Ian Kershaw

Now available in a single, abridged paperback, Ian Kershaw's Hitler is the definitive biography of the Nazi leader. Ian Kershaw's two volume biography, Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris and Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, was greeted with universal acclaim as the essential work on one of the most malign figures in history, from his earliest origins to the final days of the Second World War. Now this landmark historical work is available in one single, abridged edition, tracing the story of how a bitter, failed art student from an obscure corner of Austria rose to unparalleled power, destroying the lives of millions and bringing the world to the brink of Armageddon. 'Supersedes all previous accounts. It is the sort of masterly biography that only a first-rate historian can write' David Cannadine, Observer 'The Hitler biography for the twenty-first century' Richard Evans, Sunday Telegraph 'I cannot imagine a better biography of this great tyrant emerging for a long while' Jeremy Paxman 'Magisterial ... anyone who wishes to understand the Third Reich must read Kershaw, for no one has done more to lay bare Hitler's morbid psyche' Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph 'For the present generation, Kershaw's Hitler stands out as a clear beacon of truth, illuminating a dark age of terror and mendacity' Mail on Sund 'An achievement of the very highest order' Michael Burleigh, Financial Times Ian Kershaw (b. 1943) was Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield from 1989-2008, and is one of the world's leading authorities on Hitler. His books include The 'Hitler Myth', his two volume biography Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris and Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, and Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941. He was knighted in 2002.

Few twentieth-century political leaders enjoyed greated popularity among their own people than Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s. This remarkable study of the myth that sustained one of the most notorious dictators, and delves into Hitler's extraordinarily powerful hold over the German people. In this 'major contribution to the study of the Third Reich' (Times Literary Supplement), Ian Kershaw argues that it lay not so much in Hitler's personality or his bizarre Nazi ideology, as in the social and political values of the people themselves. In charting the creation, rise, and fall of the `Hitler Myth', he demonstrates the importance of the manufactured 'Führer cult' to the attainment of Nazi political ends, and how the Nazis used the new techniques of propaganda to exploit and build on the beliefs, phobias, and prejudices of the day.

From his illegitimate birth in a small Austrian village to his fiery death in a bunker under the Reich chancellery in Berlin, Adolf Hitler left a murky trail, strewn with contradictory tales and overgrown with self-created myths. One truth prevails: the sheer scale of the evils that he unleashed on the world has made him a demonic figure without equal in this century. Ian Kershaw's Hitler brings us closer than ever before to the character of the bizarre misfit in his thirty-year ascent from a Viennese shelter for the indigent to uncontested rule over the German nation that had tried and rejected democracy in the crippling aftermath of World War I. With extraordinary vividness, Kershaw recreates the settings that made Hitler's rise possible: the virulent anti-Semitism of prewar Vienna, the crucible of a war with immense casualties, the toxic nationalism that gripped Bavaria in the 1920s, the undermining of the Weimar Republic by extremists of the Right and the Left, the hysteria that accompanied Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 and then mounted in brutal attacks by his storm troopers on Jews and others condemned as enemies of the Aryan race. In an account drawing on many previously untapped sources, Hitler metamorphoses from an obscure fantasist, a "drummer" sounding an insistent beat of hatred in Munich beer halls, to the instigator of an infamous failed putsch and, ultimately, to the leadership of a ragtag alliance of right-wing parties fused into a movement that enthralled the German people. This volume, the first of two, ends with the promulgation of the infamous Nuremberg laws that pushed German Jews to the outer fringes of society, and with the march of the German army into the Rhineland, Hitler's initial move toward the abyss of war.

In the summer of 1914 most of Europe plunged into a war so catastrophic that it unhinged the continent's politics and beliefs in a way that took generations to recover from. This title presents the narrative of events. It also deals with the most difficult issues that the events raise - with what it meant for the Europeans who initiated and more.

Ian Kershaw's Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris charts the rise of Adolf Hitler, from a bizarre misfit in a Viennese dosshouse, to dictatorial leadership.With extraordinary skill and vividness, drawing on a huge range of sources, Kershaw recreates the world which first thwarted and then nurtured Hitler in his youth, from early childhood to the first successes of the Nazi Party. As his seemingly pitiful fantasy of being Germany's saviour attracted more and more support, Kershaw brilliantly conveys why so many Germans adored Hitler, connived with him or felt powerless to resist him. 'Supersedes all previous accounts. It is the sort of masterly biography that only a first-rate historian can write' David Cannadine, Observer Books of the Year 'The Hitler biography for the 21st century ... cool, judicious, factually reliable and intelligently argued' Richard Evans, Sunday Telegraph 'One of the major historical biographies of our times ... a riveting read' Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times, Best Biographies of the Year 'His analysis of Hitler's extraordinary character has the fascination of a novel, but he places his struggle and rise in the context of meticulously researched history ... Deeply disturbing. Unforgettable' A.N. Wilson, Daily Mail 'A sane, erudite, moral and intellectually honest biography of the 20th century's most destructive politician' Ruth Scurr, The Times Ian Kershaw's other books include Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, Making Friends with Hitler, Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World 1940-4 and The End: Hitler's Germany, 1944-45. Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis received the Wolfson History Prize and the Bruno Kreisky Prize in Austria for Political Book of the Year, and was joint winner of the inaugural British Academy Book Prize.

