Adolf Hitler The most notorious man in history, Adolf Hitler, is best known for having perpetrated crimes against humanity over the six-year course of World War II. His brutal extermination policies are responsible for the deaths of close to 30 million people he considered inferior, and added to that, the military casualties suffered by all parties, yields a grand total of approximately 60 million people dead by the end of the war. That number equates to 3% of the world's population at the time. But, who was this man? What made him into the monster he became? Can his childhood explain the formation of such a brutal dictator? Inside you will read about... - Hitler's Early Years - Hitler's Years in Vienna - Life After Vienna - Hitler's Early Military Career - The Formation of the Nazi Party - Hitler's Imprisonment and Subsequent Rise to Power - World War II This eBook tells the story of the man behind the monster in concise yet thorough detail. Hitler's childhood, his early life and dreams of becoming an artist, his military career in World War I, his subsequent rise to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, and his rule during the war are presented in succinct, compelling detail packed with historical information that makes for an entertaining and informative read.
I recently came across a series of factual books by Hourly History on Amazon that are either very cheap or completely free. The books are reasonably short, perhaps an hour and cover the lives of famous people or events in history that you may wish to know more of. Always open to a bargain I decided to order 6 books of famous historical figures who had a major influence on the lives of many. I intend to read these books in an effort to learn more without getting completely submerged with facts and figures that I would personally find too tedious. I decided to begin with the life of Adolf Hitler, not an easy one to start with. The book somehow manages to cover his life in this relatively short read concisely and supplies a good knowledge of him. I anticipate that some of the books in this series will leave me wanting to know more about the subject and that is obviously possible by reading a more detailed account, but this one was just enough for me.
"More than anything else, Hitler proved that monsters do exist, but sadly, they aren’t as obvious as how they are depicted in horror movies. They have very human faces, and often have lived all too human lives, sometimes marked by conflict and pain, but as was the case with Hitler’s relationship with his mother and his sisters, not always devoid of love. Humanity may not always be able to predict who among us will become a monster or why, but after witnessing the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler, perhaps the resolve to prevent such horrors in the future has been strengthened."
The short book gives us the insight into the making of the world's deadliest dictator. But I was a tad dissappointed by the fact that the book doesn't give us much insight into what gave Hitler his excellent oratory skills which became the reason of him coming to power which in turn was the ultimate reason of mass destruction and genocide. He didn't seem to be very much a reader, neither was he a good orator in his school. So what made him to give those speeches and amass thousands of followers. Would have wanted a more in depth study.
Nonetheless a good attempt to give us a concise story.
Is it possible to detail the life story of a person the author calls “…the most notorious person in the history of the world,” and squeeze all that information into a book that the average reader can finish in about an hour? Hourly History proves that it can be accomplished. This short book touches on all the major points of Adolf Hitler’s life, beginning with his youth in Austria and his days as a young man in Vienna. There is adequate time spent on his meteoric rise through the political ranks, including how Hitler consolidated his power once he became a national figure. I found the Conclusion chapter to be insightful and helpful to the reader in understanding the full impact of Hitler’s policies during the time he controlled the German government (including the military).
Admittedly, there are many items that are left out of a book this size (personally, I would have liked to see more pages dedicated to World War II), but the author accomplishes the goal of giving readers a good overview of the chosen subject. Four stars.
" Those who want to live let them fight and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live " - Adolf Hitler
This quote indirectly points to the Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest. Although he didn't believe in God but rather he was a rationalist.
In Early life , Hitler was devastated when his mother Klara died of breast cancer he was very close to her. By the time she died Hitler had suffered several losses in his life. Later he moved to Vienna to persue his dream of becoming a painter.
Historians say that since he was very close to his mother her death made him suffer mentally ill and thus he became a human Monster!!
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After he joined the German Army and took high position.. He began one of the largest campaign in German History, which resulted in the construction of dams, highways & railroad as well as other civil works. Also during his period unemployment fell from six million in 1932 to 1 million in 1936. Cost of living increased by 25%.
He worked for the progress of his country.
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Monsters do exist but sadly aren't as depicted in horror movies. Humanity may not predict who among us will become a monster or why!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A quick and crisp read about the origins and rise of th most despicable character in our history. perhaps no one is credited with more ruination of physical and moral nature than him.
