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    Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939
    Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939
    Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939
    Audiobook34 hours

    Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939

    Written by Volker Ullrich

    Narrated by Don Hagen

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A major new biography-an extraordinary, penetrating study of the man who has become the personification of evil.

    For all the literature about Adolf Hitler there have been just four seminal biographies; this is the fifth, a landmark work that sheds important new light on Hitler himself. Drawing on previously unseen papers and a wealth of recent scholarly research, Volker Ullrich reveals the man behind the public persona, from Hitler's childhood to his failures as a young man in Vienna to his experiences during the First World War to his rise as a far-right party leader. Ullrich deftly captures Hitler's intelligence, instinctive grasp of politics, and gift for oratory as well as his megalomania, deep insecurity, and repulsive worldview.

    Many previous biographies have focused on the larger social conditions that explain the rise of the Third Reich. Ullrich gives us a comprehensive portrait of a postwar Germany humiliated by defeat, wracked by political crisis, and starved by an economic depression, but his real gift is to show vividly how Hitler used his ruthlessness and political talent to shape the Nazi party and lead it to power. For decades the world has tried to grasp how Hitler was possible. By focusing on the man at the center of it all, on how he experienced his world, formed his political beliefs, and wielded power, this riveting biography brings us closer than ever to the answer.

    Translated from the German by Jefferson Chase.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAscent Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2016
    ISBN9781469065540
    Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939

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    Reviews for Hitler

    4.5/5

    96 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      What we can learn from Hitler and rise of the Nazi’s is to watch for signs of creeping excessive behavior that violate basic democratic norms. It’s also makes clear that the so-called appeasement did get a few more delays that partly disrupted/delayed Hitler’s plans. Also, the WW 1 war reparations were painful and a big factor in creating unrest in Germany, but the mistaken expectations set by Ludendorff during WW1 were a bigger problem when the shock of defeat came around. The German people were continuously misled by a military/royal dictatorship. This later point could have been covered a bit more.

      The book is brilliant in its general chronological flow that delves into individual topic areas completely at the right juncture instead of just a boring timeline of facts. At the right juncture you get a complete thematic treatment going back and forward a few years to provide a clearer picture. In book 1, Himmler feels like a minor figure and it’s not clear how he got in the good graces of Hitler, rising from being a flag bearer at the Munich putsch to SS leader.
    • 4/5
      This is a difficult book to rate. It is obviously an incredibly detailed look at the life of Hitler and his rise to power up to the German takeover of Czechoslovakia. The problem for me was the details. They were overwhelming. There were hundreds, if not thousands of names in this that I did not recognize and had a hard time following. At some points it felt as if this book was dealing with issues one day or one week at a time. It also focused almost exclusively on Hitler. Many history books would take a few pages as an aside to introduce important side figures. That was not the case here.

