1. Hitler: 1936-1945: Nemesis by Ian
Kershaw
Hubris Becomes Nemesis, And Destroys Europe In The Process
George VI thought him a damnable villain, and Neville Chamberlain found
him not quite a gentleman; but, to the rest of the world, Adolf Hitler has
come to personify modern evil to such an extent that his biographers
always have faced an unenviable task. The two more renowned
biographies of Hitler--by Joachim C. Fest ( Hitler) and by Alan Bullock (
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny)--painted a picture of individual tyranny which,
in the words of A.J.P. Taylor, left Hitler guilty and every other German
innocent. Decades of scholarship on German society under the Nazis
have made that verdict look dubious; so, the modern biographer of Hitler
must account both for his terrible mindset and his charismatic appeal. In
the second and final volume of his mammoth biography of Hitler--which
covers the climax of Nazi power, the reclamation of German-speaking
Europe, and the horrific unfolding of the final solution in Poland and
Russia--Ian Kershaw manages to achieve both of these tasks. Continuing
where Hitler: Hubris 1889-1936 left off, the epic Hitler: Nemesis 1937-
1945 takes the reader from the adulation and hysteria of Hitlers electoral

2. victory in 1936 to the obsessive and remote bunker mentality that
enveloped the Führer as Operation Barbarossa (the attack on Russia in
1942) proved the beginning of the end. Chilling, yet objective. A definitive
work. --Miles Taylor
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The second volume of Kershaws outstanding biography of Hitler covers
the period from 1936 to his death. Kershaw does a superb job of
integrating the biographical material per se with relevant narrative and
analysis of German history over this period. Kershaw picks up and
expands themes that emerged in volume one. Two in particular stand out.
One is the overriding importance of Hitlers crude but powerful ideology.
The point of Hitlers actions was the violent attainment of his social
Darwinist goals; the elimination of European Jewry, the dominance of
inferior races like the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe, and German
domination of western Eurasia. War was not just necessary to achieve
these goals but an indispensable part of the process of establishing
German supremacy. The necessity of violence was not merely an
ideological preoccupation but something with deep emotional resonance
for Hitler. This was a man who found his service on the Western Front a
personally transforming and uplifting experience. Kershaw shows well how
a large number of Hitlers zealous supporters shared these horrifying views
and how an even larger number of Germans, including virtually all of the
traditional elites of the German state, were either supportive of Hitlers
goals or willing to look the other way as long as he was successful. By the
time it became clear that Hitler was leading Germany to disaster, Hitlers
power was so well established that any kind of organized resistance
became almost impossible.
Kershaw shows well how Hitlers bold repudiation of the Versailles
restrictions and the rearmarment policies that expanded the German
economy led to enormous personal popularity. Under the umbrella of
Hitlers success and great prestige, the Nazis were able to subordinate all
the major institutions of German life, perhaps save the churches, which did
offer some limited resistance. At the same time, the Party erected a
powerful alternative governing structure and some of Hitlers most able and
ruthless subordinates developed the powerful security services that policed
Germany. Hitler personally established complete dominance over the
Wehrmacht, the only institution that could have resisted him successfully.
Hitlers daring and ability to capitalize on weaknesses of his opponents,
coupled with a good dose of luck led to unprecedented success.

3. Another major theme articulated by Kershaw is the nature of the Nazi
state. The essentially indolent and politically shrewd Hitler ruled primarily
by setting himself above day to day government and setting the broader
ideological goals for Germany. Hitlers unwillingness to participate in the
mechanics of government and his willingness to countenance competing
sectors of authority led to an anarchic state (termed polyocracy by some
historians) that enhanced Hitlers power because only he had the ultimate
authority to adjudicate among the competing authorities. For much of his
rule, it also insulated him from public disfavor as unpopular policies were
associated with lower ranking Party or government officials. This system,
which Kershaw describes as working towards the Fuhrer led to competition
among different subordinates and power centers for who could gain Hitlers
favor by pursuing the ideological goals of the regime. The result was
essentially a race to see who could be the more effective murderer of
those unfortunate enough to be enemies, real or imagined, of the regime.
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