The Third Reich - A History of Nazi Germany

Zusatztext "The new definitive volume on the subject! supplanting William Shirer’s gold standard  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. . . .  The book’s main strength lies in its chapters on the rise and early years of the party. And with newly unearthed documents – many from Germany – that the author had access to." Informationen zum Autor Thomas Childers was formerly the Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards. Childers has held visiting professorships at Trinity Hall College! Cambridge! Smith College! and Swarthmore College! and he has lectured in London! Oxford! Berlin! Munich! and other universities in the United States and Europe. He is the author or editor of several books about modern German history and the Second World War. ON T H E FRI N G E , 1925 –28      When Hitler returned to Landsberg Prison on April 1, 1924, his old cell was waiting. He had left the prison for his trial an ob- scure street corner agitator whose notoriety was confined largely to Ba- varia. When he returned, he was the “martyr of Munich,” a hero of the radical right. The disastrous Putsch had been ridiculed everywhere as a bumbling, almost farcical calamity, but Hitler’s virtuoso performance in the courtroom had transformed him into a national figure. Now he was Landsberg’s “prisoner of honor,” a celebrity to the other conspirators, the jailers, and the prison officials. In the wing of Landsberg Prison reserved for political prisoners—a com- modity with which Bavaria, given its turbulent postwar history, was well stocked—Hitler was again assigned cell 7 on the upper floor, reserved for the most important prisoners. His cell was small but comfortable, holding a table, two chairs, a cupboard, and bed. Light poured in from two large windows, and although Hitler complained about the bars, his view was of shrubbery, trees, and hills. Visitors brought geraniums and other fl wers. Under the circumstances, he had all he could ask for. He dressed in his own clothes, usually lederhosen and the traditional Tyrolean jacket, white shirt, and sometimes a tie. Telegrams and letters from loyal party mem- bers and doting admirers poured into the prison; some sent books, others packages of food (Hitler was partial to Viennese pastries and fretted about his weight). Hitler’s cell, Putzi Hanfstaengl later remarked, “looked like a delicatessen. You could have opened up a flower and fruit and a wine shop with all the stuff stacked in there.” Although visitors were to be restricted, the sympathetic prison authorities turned a blind eye to the rising tide of visitors who arrived for an audi- ence with “the hero of Munich.” On some days Hitler spent up to six hours receiving guests. Even his dog was allowed a visit. By summer Hitler was be- sieged by so many visitors that he asked the jailers to admit only those with a written appointment. The prisoners were granted two hour-long sessions of physical exercise, including boxing and gymnastics. Hitler sometimes ref- ereed the contests but usually preferred to walk—after all, the leader of the movement could hardly enter into a physical competition with his followers. Even as a prisoner, Hitler was very much in command, the master of his surroundings. When a new prisoner was assigned to the block, he was taken immediately to report to Hitler. At meals in the common room Hitler presided over the table, holding court. One fellow conspirator wrote to a friend that every day at 10 a.m. “there is normally an hour’s discus- sion with the Chief or better still an address by the Chief.” The jailers and other prison staff often listened from beyond the doorway, and were as impressed as the prisoners. When Hitler spoke, “the warders gathered outside on the staircase and listened without making a sound . . . the m...

Product details

• Authors: Thomas Childers
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.10.2017, delayed
• EAN: 9781451651133
• ISBN: 978-1-4516-5113-3
• No. of pages: 608
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945)