This book very briefly outlines and highlights all the important lessons which people should learn from this figure. Hitler secured his legacy as the most brutal dictator history has ever seen. Also it is important to see that people like him lie throughout and makes people believe that they are the divine source for everything. With revival of authoritarian tendencies across the globe it becomes much more important to look at the cracks in the society which people like filter exploitated very efficiently. More than anything Hitler proved that monsters do exist,but sadly , they aren't as obvious as shown in movies. Rather they have very human face and often lived all too human lives. His life should be a lesson to every nation and specially people that the most dangerous thing is the silence of good people when moral crisis arrive.
Despite some overlapping geographical errors seemingly due to the writer's lack of knowledge in global geography as noticed in many other books of the series, I can't help rating the book with the highest point.
The book definitely tells the reasons why Hitler was to become the radical leader who wanted a new world order under his worldview.
And the book also clearly tells why he was meant to fail after all.
Lastly, the awesome con-clos'/ -clus'ion is a jackpot! (2016 Kindle Ed., p. 51) More than anything else, Hitler proved that monsters do exist, but sadly, they aren’t as obvious as how they are depicted in horror movies. They have very human faces, and often have lived all too human lives, sometimes marked by conflict and pain, but as was the case with Hitler’s relationship with his mother and his sisters, not always devoid of love. Humanity may not always be able to predict who among us will become a monster or why, but after witnessing the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler, perhaps the resolve to prevent such horrors in the future has been strengthened.
This book is very well written and researched, obviously due to its short length it does not cover everything in huge detail but it provides a very good overview of Hitler, how he came into power and how he was subsequently removed.
Obviously Hitler was a monster, however the legal and political way he got to be in control of Germany and how he manipulated people is extraordinary. He is often referred to as the most studied man in history and from just this brief overview you can see why.
A brilliant book about a horrible person. Well worth a read.
Very good book. Interesting to read if you like history. Most of which had been told before. Though did learn a bit from it. Hitler is certainly one of those characters from the past that people are interested in. You have to wonder at his life and the paths he took
"By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise", Adolf Hitler. It sums up the approach adopted by the Fuhrer to carry out his dastardly mission. This splendid offering from Hourly History brings out the persona of Adolf Hitler quite succinctly. Adolf Hitler's approach so characteristically stated in the quote from George Orwell, " Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship". How true.
This work provides us with a concise overview Adolf's life. After WWI, "Hitler became enthralled with founder Anton Drexler’s ideas, which were nationalist, anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, and anti-Marxist, and he became increasingly involved with the" German Workers’ Party (DAP), that became the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), which Hitler joined "in 1919." He entered a failed coup with his fellow party constituents on the 8th of November 1923 which furnished him with a 5-year prison sentence to be served at Landsberg Prison but was released after only nine months. Hitler was able to commence his originally titled work “Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice” (Mein Kampf/My Struggle).
Adolf eventually assumed the leadership of the NSDAP party and "proceeded systematically to remove any and all opposition to his rule. He assumed the role of commander-in-chief in 1938, which gave him full control of Germany’s armed forces." Vilification of focal groups commences and progresses. "Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred." - Joseph Goebbels, Minister of propaganda, German Third Reich, National Socialist German Workers' Party
After WWI, Germany was required to pay war reparations, as laid out in the London Ultimatum. This led to massive inflation and devaluation of currency... "In accordance with the agreement, the reparations had to be paid in hard currency and not with the rapidly depreciating paper mark. In order to comply, Germany began mass printing banknotes to pay for foreign currency, which was then used to pay reparations. This resulted in the hyperinflation of the paper mark. By December 1922, the rate of exchange was 7,400 marks to one dollar, and the cost-of-living index had gone from 41 to 685, a 15-fold increase. By the fall of 1922, Germany could no longer afford to make the reparations payments, and the mark was practically worthless... In this environment of economic catastrophe, political destabilization and violence followed."
In October 1933, "Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference. Hitler announced the expansion of the German armed forces to 600,000 members, six times the 100,000 permitted under the Treaty of Versailles. Though the League of Nations condemned these actions, they did nothing to stop them." German National Socialism marched onward and onward toward... War!
Numerous 'speculations' regarding Hitler are presented (unsubstantiated hearsay) to provide the reader, I assume, with an overview of what pseudo-history has presented to us over the years.
