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The Hitler of History

by John Lukacs

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" John Lukacs is the most entertaining author about WWII and Hitler especially. The most interesting thing about him is his way of thinking. He always take usual view back. He is an assumed reactionnary. How right is he when he forbids calling Hitler a John Lukacs is the most entertaining author about WWII and Hitler especially. The most interesting thing about him is his way of thinking. He always take usual view back. He is an assumed reactionnary. How right is he when he forbids calling Hitler a reactionnary ? Very fine. Lukacs describes him as a very clever, modern guy. He assumes Hitler was not antisemitic, and even not a racist. He was just a völkish, that means populist, judeophobic and a nationalist. Lukacs situes Hitler in the new wave of populism that araises through the world after WWI. Hitler's Kampf is not about race, but about nation, and the nation Hitler fights for is Germany, not aryans. Lukacs purpose contrasts heavily with academic books (such as Kershaw etc). But surely he is far more interesting. From where comes his freedom of speech ? Rehabilitating Hitler in a way, as a jewish himself, having suffered WWII personnally, Lukacs is surely free of talking what he wants about it. Unlike every other authors (Kershaw etc) he lived this period, he knew that time. In my opinion he is the only author to read, if you have only one to read, about Hitler and WWII.
Very good also is the way of rehabilitating forgotten authors like Joachim Fest (very good biography of Hitler).
Lukacs is definitely the author to read about WWII and Hitler. He's so inspiring. Your view of Hitler would change and been a lot enriched. Hitler was not a devil, a bad, a vilain ; he was just a man with his part of good and bad things. For example, Lukacs recalls the achievements of nazi era in social and economic policy. Lukacs recalls that the german middle class starting flavoured with Hitler. Hitler stopped the negative spiral Germany was plunged in since 1918 and 1929. Yet he lost his war. Bad things started when Hitler realized he could not win this war. As soon as 1941 summer, in the russian plains. Then the war had to be a total war including extermination of european jewry.
With Lukacs' book you really have the impression to get into Hitler's head. Far from the usual portrait dressed in academic books, describing Hitler as evil, deprived of all negative biases concerning Hitler, Lukacs dress a portrait which seems much more accurate than usual ones. ...more "

Sep 02, 2017 09:43AM · see review