GERMANY AUTHOR · BIOGRAPHY · HISTORY
Volker Ullrich
Volker Ullrich (born 14 October 1975) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Bavaria from 2013 until 2025.
All through his life he made the strongest efforts to conceal as well as to glorify his own personality.
— from Hitler, 1973
Most acclaimed
Napoleon
1840
"The second volume of Michael Broers' three volume life of Napoleon, covering the tumultuous years 1805 to 1810, a period which marks the zenith of Napoleon's power and military success. Like volume one, it is based on the new version of Napoleon's correspondence, made available by the Fondation Napoléon in Paris. It is the story of Napoleon's conquest of Europe--and that of his magnificent Grande Armée-- as they sweep through the length and breadth of Europe. Spirit of the Age opens with Napoleon's as yet untested army making its way through the Bavarian Alps in the early winter of 1805, to fall upon the unsuspecting Austrians and Russians, and crushing them at Austerlitz. This was only the beginning of series of spectacular victories: over the Prussians in 1806, and then the Russians, which brought the Tsar to defeat in 1807. It follows the army into Spain, in 1808, most ill-considered step in his career as ruler, and then through the most daunting triumph of all, the final defeat of Austria at Wagram, in 1809, the bloodiest battle in European history up to that time. These five years encompass the dramas of Napoleon's separation from Josephine amid the turmoil of ruling a pan-European empire. These years also saw Napoleon navigate plots against him, his clash with the Pope and excommunication, and his loss of trust in many of those closest to him. It closes with his marriage to Marie-Louise, the daughter of his defeated enemy, the Emperor of Austria. With the greatest "trophy bride" in history on his arm, Napoleon now turns again to face his only remaining enemy, Britain, and the challenge of ruling an empire that now spans the entirety of Europe."--Amazon.com.
Adolf Hitler
1972
Konrad Heidens vielgerühmte Biografie über Adolf Hitler. Der jüdische Journalist und Sozialdemokrat Konrad Heiden veröffentlichte zwischen 1935 und 1936 diese »erste bedeutende Hitler-Biografie« (Joachim Fest). Konrad Heiden, der als einer der schärfster Kritiker der Nationalsozialisten gilt, hat den Aufstieg Adolf Hitlers von Anfang an begleitet und schildert in seiner Biografie vor allem die persönliche Seite im Leben des Führers. Die schonungslose biografische und psychologische Durchleuchtung seiner Gestalt liefert den entscheidenden Schlüssel, um Hitlers politische Ziele und Ideen zu durchschauen und das entscheidende Verständnis dafür zu entwickeln, was für die Welt von Anfang an auf dem Spiel stand. Dementsprechend nennt der Historiker John Lukacs Heidens Biografie »die erste substanzielle Studie über Hitler«. Bevor das ganze Ausmaß des Schreckens bekannt war, das Hitler und die Nationalsozialisten über Europa bringen sollten, warnt Heiden bereits auf eindringliche Weise vor den Absichten dieses Mannes. Aus nächster Nähe beobachtet er die Auftritte des Demagogen, beschreibt detailgetreu und nicht selten mit sarkastischem Unterton die Wirkung auf die Zuhörer, arbeitet das Gewöhnliche und Spießbürgerliche, vor allem aber das Diabolische und Krankhafte an Hitlers Wesen heraus – und das lang vor der Katastrophe des Krieges und des Holocausts. Ausführlich widmet sich »Hitlers Feind Nr. 1« der Analyse des politischen Augenblicks und schildert Geschichte nicht aus der Rückwärtsbetrachtung, sondern während sie passiert. »Es hat kaum einen wortgewaltigeren, exakteren und entschiedeneren Gegner der Nazis gegeben.« die tageszeitung
Hitler
1973
This book is 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. - Publisher.