Hitler
A Biography
by Ian Kershaw · first published 2008
53% recommend47% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A detailed, well-researched biography of Hitler's rise and fall that explains how he came to power and who he was as a person. It serves as a grounded starting point for readers seeking an accurate account.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Abridgement of: - Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris - Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis
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…thing only people do not know what is in it say. Or people who want to be edgy say. And I am saying that as someone who attempted to read it, so have passing idea about content. If you want to know who Hitler was as a human, read either "Hitler, by Kershaw Ian" or "Third Reich Trilogy by Richard Evans". If you want someone to realize Hitler was not unique, make them read about other genocides, about Italy…
on “The Lindy Effect” ↗…Seven Pillars of Wisdom Durant The Story of Philosophy Cardozo The Nature of the Judicial Process Schapiro The Communist Party of the Soviet Union Popper The Logic of Scientific Discovery Kershaw Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris Blemenson (ed.) The Patton Papers (1940-1945) Hayek The Road to Serfdom von Mises Human Action Skinner Walden Two Chambers Witness Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions…
on “PG's Rarely Asked Questions” ↗…success, not that if there were guns, WW2 would have been prevented. During the Weimar era and the Nazi era, gun control laws were put into place. That is a historical fact. Also, hint: saying that Hitler was voted into power as if it were an average democratic vote deeply misunderstands the situation. I suggest reading more about the era, specifically Ian Kershaw's book.
on “Gun sales rise in past year, especially among women and African Americans” ↗…Heinemeier Hansson - Great, short read about why our corporate/entrepreneur culture is just crap. All this hustle, burnout, and destructive ideas are unnecessary and don’t really bring much improvements. Hitler - Ian Kershaw - Really great biography into the rise and fall of Hitler and the third Reich. It’s horrifying for all the reasons you know, but also with how much is rhyming with the world right now. Team…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…of Wall Street" (Jay Gould + most of the robber barons) "Titan: The life of John D. Rockefeller" (Rockefeller) "The House of Morgan" (JP Morgan, etc.) "Disraeli: A Brief Life" (Benjamin Disraeli) "Hitler: Hubris", "Hitler: Nemesis", "The Hitler Myth" (all by Ian Kershaw, all really good, covers a lot of territory) "Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945" (not biography but REALLY good) ------------Cool…
on “Entrepreneurial Habits” ↗Recommended: Ian Kershaw's books on Hitler. https://www.amazon.com/Hitler-Ian-Kershaw-ebook/dp/B00BJIMCA...
on “How did the Nazis gain power in Germany?” ↗…stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable. Lou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965. Hitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable. Escape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, "The gripping story of how the end of the…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗With respect to this particular topic, one may consider The Hitler Myth: Image and Reality in the Third Reich by Ian Kershaw to be a worthwhile read.
on “Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon” ↗That's pretty common in dictatorships, if you read Alex Kershaw's two volume Bio of Hitler he gives some examples. The response to corruption by local Nazi party members, was along the line of "if only the Fuhrer knew"
on “How China Unleashed Twitter Trolls to Discredit Hong Kong’s Protesters” ↗Mein Kampf, 1923: "The historian Ian Kershaw points out that several passages in Mein Kampf are undeniably of a genocidal nature. Hitler wrote "the nationalization of our masses will succeed only when, aside from all the positive struggle for the soul of our people, their international poisoners are exterminated", and he suggested that,…
Not really if you read Kershaw's two vol bio early on the NAZI party did have some "socialist policies" but Hitler changed the policy and threw those out in the late 20's. Its also one of the reasons that the SA was purged.
…in support for the Nazis. Their popularity went up by ~20-30% due to this one event. - The Russian Revolution and the attempts of communist revolutionaries in Germany in 1919 was the defining event of Hitler's psyche, according to historian Ian Kershaw > depression before WW1, the hyperinflation in 1923 I'd be interested to read more about this.
on “George Orwell’s 1940 Review of Mein Kampf” ↗Ian Kershaw: "Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solution" Haven't read this book but Kershaw's European history which is great. "Kershaw concluded that the majority of Bavarians were either antisemitic or more commonly…
on “Auschwitz museum criticizes use of death camp in politics” ↗The reciprocal relationship between speakers and audiences is well documented in rhetorical studies. The example of Hitler's development as a speaker is discussed in Ian Kershaw's biography "Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris." According to historical accounts, Hitler's early speeches in 1919-1920 for the German Workers' Party were…
on “In the belly of the MrBeast” ↗> Kershaw sees this rivalry as causing the "cumulative radicalization" of Germany, and argues that though Hitler always favoured the most radical solution to any problem, it was German officials who, for the most part, in attempting to win the Führer's approval, carried out on their initiative, increasingly "radical"…
on “NSF faces shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions” ↗