- Additional quotes from this work:
“Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.” —George Orwell
“By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.” —Adolf Hitler
“Society wants to believe it can identify evil people, or bad or harmful people, but it’s not practical. There are no stereotypes.” —Ted Bundy
“Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.” —Adolf Hitler
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” -Simon Wiesenthal-
- Excerpts:
"When the SA demanded more political and military power, Hitler purged the leadership by executing the leaders, including long-time supporters and allies, in what was known as the Night of the Long Knives, which took place between June 30 and July 2, 1934. At least 85 people were killed, and more than a thousand perceived opponents were arrested. The name the Night of the Long Knives is a German phrase that predated this event, one that refers in general to acts of vengeance. Despite the fact that the international community was shocked by this event, many Germans believed that Hitler was restoring order."
"...on August 2, 1934, a law that had been passed only the previous day by Hitler’s cabinet, the Law Concerning the Highest State Office in the Reich, went into effect, eliminating the office of the president and providing that its powers be merged with those of the chancellor. Hitler then became both head of the state as well as head of the government with formal titles of Führer und Reichskanzler—leader and chancellor. By merging these two roles in the German government, Hitler eliminated the last legal means by which he could have been removed from office. As head of state, he became the supreme commander of the armed forces, and he began preparations for war."
"Hitler proceeded to invade Denmark and Norway in April 1940, after which he proclaimed the birth of the Greater Germanic Reich, in which Dutch, Flemish, and Scandinavians were joined as a so-called racially pure polity under German rule."
"Between 1939 and 1945, the SS, with the assistance of collaborating governments and recruits from occupied countries, killed at least 11 million people, including between 5.5 and 6 million Jews, some two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe. Killed also were between 200,000 and 1,500,000 Romani people. In addition to exterminating the Jews, the Nazis instituted a plan to reduce the population of their conquered territories by 30 million people."
This is a good book describing the life of Adolf Hitler in brief. It is not useful for those who want to get deep into his life. The book was drafted to give the basic details of his life and nothing else. The language used is simple. You can see the full review in the following blog. http://thinkingdelights.blogspot.in/2...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked the the author gave a clear picture of what and how Hitler's life was, in the end of the book the explanation that the guy was no hero he was the reason behind death of almost 10 million people but the book did give real insight over the reason of world war 2
“Humanity may not always be able to predict who among us will become a monster or why, but after witnessing the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler, perhaps the resolve to prevent such horrors in the future has been strengthened.”
— A Life From Beginning to End of Adolf Hitler (World War 2 Biographies) by Hourly History https://a.co/ibIeILq
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Disclosure: I am a male of 20ish of age.
Forgive me for my imperfect opinion and insights (I am still young and have a lot to learn) but I hope you are inspired to read the book after reading my review.
--- Short review:
- What did you like or dislike? - The only thing to dislike is Hitler and the atrocities he committed that resulted in so much unnecessary suffering and death. But it did happen and we can't change the past but the only thing we can change is the present and future. And that is to make sure these horrific acts don't ever happen again. We should arrive at our deathbed leaving a world that is better than the one we are born into. - I like it conciseness of everything. It is a great summary of a life of a person that I initially thought was only born evil but realized he was human too sadly he failed to be self-aware of his flaws and the suffering he is causing. - I like that this is like a book that prepares me to read "The Rise and Fall of Third Reich." Which is a mammoth of a history book. This short book is the perfect introduction. But it can also stand enough as well as its right to educate young people about the Tale of warning for the Nazi party and Hitler without intimidating them so much with a big number of pages.
- To whom would you recommend this book? - Anyone curious about why the Holocaust happened and its origins - Anyone curious how did one man become such a monster? Tip: It is because of his unrelenting desire to not question his own beliefs to the point that the reality in his head is a complete distortion of what is actually in front of him. This is for anyone curious about how to prevent the dark side of our natures from taking over us which is by doing our best to be self-aware of our own beliefs and question if these beliefs are causing more destruction or hate in the world. Hitler just wanted the best for his country but sadly did not see other races and other countries are also part of the world and that there is no master race. We all belong to one race. The race of humankind. - If you think your beliefs are not helping anyone, better question your beliefs and alter them that will help you wake up from our illusion of separateness.
- Why did you choose this rating? - Because it is one of the best kinds of history books I could have ever read. Not a boring or hard-to-follow story. And truly concise.
Further comments:
A well-written summary of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Army and the WW2 he ignited. I was reading Rise and Fall of Third Reich but realized it was a thick mammoth book.