I sommeren 1914 blev det meste af Europa kastet ud i en krig så katastrofal, at det tog generationer at komme sig over den. Første Verdenskrig efterlod de overlevende i en tilstand af chok over, at det civiliserede Europa, som hidtil havde været forbillede for resten af verden, havde ladet sig nedsænke i barbari. Efter krigen blev europakortet nytegnet, og nu fulgte en tumultarisk periode med dybe politiske og økonomiske kriser. Kontinentet, som rummede en række nyfødte demokratier, blev i stigende grad klemt mellem revolutionære strømninger under indtryk af den nye Sovjetstat i øst, og spirende fascistiske bevægelser og tendenser i mange andre lande. Den foreløbige kulmination kom med Hitlers magtovertagelse i det store europæiske kerneland Tyskland i 1933. Den store katastrofe er fulgt op af Helvede tur-retur, der tager fat, hvor den første bog slutter. Den nye militære konflikt, der opstod i 1939 og som resulterede i Anden Verdenskrig, skulle vise sig at blive endnu værre end den første – med massemord på civile og en lang række voldsomme begivenheder, der påvirkede hele det europæiske kontinent. I disse to monumentale værker udfolder den prisbelønnede historiker Ian Kershaw på overbevisende vis denne dybt fascinerende periode i europæisk historie. Han beskriver ikke bare de dramatiske og traumatiske begivenheder, men diskuterer også de vanskelige spørgsmål, som er fulgt i krigenes kølvand, og hvis virkninger stadig mærkes den dag i dag.

Ian Kershaw's Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-41 offers a penetrating insight into a series of momentous political decisions that shaped the course of the Second World War. The hurricane of events that marked the opening of the Second World War meant that anything could happen. For the aggressors there was no limit to their ambitions; for their victims a new Dark Age beckoned. Over the next few months their fates would be determined. In Fateful Choices Ian Kershaw re-creates the ten critical decisions taken between May 1940, when Britain chose not to surrender, and December 1941, when Hitler decided to destroy Europe's Jews, showing how these choices would recast the entire course of history. 'Powerfully argued ... important ... this book actually alters our perspective of the Second World War' Andrew Roberts 'This fascinating, closely-argued book adds to our understanding of a terrible war' Alan Massie 'A compelling re-examination of the conflict ... Kershaw displays here those same qualities of scholarly rigour, careful argument and sound judgement that he brought to bear so successfully in his life of Hitler' Richard Overy 'A splendidly lucid and impeccably argued exposition of the greatest political decisions of the Second World War' Max Hastings 'How fortunate that it is Ian Kershaw bringing his immense knowledge and clarity of thought to the task ... brilliantly explained ... an immensely wise book' Anthony Beevor Ian Kershaw (b. 1943) was Professor of Modern History at the University of Sheffield from 1989-2008, and is one of the world's leading authorities on Hitler. His books include The 'Hitler Myth', his two volume biography Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris and Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, and Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941. He was knighted in 2002.

Winner of the Wolfson Prize for History, Ian Kershaw's Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis is the concluding second volume of one of the greatest biographies of modern times. No figure in twentieth century history more clearly demands a close biographical understanding than Adolf Hitler; and no period is more important than the Second World War. Beginning with Hitler's startling European successes in the aftermath of the Rhineland occupation, from Czechoslovakia to Poland; addressing crucial questions about the unique nature of Nazi radicalism; exploring the Holocaust and the poisoned European world that allowed Hitler to operate so effectively; and ending nine years later with the suicide in the Berlin bunker, Kershaw allows us as never before to understand Hitler's motivation and impact. 'Magisterial ... anyone who wishes to understand the third reich must read Kershaw, for no on has done more to lay bare Hitler's morbid psyche' Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph 'An achievement of the very highest order ... a marvellous book' Michael Burleigh, Financial Times 'No previous biographer has examined Hitler's devilishness in Kershaw's detail ... his book is so comprehensive, so richly documented and so judicious that it will not soon be superseded' Daniel Johnson, Daily Telegraph Ian Kershaw's other books include Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis, Making Friends with Hitler, Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World 1940-4 and The End: Hitler's Germany, 1944-45. Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis received the Wolfson History Prize and the Bruno Kreisky Prize in Austria for Political Book of the Year, and was joint winner of the inaugural British Academy Book Prize.

