Nazi Germany: A Critical Introduction

by Martin Kitchen

Seventy years have passed since Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor, and in the intervening years a vast amount has been written on the origins and nature of the Third Reich. The years from 1933 to 1945 cast such a grim shadow that the moral, ethical, and religious elements embedded in the narrative are such that the subject still resists treatment as part of a historical past. Fierce debates still rage over both the how and the why of these terrible events. In this concise and accessible account Martin Kitchen addresses the major issues. How did Hitler come to power? How was the Nazi dictatorship established? What was the essential nature of the regime? What were the reasons for Hitler’s extraordinary popularity? Why did Germany go to war? What led to the Holocaust? What was the legacy of National Socialism?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Martin Kitchen is a British-Canadian historian, specialized in modern European history, with an emphasis on Germany. Professor Emeritus of history at Simon Fraser University, he started teaching in 1966. He also taught at the Cambridge Group for Population Studies (Cambridge University).

Reviews

[Brice Fuqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief history of the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. The opening chapter on how Hitler sized control of the Nazi party and how the party eventually gained control of the government without ever having majority support is particularly good
Kitchen has also written a highly regarded biography of Albert Speer.

[Ben Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good and it does a very good job describing all the events that started up the Nazis.

[Dalton Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

spectacular. i would recommend such a book for history students studying the modern side of history as it includes small details which would boost marks in exams.

[Eugenia Montiel Aceti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read some of the chapters of this book in order to write an undergraduate university paper.

[Laura Verret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating introduction to the political climate of 1930s Germany.