Providing a clear, straightforward, and complete history-both thematic and chronological-of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, author Jackson J. Spielvogel places the emergence of Hitler and the Third Reich within the social, economic, and political contexts that made it all possible.

Topics examined are the cultural and social aspects of the Nazi regime, including sections on art and literature, family and population policy, and sex and morals. Also provided is an in-depth view of the Holocaust—anti-Semitism in Germany, Hitler's personal racial ideology and vision of Aryan purity, the mechanisms of terror and control, and the Jewish perspective on these events.

• Material on the political scene in Weimar Germany
• Hitler's early life
• The role of Gregor Strasser in rebuilding the Nazi Party
• Material on Darre and "Blood and Soil"
• The SS and the military between 1933 and 1939

Hitler's Third Reich continues to be the object of study of many historians and writers. I am grateful for the opportunity to incorporate new material and suggestions from readers in this fifth edition of my book. Throughout the book I have made revisions, added new material, and thoroughly updated the bibliographies at the end of each chapter.

Nazi Germany had its formal beginnings in the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. Hitler and the Nazis believed that they would create a Third Reich that would last a thousand years. And yet, within a brief twelve years, despite their creation of a powerful Germany and the conquest of much of Europe, they ended up totally destroyed.

The world has not forgotten the enormity of Nazi crimes against humanity. The name Hitler and the word Nazis have become virtually synonymous with evil. Historians, philosophers, and many others have struggled to explain how and why such a phenomenon as Nazi Germany could ever have occurred in the twentieth century, and especially in a country with such a humanistic cultural heritage. While massive biographies and hundreds of specialized books on various aspects of the Third Reich have been written, my purpose in writing this book has been to provide a brief but comprehensive survey of the Third Reich based on current research findings. It is intended for general readers who want a deeper view of this short period in German history. As seen in the title, I have emphasized the person of Adolf Hitler. Although I do not believe that individuals alone determine the course of history, there is no doubt in my mind that Hitler played a crucial role in the history of the Third Reich. I have sought, however, to present a balanced picture that examines Hitler's role; the economic, social, and political forces that made possible the rise and development of Nazism; the institutional, cultural, and social life of the Third Reich; World War 11; and the Holocaust. I have approached World War II and the Holocaust as logical outcomes of the ideology of Hitler and the Nazi movement. I have discussed these subjects both chronologically and thematically.

One of my major interests in writing this book has been in putting the story back in history. I believe that a combination of good analysis and narrative is both possible and desirable. Narrative history conveys the lessons of the past well and is the form that best aids remembrance. I am convinced that an understanding of the Nazi era today is crucial if we are to avoid a repetition of similar events.