Hur mycket kan den enskilda makthavaren påverka historiens gång? Det är svårt att föreställa sig hur Europas 1900-talshistoria skulle ha sett ut utan Hitler och Stalin eller Gorbatjov och Thatcher. I Makten och människan (Personality and Power, 2022) analyserar den framstående brittiske historikern Ian Kershaw tolv olika världsledare och hur de på vitt skilda sätt formade Europas öde. I den moderna eran omstöptes hela samhällen och krig utkämpades, ofta med ett skoningslöst förakt för de mest grundläggande normerna. Vad var det som gjorde att så olika personligheter som Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini och Adolf Hitler kunde gripa tag om och behålla makten i dessa samhällen? Kershaw undersöker såväl förutsättningarna för framgång och makt som arvet de olika ledarna lämnade efter sig."Som alltid bevisar [Kershaw] sin fenomenala expertis genom att i få väl valda linjer teckna såväl personligheter som filosofier. Om Kershaws bok kan lära oss något, är det att de samhällen som troligen är lyckligast och mest välmående är de där ledarna betyder minst." - Sunday Times

Vladimir Iljitsh Lenin Benito Mussolini Adolf Hitler Jossif Stalin Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Konrad Adenauer Francisco Franco Josip Broz Tito Margaret Thatcher Mihhail Gorbatshov Helmut KohlÜks 20. sajandi Euroopa ajaloo ja iseäranis Natsi-Saksamaa tunnustatumaid asjatundjaid Ian Kershaw otsib oma raamatus vastust küsimusele, mis on köitnud ajaloolasi pikka aega: mil määral muudavad silmapaistvad isikud ajaloo kulgu? Miks saab mõnest diktaator, samal ajal kui teisest, kes võib isiksusena olla äärmiselt võimukas, kujuneb demokraatia tugisammas? Vaadeldes kaheteistkümne 20. sajandi Euroopat enim mõjutanud riigijuhi elulugu, uurib autor, kas nende teed võimule ja võimu teostamist määras pigem konkreetne ühiskondlik ja poliitiline olustik oma juhuste ja sattumustega või tõusid nad riiki juhtima tänu oma ainukordsetele isikuomadustele, mille abil nad isiklikult murrangu esile kutsusid. Need kaksteist lühielulugu koos mitmetahulise analüüsiga annavad eelmise aastasaja Euroopa poliitilise võimu ajaloost kaasahaarava ja tervikliku ülevaate.Briti ajaloolase Ian Kershaw' (snd 1943) teostest on eesti keeles ilmunud muu hulgas üks hinnatumaid Hitleri biograafiaid (kahes köites: "Hitler 1889-1936. Kõrkus" ja "Hitler 1936-1945. Karistus") ning "Saatuslikud valikud. Kümme otsust, mis muutsid maailma".

Yksikin johtaja voi muuttaa historian kulkua – hyvässä ja pahassa.Arvostettu englantilainen historioitsija pohtii, miten johtajan poikkeuksellinen luonne yhdistyneenä tietynlaiseen yhteiskunnalliseen tilanteeseen on tuottanut tuhoisia itsevaltiaita – ja toisaalta demokratiaa rakentaneita johtajia.Teos rakentaa muotokuvaa johtajista, jotka ovat muovanneet maanosamme historiaa. Mikä näissä vahvoissa johtajissa ja heidän aikakaudessaan mahdollisti heidän toimintansa? Ja mihin tuo aikakausi päättyi?Kershaw kertoo johtajien työskentelytavasta ja suhteesta heitä tukeviin hallitseviin rakenteisiin. Hän tuo esiin myös virheitä, joihin johtajat sortuivat valtansa loppuaikoina. Tavallisimpana niistä on ylimielisyys, joka ilmeneeerityisesti liian kauan vallassa olleissa diktaattoreissa.Teoksessa tarkastelun alle joutuvat Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Tito, Franco, Churchill, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Gorbatšov, Thatcher ja Kohl.Palkittu historioitsija Sir Ian Kershaw (s. 1943) tunnetaan erityisesti Natsi-Saksan asiantuntijana ja Hitler-tutkijana. Hän on toiminut nykyhistorian professorina ja BBC:n historiallisten tv-dokumenttien neuvonantajana. Kershaw on on British Academyn ja Royal Historical Societyn jäsen.

August Kubizek met Adolf Hitler in 1904 while they were both competing for standing room at the opera. Their mutual passion for music created a strong bond, and over the next four years they became close friends. Kubizek describes a reticent young man, painfully shy, yet capable of bursting into hysterical fits of anger if anyone disagreed with him. The two boys would often talk for hours on end; Hitler found Kubizek to be a very good listener, a worthy confidant to his hopes and dreams. In 1908 Kubizek moved to Vienna and shared a room with Hitler at 29 Stumpergasse. During this time, Hitler tried to get into art school, but he was unsuccessful. With his money fast running out, he found himself sinking to the lower depths of the city: an unkind world of isolation and constant unappeasable hunger. Hitler moved out of the flat in November, without leaving a forwarding address; Kubizek did not meet his friend again until 1938. The Young Hitler I Knew tells the story of an extraordinary friendship, and gives fascinating insight into Hitler's character during these formative years. This is the first edition to be published in English since 1955 and it corrects many changes made for reasons of political correctness. It also includes important sections which were excised from the original English translation.

One of the great historians of our age asks: how far can a single leader alter the course of history?The modern era saw the emergence of individuals who had command over a terrifying array of instruments of control, persuasion and death. Whole societies were re-shaped and wars fought, often with a merciless contempt for the most basic norms. At the summit of these societies were leaders whose personalities had somehow given them the ability to do whatever they wished.Ian Kershaw's new book is a compelling, lucid and challenging attempt to understand these rulers, whether operating on the widest stage (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini) or with a more national impact (Tito, Franco). What was it about these leaders and the times they lived in that allowed them such untrammelled and murderous power? And what brought that era to an end? In a contrasting group of profiles, from Churchill to de Gaulle, Adenauer to Gorbachev, and Thatcher to Kohl, Kershaw uses his exceptional skills to think through how other, strikingly different figures wielded power.

One of New York Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of the Fall How far can a single leader alter the course of history? From one of the leading historians of twentieth-century Europe and the author of the definitive biography of Hitler, Personality and Power is a masterful reckoning with how character conspired with opportunity to create the modern age's uniquely devastating despots--and how and why other countries found better paths. The modern era saw the emergence of individuals who had command over a terrifying array of instruments of control, persuasion and death. Whole societies were reshaped and wars were fought, often with a merciless contempt for the most basic norms. At the summit of these societies were leaders whose personalities somehow enabled them to do whatever they wished, regardless of the consequences for others. Ian Kershaw's new book is a compelling, lucid and challenging attempt to understand these rulers, whether those operating on the widest stage (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini) or with a more national impact (Tito, Franco). What was it about these leaders, and the times in which they lived, that allowed them such untrammelled and murderous power? And what brought that era to an end? In a contrasting group of profiles--from Churchill to de Gaulle, Adenauer to Gorbachev and Thatcher to Kohl)--Kershaw uses his exceptional skills as an iconic historian to explore how strikingly different figures wielded power.

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Brilliant ... a historical masterpiece' The Times Literary SupplementFrom one of Britain's most distinguished historians and the bestselling author of Hitler, this is the definitive history of a divided Europe, from the aftermath of the Second World War to the present. After the overwhelming horrors of the first half of the 20th century, described by Ian Kershaw in his previous book as having gone 'to Hell and back', the years from 1950 to 2017 brought peace and relative prosperity to most of Europe. Enormous economic improvements transformed the continent. The catastrophic era of the world wars receded into an ever more distant past, though its long shadow continued to shape mentalities. Europe was now a divided continent, living under the nuclear threat in a period intermittently fraught with anxiety. Europeans experienced a 'roller-coaster ride', both in the sense that they were flung through a series of events which threatened disaster, but also in that they were no longer in charge of their own destinies: for much of the period the USA and USSR effectively reduced Europeans to helpless figures whose fates were dictated to them by the Cold War. There were striking successes - the Soviet bloc melted away, dictatorships vanished and Germany was successfully reunited. But accelerating globalization brought new fragilities. The impact of interlocking crises after 2008 was the clearest warning to Europeans that there was no guarantee of peace and stability. In this remarkable book, Ian Kershaw has created a grand panorama of the world we live in and where it came from. Drawing on examples from all across the continent, Roller-Coaster will make us all rethink Europe and what it means to be European.

Med dette fjerde bind i den britiske historiker Ian Kershaws bud på en samlet historie om Europa i det 20. århundrede er vi nået frem til oliekrisen i 1973. Herfra bevæger fremstillingen sig op til vor tid og beskriver undervejs en række skelsættende begivenheder i nyere europæisk historie. Der var slående succeser efter de fleste målestokke – sovjetblokken gik i opløsning, diktaturer forsvandt, og Tyskland blev genforenet. Men de indbyrdes forbundne kriser fra 2008 og frem var en meget klar advarsel til europæerne om, at der ikke var nogen garanti for fortsat fred og stabilitet.I Vendepunkter, som udgør afslutningen på Ian Kershaws monumentale firbindsværk om Europa i det 20. århundrede, giver han et storslået vue ud over den verden, vi lever i, og hvor den kommer fra. Ved hjælp af eksempler fra hele Europa vil han med disse fire bind have os til at tænke over, hvad Europa er, og hvad det vil sige at være europæer.