Hitler's Charisma: Leading Millions into the Abyss

I came to this book to try to understand what it is about human nature that allowed ostensibly one individual to affect the lives of millions of people, mostly in a negative way.Laurence Rees cannot put what happened succinctly in a few words, because it turns out that there were many factors at work, needing the whole book to create the picture; but in a nutshell it was because the times, and the people allowed it to happen. Germany was recovering after WWI, and the Allies had imposed huge repa [...]

Laurence Rees deliver yet another fascinating book on World War II. He looks at Adolf Hitler and how he cast his spell over Germany. He delves into his own personal collection of unpublished interviews to ask the question what it was that made people follow him. The author takes great care to try and put us in the mindset of the average German during Hitler’s rule. As well as looking at the methods and tools used by Hitler and his staff to build him up as the saviour of Germany. We hear from t [...]

After you read this book, you sadly realize that Hitler's charisma was really his deep hatred of the Jews. He was not an extraordinary in any ways except how good he could articulate his hatred in speeches. While others at that time may have been more reserved or subtle about their hatred, Hitler was not and took it to an art form that made masses feel that hatred he felt and would do anything for him, even murder --- mass murder. This was Hitler's talent and this is how he came to power and cau [...]

Laurence Rees sets out to identify and explain the human factors that brought Hitler to power and enabled him to retain his grip on a major European state despite his extraordinary nihilism and destructiveness. Rees sees the answer in this mystery in Hitler's personal charismatic grip on other people, and in his ability to make millions believe in the myth, the vision, the drama, the dream of nearly-everlasting Third Reich. Vision, not policy; this was a regime founded on belief and not on reaso [...]

The question that historians have struggled with since the rise of the Nazi party is how did Adolph Hitler, a non-preposessing cipher of a man become the most powerful man in the world albeit for only a little more than a decade. How did he convince many basically good people to either commit or ignore the most heinous crimes in history? The author searches for the answer and makes some good arguments for the creation of the "Hitler myth". I will not try to go into detail as to all the reasons w [...]

Starts off well, provides an interesting and credible take on the foundation of Hitler's rise to power, the conditions and events he was able to exploit (and how he exploited them) - particularly salient in view of the creeping trend towards "personality politics" worldwide However, it peters out noticeably towards the end; gets very lacklustre and tired in tone. It's as if the author just gave up or couldn't be bothered and skipped to the end of the story to get it off his desk. Worth a look, f [...]

Interesujesz się historią XX wieku? Totalitaryzmami? II wojną światową? A może po prostu kiedyś liznąłeś/liznęłaś trochę historii? Niezależnie od wybranej odpowiedzi, mam wrażenie, że pewnie kiedyś ta myśl pojawiła się w twojej głowie. Zagadka, paradoks tak dziwaczny i tak brzemienny w skutki jednocześnie. Pytanie, na które wcale nie jest łatwo znaleźć odpowiedź. Jak to się stało? Jak to możliwe, że Niemcy, stary i rozsądny naród, uwierzyli w ideę supremacji wy [...]

Interesting point of view, but I don't feel that I learned anything new really, except perhaps a little about Hitler's early life. Average to good. 3 stars.

Lawrence Rees focuses on the apparent charisma Hitler possessed to be able to exert a powerful influence over those he encountered. Rees starts with 1913 when Hitler was twenty-four and incapable of forming normal human relationships and unwilling to listen to dissent from his own narrow views. The book recounts his starting out with nothing and inheriting a small amount from an aunt that he used to start a business drawing portraits. He drifted in Vienna until he received 800 Kronen from his fa [...]

One of the truly great mysteries of the twentieth century is how the German people followed Hitler into a moral abyss. How did such a cultured nation become the epitome of evil during the 1930’s and 1940’s? This book sets out to answer the question.Author Laurence Rees does a masterful job of explaining how Hitler used the concept of the “slippery slope” to anesthetize the German people into committing/condoning horrific acts that only years before would have seemed unimaginable. For exa [...]

If you've ever seen footage of a Hitler speech and wondered why so many people followed him, this book sets out to provide an answer. The author's main point seems to be that charisma is in the eye of the beholder; for various reasons, a lot of people in Germany at the time were looking for someone like him to follow and were already pre-disposed to be susceptible to the "charisma" of Hitler. If you are already well-versed on this subject, you may not learn a huge amount that is new, although so [...]

The success of Hitler as a leader is one of history's imponderable mysteries and this book attempts to unravel why so many were in thrall. To document the rise of Nazism and the events of World War II is not the book's aim but rather to look more deeply into his behaviour and others response to him in the period; the use of prime sources is compelling. At the end of the book, one feels enlightened yet still completely mystified. Excellent.

A good starting point for someone looking to explore the personality of Adolf Hitler. I've read a couple of books about Hitler in the past but none of them really explained what he was like as a person or what drew people to him. The emphasis was always on his political rise to power rather than his personality. This book helps to flesh out the character and ' charisma' of Hitler because, as Rees points out many times during his book, not everyone fell under his supposed spell.

Whether you agree with all his arguments and points, this is a good addition to the World War II reading collection. Very clearly written and well organized though a little repetitive in spots. Does a good job with the intricate diplomatic situation, and full of good anecdotes that I had never seen before.

I have read many books about Hitler and the Nazis but there is always something more to learn. Even though I still find it hard to comprehend how the Germans followed and admired him, this book does go into the reasons. This book compliments the BBC series which I did watch and enjoy.

não é nenhuma obra prima histórica, nem de perto bem de longe. um livro que vende por ter o nome Hitler na capa.

I'm not sure if this book was better than I had hoped or not as good as I had hoped. It was surprisingly good in unexpected ways yet somewhat rabbit-trailed from the title. I'm sure it is indeed hard to do a psychological profile on someone who has been dead for so long but that's what I was hoping for. There were sections where Rees addressed the topic. Some highlights:-[A charismatic leader is a]quasi-religious figure. Followers of such a leader are looking for more than just lower taxes or be [...]

In brief, this book gives an interesting look into the soul of one of history's most ruthless and infamous dictators and examines what pulled his strings. It isn't as detailed as Ian Kershaw's 'Hitler', but it does offer a lot of information that I probably would not have come across if I hadn't read it. Rees portrays Hitler as a semi-lunatical, self-absorbed pseudo idealistic man who interacted with his authoritarian state in an interesting manner that involved him taking snippets of advice fro [...]

Brilliant look at the rise and rule of Hitler. Taking Weber's notion of charismatic leadership (in contrast to bureaucratic leadership) Mr Rees presents a compelling case that Hitler led almost exclusively using charisma. The Reich is often viewed as a totalitarian police state, which it was, but the terror was limited to fringe groups. Average Germans were persuaded rather than compelled. The staggering apotheosis from a ordinary corporal to Fuhrer is beyond comprehension but this book gives a [...]

More about the mass psychology of fascism and why individuals and millions of people fell for the charms of a complete lunatic. Why did the majority of people prefer to live in an illusion rather than face up to the truth - man comeith with Utopian dreams and the masses gobble it up! Could we learn anything from this parable? HELL YES! But please don't burn the books, READ MORE.Great Book *****Five Stars*****

no sense of remorse until the end? ! His charisma only worked because the followers share certain beliefs and sentiment with him. So much pain and suffering caused by this demonic charisma.And I just watched Hitler's speech on YouTube, must say it was strong and convincing. It's an extract speech of around 10 minutes, most were appealing calling German people to work together, helped each other and Heil Germany. But there was actually so much hatred behind this speech.

I found the first half of the book much more interesting than the second. The first few chapters had me constantly thinking "this sounds scarily familiar to certain people in power today." However, much of the book was dry. Glad to have read it, glad to be done.

This book also provides insight into Trump. Unfortunately, I can now empathize with the Germans who didn't support Hitler and walked around stunned wondering what the hell people saw in their newly elected officials.

'tis I, the #1 German history fan. This was sooo interesting to read I loved

I gave this book 5 stars because it really got to the heart of why the Nazi's did what they did. I think it even explains Hitler to an extent. It still has its limitations, but I'm okay with that.Essentially, people chose paths to complete Hitler's vision in any way possible-as fast as possible-to gain favor from him. He comes across as an abusive adult who the child wants to please-&-maybe that's who he was for millions of people. The thing I found striking is the fact that Nazis all around [...]

Any time I approach the topic of Adolf Hitler, there is a one-word question that immediately pops up in my head: "How?" As in, "How did Hitler manage to convince an entire nation to (apparently) willingly follow him down that dark, evil path?"In my many years of reading, no one has really explained that to me to my satisfaction. And when I found Laurence Rees' Hitler's Charisma, I had some hope, but was entirely ready to be disappointed. The good news is that Mr. Rees did not disappoint.Hitler's [...]

So farExcessively readable, there is a strange clarity in the way this man writes- the eye doesn't stumble, and the ideas he writes about present themselves to the mind in an orderly fashion so that one breezes through. Hitler is a mystery in terms of his charisma. In his younger days he was seen as odd, a loner. He didn't socialise, had no girl friend, spent his spare time reading. His army mates regarded him cooly. He seems to be the last candidate for charismatic leadership. Yet, as Rees expl [...]

The question that World War 2 poses to readers today isn't "what happened?" That question has been answered by historians, filmmakers, and publishers many, many times over the year.For a reader like me, a Germanphile, admittedly, the question is "how could it have happened?" Now that I have Laurence Rees's fine book deposited in my brain, I think I have the answer.This isn't a history of World War 2, per se. The war begins about 2/3rds of the way through the book. Rees focuses on the foundations [...]

This was a book for Third Reich aficionado Edo, who yet has to read it. Of course I only read this because of Helga Magdamo, who lived it. And here I was (still am), very fascinated with her stories. The German people embraced Hitler because of the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. They were looking for a unifier, in the same way the Philippines looked to Cory Aquino who, in spite of her deficit in the charisma department, was instrumental in solidifying the Filipino people. I credit the write [...]

Very insightful book on how Hitler rose to power through his charismatic skills. In summary: he took advantage of the situation-- A population bitter over the loss of the First World War, the resulting Treaty of Versailles, the economic despair in its wake, and the seemingly ineffectual leadership in place. The people needed an enemy and Hitler provided it in international Jewry, a convenient and vague scapegoat. Through his skillful rhetoric championing National Socialism he promised the masses [...]