      With all of that said, the story is fascinating. The knowledge of the author is simply incredible. I learned a great deal and feel like I have a deep understanding of the Hitler of the 1920s and 1930s. In terms of the history presented, this rating should be 5 stars. I gave it 4 stars because I just had a hard time slugging through many parts of it.
    • 5/5
      It's a brilliant work, the best Hitler biography yet. The only downside is the quality of narration in this audiobook with no pop filter used and occasional mistakes in the spelling of names, geographical locations etc.
    • 4/5
      Really good biography with some slow spots, but mostly very interesting. Hitler was a clever manipulator and self-taught orator/politician, with really evil obsessions. There are some comparisons with modern day people, of whom I will not mention.
    • 5/5
      The second volume of Volker Ullrich's biography of Hitler is an astounding piece of scholarship and a compelling read. Ullrich uses every source imaginable to present an almost daily account of the final years of Hitler's rule. The reader has a complete picture of Hitler himself, his retinue, as well as the progress of the war. This is not a thriller nor a literary master work. It is, however, an invaluable, complete, and astounding history of the pivotal years of the 20th Century and the man who cast his shadow over that century, Adolf Hitler.
    • 4/5
      Of the political books available this election season a history of Hitler is sadly relevant. It's a door-stopper but easy reading because while Ullrich is not a historian he is a trained journalist. Having never read a Hitler biography before, this seemed to fit the bill for an introduction - it is focused on Hitler personally, no complicated thesis, meant for the average reader, up to date research without bias. There is little analysis, though the facts for the insightful reader feel relevant. Hitler has been analyzed more than any figure in history Ullrich could have included more insights from other writers. Like most people, I already knew something about Hitler's life from bits here and there. He seemed to start believing his own BS after about 1937 when he successfully occupied the demilitarized zone bordering France. He had traits often seen in brilliant people - contradictions, charisma, photographic memory, artistic sensibility, risk taking, leadership, fast reader - but was also deeply insecure and, well, a tyrannical genocidal dictator. He was a terrible dinner host, a kill joy, Eva Brown would let loose and party when he left the house. The lesson we learn from a Hitler biography is to be on the lookout for similar personalities using the same tactics and ideas and stop them before it is too late. There are a few who echo him today, but none as demonically talented.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting, highly detailed, certainly recommended. The detail is fascinating following the steps AH took between 1923 and 1933; not to mention the immediate steps after Jan 1933. Thank goodness there is no current world leader anywhere near as frighteningly methodical and clever and evil.
    • 5/5
      Highly recommended. A very in-depth and carefully referenced and accurate view of Hitler's rise to power that led up to WWII. It would be nice to assume something like this will never happen again, but when looked at in detail, and knowing societies' penchant for hysteria and hero worship (or cu;t of personality worship), it seems entirely possible for it to happen again. It is worth noting that at no time did it appear that a majority supported Hitler (even though elections seemed to say so once he was in power), so it doesn't even take a majority to lead a country down such a dark path.
    • 3/5
      The book was well written and enlightening. Some will draw parallels to today's politics in the U.S. But this is heavy-duty, slow going read. I found it much more scholarly as opposed to journalistic historical treatment.
    • 4/5
      A thorough but uninspired book about Hitler. Ullrich claims his wish is to focus more on the man than the times. To be honest, I could not see the difference. I never have a problem with biographers going over territory covered in the past. Some subjects are so important they deserve it. Ullrich, a meticulous yet completely uninspired writer, appears to be engaging prior books on this subject as much as his subject. Still, despite its 758 pages covering Hitler from birth to the eve of his invasion of Poland, there is a survey quality of the books: it reads more like a summary than a portrait.
    • 4/5
      Read this because of Michiko Kakutani’s amazing anti-Trump review. What does become clear is that Hitler was written off many times, but kept trying to get power; because he did so, he was prepared when, through the mistakes of others, the opportunity emerged. Unlike Trump, however, Hitler’s country background and probable illegitimacy left him insecure about his own intellect and determined to educate himself, though he only read things he’d agree with. Hitler combined amazing laziness with real charisma, something Ullrich argues is less apparent to us not just because we know how the story ends but because he became more of a caricature of himself the longer he was in power, and so his compelling personal presence is harder for us to understand.
    • 5/5
      Hitler – Demystified Most people today think that they know a lot about Hitler, that any more books about him are a waste of time and add nothing. This book on Hitler is the Volker Ullrich’s first volume on Hitler, that demystifies some of the ‘legends’ that have grown around him, examines how this Austrian came to lead Germany, rebuild confidence in the country and build a cult around himself.In my opinion this magisterial volume builds and compliments the work of Sir Ian Kershaw and Ullrich also admits as much in his introduction to this 760 paged volume. Ullrich has also been able to use the few sources that have become available since the publication of Kershaw’s two volumes, as well as re-reading all existing research sources.My Great-grandfather was born in Lwow/Lemberg in 1889, part of Polish Galicia that was then under Austrian control, the same year Hitler was born in Austria itself. Both fought in the First World War technically on the same side, but like most Poles it was with no great love for Austrian it was because they were forced to defend Polish Galicia from the Russians. In 1918 my Great-Grandfather was celebrating the end of the war and the rebirth of Poland that had escaped the clutches of Austria. Whereas Hitler was in Germany licking his wounds like many Germans, blaming the leadership of Germany for selling them out. These events would affect both differently, but one went on to reap his revenge on Poland amongst others.Ullrich as well as building on what Kershaw told the world about Hitler, he takes a look at Hitler the man and attempts to give us a forensic account of the person up to 1939. It has always been a mystery to many how Hitler was able to mesmerise the German people and take over the instruments of power with little to no resistance. What we do learn is that Hitler was the ultimate salesman who could sell dreams to people who needed something they could hold on to. What is interesting is how lazy Hitler actually was, how after his walk at the Berghof with his entourage, he would be driven back while everyone else was made to walk. He could not drive, nor swim and with his love of the alps could not ski!Most books on Hitler try to paint the man as having hidden depths, this book shatters that image completely. What Hitler did understand, the need to control the narrative, the overarching message you want to expand and make people believe. This is very much the concept of the modern politician and public relations consultant, he who owns the narrative controls the story the public will receive. Something that Ullrich does discuss is the love life Hitler had, such as it was, and that he was attracted to teenagers, and that led to the suicide of his own 17-year-old niece. It does come across that it was quite complicated and not what the public perceived.There are many interesting chapters in this volume that cover many topics from the early life of Hitler, through the War and Versailles, to the failed putsch and on to writing Mein Kampf. We are also told that Hitler’s antisemitism that developed was different to his actual interactions with Jews.This is one of the most important books on Hitler that has ever been published especially as this starts to peel away the mask of Hitler the man rather than the Hitler the projected leader. This is an excellent volume that gets under Hitler’s skin, makes us see the man as a charlatan who happened to be lazy, shallow, attracted to teenage girls rather than women his age and very narrow minded.This is an excellent volume that all students of German History should be required to read and absorb. Ullrich has been able to approach the subject with sensitivity as well as honesty and paints the picture that succeeds in breaking down the myths that have built up around Hitler the person.