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Hitler

Ascent 1889-1939

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Hitler

By: Volker Ullrich
Narrated by: Don Hagen
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About this listen

A major new biography - an extraordinary, penetrating study of the man who has become the personification of evil.

For all the literature about Adolf Hitler, there have been just four seminal biographies; this is the fifth, a landmark work that sheds important new light on Hitler himself. Drawing on previously unseen papers and a wealth of recent scholarly research, Volker Ullrich reveals the man behind the public persona, from Hitler's childhood, to his failures as a young man in Vienna, to his experiences during the First World War, to his rise as a far-right party leader. Ullrich deftly captures Hitler's intelligence, instinctive grasp of politics, and gift for oratory as well as his megalomania, deep insecurity, and repulsive worldview.

Many previous biographies have focused on the larger social conditions that explain the rise of the Third Reich. Ullrich gives us a comprehensive portrait of a postwar Germany humiliated by defeat, wracked by political crisis, and starved by an economic depression - but his real gift is to show vividly how Hitler used his ruthlessness and political talent to shape the Nazi party and lead it to power. For decades the world has tried to grasp how Hitler was possible. By focusing on the man at the center of it all, on how he experienced his world, formed his political beliefs, and wielded power, this riveting biography brings us closer than ever to the answer.

Translated from the German by Jefferson Chase.

©2016 Volker Ullrich (P)2016 Gildan Media LLC
20th Century Germany Historical Politicians Presidents & Heads of State Holocaust War Royalty Imperialism Prisoners of War
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Critic reviews

"Ullrich reveals Hitler to have been an eminently practical politician - and frighteningly so. Timely...One of the best works on Hitler and the origins of the Third Reich to appear in recent years." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"An outstanding study...All the huge, and terrible moments of the early Nazi era are dissected...but the real strength of this book is in disentangling the personal story of man and monster." ( The Guardian [U.K.])

What listeners say about Hitler

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration - best I’ve heard on a non-fiction Audible

It was Kershaw’s or this and the former was only available in French on the UK Audible store. Best narrator I’ve heard on this platform.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Informative listen

Found the content very interesting with quite a few things I was unaware of.

However the narration is a little laboured and took some getting used to.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Very good

I'll have to listen to some parts of it again because I had it on in the background doing other things. I learned a lot of new things from this book and the narration was excellent. It makes me want to find out more about the other characters mentioned (Goebbels, Papen, etc)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Peculiar choice of translation.

This is a clear and well written account of Hitler's life, detailed and as objective as the story of such a person can be.
However, the translation of correspondence and documents from the time into modern American vernacular is bizarre.
Whatever Hitler was, I'm sure that he didn't write in the language of a mid-west High School dropout.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent

An important, fascinating and detailed account centred around the personalities involved.
Also, I can't praise the narrator too highly. His quiet, even, beautifully enunciated delivery is a perfect counterpoint to the savage events he is describing

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Expertly narrated

A clever book as it chapters Hitlers life before WW2. Each chapter is on a different topic so none of the usual going round the houses, it just focuses on the relevance of it.
A refreshing approach and the narration was perfect.

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Good book., well read.

A conventional account of Hitler's rise, we'll read but with some strange translation quirks.





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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Clearly well researched but bit dull and poor narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not as there are so many much better ones

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Forensic detail but got wearing - hard to listen to

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Don Hagen?

Any of the big ones. Tried to enjoy the narration and it did get a bit better but not good. Dull.

Do you think Hitler needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes story only half told but get a new narrator please

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Very interesting

An interesting and well put together narrative. The performer had wonderful cadence to his reading.

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