So reading this short but concise biography of him gives me a well overview of that massive book that inspires me to finish it more.
I only had the desire to study Hitler only after I read Viktor Frankls book Man Search for meaning and the new latest book on the Holocaust, The Redhead of Auschwitz (I do recommend reading both of these books. They will truly help you see more what human suffering is and what resilience is and that you can find the courage and create meaning anywhere even in the most horrific extreme circumstances.) These Holocaust books because made me question more why the Germans or specifically Hitler hate the Jews so much that led them commit mass murder. How could the SS not have felt any form of guilt when beating the shit out of, enslaving, gassing, burning the Jews? The question of why such extreme suffering happens has always invaded my subconscious but it is only now that it is coming into surface.
Quotes (From other books) below to maybe further instill in you the lessons of the biography:
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Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it.” —Santayana, Spanish-born American philosopher
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For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing - Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust survivor and Nazi Hunter
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We cannot always prevent the bad, but we also cannot let it overshadow the good - Nechama Birnbaum, author of the Redhead of Auschwitz
Seventy three years after the death of the notorious dictator Adolf Hitler, the world still continues to be haunted by his heinous crimes. Hitler’s extreme brutality towards Jews made him a topic of conversation (infamously) almost everywhere in the world. It was only natural that sooner or later, just like how people have a macabre fascination with serial killers, they would start asking questions about Hitler-about his life before he became a dictator. In this book, author Johan Andersson describes Hitler’s life from his from his childhood leading up to his suicide on April 29, 1945.
The book summarises all the events that shaped Hitler’s radical ideologies and is presented to the reader in chronological order. Hitler moved to Vienna after the death of his brutish father to pursue a career in art. At this point, Hitler was basically homeless and was living hand to mouth. In Vienna, Hitler began developing strong German nationalist ideas. Along with the combined influence of the media and Christian fears, Hitler also developed an anti-semitic attitude.The book briefly describes early Nazi era from the beer hall speeches to the failed putsch.
After the unsuccessful coup, Hitler and some members of the NSDAP (Nazi Party) got arrested. Upon his release Hitler began rebuilding the Nazi Party. The Great Depression in 1929 provided Hitler with political opportunities- a platform to influence impressionable minds. By March 1933, Hitler gained power and proceeded to remove all opposition to his dictatorship. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland which marked the beginning of World War II. Hitler truly believed that the Jews were an inferior race and proceeded to perform experiments on them to “cure” them of their “impurities” in the most horrendous ways.
There is no single reason as to how Hitler went from a man who served honorably during World War I to the man responsible for starting World War II. Johan Andersson explains this point by saying “More than anything else, Hitler proved that monsters do exist, but sadly, they aren���t as obvious as how they are depicted in horror movies. They have very human faces and often have lived all too human lives, sometimes marked by conflict and pain, but as was the case with Hitler’s relationship with his mother and his sisters, not always devoid of love.”
‘Adolf Hitler - A Life from Beginning to End’ is an informative summary of Hitler’s life: from an unhappy child to an aspiring artist and finally to one of the most hated men on earth. The book uses simple language to present facts to the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in history or to anyone who is interested in knowing about Hitler’s life before his tyrannical reign. This book also sheds light on the atrocities faced by Jewish people during his dictatorship. The author stresses that it is important to understand and learn about monsters like Hitler so that we can “prevent such horrors in the future”.
"For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing" - Holocaust survivor turned Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal
"Hitler proved that monster do exist, but sadly, they aren't as obvious as how they are depicted in horror movies. They have human faces and often have lived all too human lives, sometimes marked by conflict and pain. Humanity may not always be able to predict who among us will become a monster or why" Definitely a must read! A very concise biography of Adolf Hitler, the greatest dictator ever, yet the cruellest man to have walked on earth. This is such an intriguing biography. Getting to about his childhood, how he was abused by his father, sufferings of his mother and early deaths of his siblings, actually make us think about the moulding of this personality. I always wondered how someone so ruthless and cruel could win millions of hearts. But now it's clear. No wonder why he is considered as the greatest dictator humankind has ever come across. He was a man who had his way with the words. When Hitler was charged and arrested for treason, the trial lasted for 24 days and we come across his closing statement in this book. I was really impressed. It actually reflected that wonder of a man's will power, confidence , ability to convey message and capture hearts. That really explains how a struggling common man without any political background or upbringing could overthrow the entire German democratic Republic and win millions of hearts with just his magical words. Pondering over this actually make us wonder. He was blind with obsessive racist thoughts and superiority of German Aryans and believed in so called racial "purity" Duh! He was nothing more than an by product of psychosis as many people refer him to. Being responsible for the horrific death of over 29 million people (most of them being innocent Jews who where accused just for being born a Jew), Hitler just saw the entire atrocities as a struggle between Judeo-Bolshevism and German National Socialism. I have mixed feelings after reading this breif biography. Actually makes your mind restless. I don't want to read his autobiography. I really really don't want to view the entire thing from his perspective. But I will definitely pick up a detailed biography of Adolf Hitler one day.
“Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning To End” by Hourly History
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Here’s my first non-fiction of 2025!
This is a fascinating and concise read on the life of Adolf Hitler which serves as an excellent introduction to his history and impact.
The book explores:
1. Hitler’s Early Years 2. Hitler’s Years in Vienna 3. Hitler’s Life after Vienna 4. Hitler’s Early Military Career 5. The Formation of the Nazi Party 6. Hitler’s Imprisonment and Subsequent Rise to Power 7. World War 2 8. Conclusion
I've heard a great deal about Hitler being a monster but I never really fished into the specifics of his cruelty until now.
The author briefly mentioned the tortures/ horrors endured by people during World War 2 in the final chapter “Conclusion” which is hair-raising. Even the children were not spared from these atrocities.
Gas chambers, starvation, infecting diseases, freezing, exposure to mustard gas, injecting dyes into the eyes, removal of bone, nerve and muscle tissues from various parts of the bodies and repeatedly hitting children in the heads with hammers!!!
It’s incredibly heart-breaking to reflect on the sufferings of the victims of World War 2. My mind shall be occupied with these horrors for the next few days.
Recommended for anyone who’s seeking an introduction to Adolf Hitler !
“Never in History has such ruination (physical and moral) been associated with the name of one man.” - a Historian
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” - a Surviver of the Holocaust
“I do not see why a man should not be just as cruel as nature.” - Adolf Hitler
Between 1939 and 1945, the SS, with the assistance of collaborating governments and recruits from occupied countries, killed at least 11 million people, including between 5.5 and 6 million Jews, some two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe. Killed also were between 200,000 and 1,500,000 Romani people. In addition to exterminating the Jews, the Nazis instituted a plan to reduce the population of their conquered territories by 30 million people. The plan called for starving people to death by diverting food supplies to the German army and German civilians, razing cities, and allowing the land to return to forests or to be resettled by German colonists. Their partially realized plans resulted in the deaths of an estimated 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war, including the deaths of nearly 2 million Polish citizens and over 3 million Soviet prisoners of war, Communists, homosexuals, and physically and mentally disabled persons. When these deaths are added to the war casualties, over 60 million people, or 3% of the world’s population, died during World War II.
I wanted to read how Hitler managed to achieve such a level of power. A dictatorship happens in steps pushing the boundaries further and further. He had an abusive father and his dream was to become a painter, which he did to some success. Many of his siblings died and one brother’s death especially affected him. The effects of WWI fueled his anger and his military aspirations. Apparently, he was a charismatic speaker and helped propel the Nazi party into positions in government where they systematically passed laws removing the rights of the citizens. My grandmother fled Austria. 60 million people died in WWII which Hitler instigated in his desire to dominate other countries and through genocide in the most horrifying ways in his belief in a superior race. As nationalism stokes divisiveness and hatred, and citizens are stripped of their rights while men seek world power through shows of aggression or covert manipulation, the warning signs are there. We have to learn from history, not repeat it.
This book meets it's objective which was to describe Hitler's life in one hour in a fairly comprehensive manner I thought this e-book Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning to End gave a pretty good description of Hitler from his birth through the early part of World War II. The book covered his complete life and death but World War II was not covered in as great of detail. The book seems to indicate that his anti-Semitism did not start prior to the end of world war one. Just wonder how this man was able to seduce a nation to his bidding and ultimately to World War II? I believe this short e-book provides a great deal of information about his life, his views on Christianity, and his rise to power in one hour. I highly recommend this book.
Great summary of the evil dictator who killed millions and attempted to illuminate all races not equal to his Aryan race. I liked the quote "for evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing".