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Title: The Hitler of History by John Lukacs ISBN: 0-375-70113-3 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.59 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Well Writen, Concise and Level-Headed Book
Comment: I'm writing this review having read both Lukacs' book and Ron Rosenbaum's "Explaining Hitler."
Some have criticised Lukacs for his omissions, and for what they suppose to be some attempt on his part to mitigate the seriousness or vileness of Hitler's misdeeds.
I can only say that
(i) It is hardly possible to imagine a book that manages to treat a historical figure at once concisely AND comprehensively. Short and to-the-point books do have a legitimate place in the world, and vacuous, padded and emotion-driven volumes like Ron Rosenbaum's "Explaining Hitler," make one appreciate Lukacs' achievement much more keenly.
(ii) Far from seeking to downplay Hitler's responsibility for Germany's atrocities, or to "contextualize" them away as just one more example of Man's Inherently Evil Nature, Lukacs for the most part plays the skeptic, examining the underlying motivations of those who would have attitudes towards the Third Reich "normalized," while at the same time grasping something many passionate haters of Hitler seem to forget: in blaming wider forces such as "The Teutonic Soul," Germany's "Sonderweg," his (supposed) sexual perversions, and so forth, such people essentially relieve Hitler of the responsibility, and necessarily, the guilt, for his actions. After all, what right have we to blame Hitler for anything, if his parenting and German culture destined him to his actions?
Rating: 4
Summary: Hitler and History, Hitler and Historians
Comment: John Lukacs looks at the historiography of Hitler. The Hitler of History is not a biography in any sense of the word although biographical details of Hitler's life are presented throughout and, often, in very illuminating ways. This book looks at the historians and the historiographical problems surrounding Hitler (and there are many of both). It is not necessarily for the uninitiated but will be more useful to those with a little background knowledge of the various theories being promoted and with some of the work already out there. There will be a little (or a lot) to upset any historian but there is also much to consider. The last chapter is a corker both to read and to contemplate and sums up much that has gone before in a well-written, lucid and exciting manner. This book is not the place to first read about Hitler, but it should undoubtably be the second place.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not recommended
Comment: This book was a disappointment. On the good side, John Lukacs certainly knows all about Hitler, and the body of historical work *about* Hitler. In the introduction he says he will survey the Hitler biographies, pointing out their flaws and virtues, and he's well-equipped to do that.
But after the first chapter --- which goes through every major biography in chronological order --- he divides the rest of the book into aspects of Hitler's life. There's a chapter on Hitler as a statesman, Hitler and the Jewish question, Hitler and Munich, Hitler's apologists, etc. Lukacs uses the main text to describe Hitler's life, then he packs the bottom of each page with footnotes. The footnotes refer to the biographies of Hitler. Some of the notes crowd out the main text, making the book very hard to read.
Lukacs has two fatal flaws in his writing style. One is his habit of telling you which facts about Hitler are right, which are wrong, and never bothering to tell you WHY he thinks so. He quotes a biography, then writes "This is not true." Okay, but why should I take Lukacs' word for it? I'm sure he appreciates a little skepticism, since this book is essentially about being skeptical of the way historians have depicted Hitler over the years. But Lukacs doesn't seem to realize that he can't just say yea or nay to each statement he quotes. It's not convincing.
The second fatal flaw is his need to criticize Marx, communism, Stalin, and the USSR whenever possible. Obviously, these topics should be criticized (especially Stalin). But statements about the bestial nature of Russians and the lunacy of Marx are a little too shrill. Do we need another historian telling us that the commies are bad? Lukacs treats Hitler's life with an admirable degree of nuance. Lukacs chooses his words carefully when he describes the Nazi party, Nazi Germany, Hitler, and even the term "totalitarian." But when the commies are mentioned, that level of sophistication is gone. He just rants.
I can't recommend this book. It has a promising start, but it quickly drops in quality as you go. When I got into it, I looked forward to reading about other books. I wanted to know which Hitler biographies are best, and which should be avoided. But that's not what this book is.
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Title: The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler by John Lukacs ISBN: 0300089163 Publisher: Yale University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Confessions of an Original Sinner by John Lukacs ISBN: 1890318124 Publisher: St. Augustine's Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil by Ron Rosenbaum ISBN: 006095339X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Last European War: September 1939 - December 1941 by John Lukacs ISBN: 0300089155 Publisher: Yale University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Hitler's Vienna: A Dictator's Apprenticeship by Brigitte Hamann, Thomas Thornton ISBN: 0195140532 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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