” says Ullrich, who would Think of such a murderous and Actions can develop. The national socialism is neither a “regrettable accident” an unforeseeable “natural event”, as in Hitler’s “My struggle was to read”. He could had been in many ways a follow up to the, “what in the Empire was already pre-thought and practised”, and have it “pushed a radical specializing in the top”.
came To this assessment of the historian Friedrich Meinecke in his post-war reflections on “The German catastrophe”. In the upswing of the anti-Semitic movement at the end of the 19th century. Century, he already saw the “first lightning” and “quiet prelude to the later Hitler.”
An important precursor to his Hitler biography is Ullrich’s power in 1997 published book on the “nervous” German, “the rise and fall of the German Empire”. In it, he illuminated the fateful “shoulder-to-shoulder with the conservative elites of the national socialist mass movement” and the unbridled sympathy of the exiled Emperor Wilhelm II with Hitler’s war leadership, and the persecution of the Jews. What is surprising is that this year’s anniversary celebrations for the “peace” of 1918 and the November revolution of the fateful continuities, culminating in the Second world war, wanted to know nothing. The German media seems to be interest in Ullrich’s new Hitler-book.
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Ian Kershaw 70 chronicler of the darkest years
Bernhard Schulz
Volker Ullrich: Adolf Hitler. The years of destruction 1939-1945. S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt/Main, 2018. 893 p., 32 €.
