Hitler’s career remains one of the most extraordinary in world history. No one else has gone from sleeping on park benches to become a world leader. After the First World War he became involved in extremist politics – first on the far left and then the far right. It is often assumed that Hitler’s ambitions were never realistic and his failure was inevitable. This book challenges that view and suggests a number of missed opportunities or misjudgements that might have led to a different result. Michael FitzGerald shows how Hitler’s personal defects contributed considerably to Germany’s defeat. In addition to the military mistakes he made a series of political, economic and foreign policy blunders were major factors in his failure to achieve his goals.

Michael FitzGerald is a writer and historian of the Third Reich. He has appeared on radio and television and is the author of eleven published books. His titles include Adolf Hitler: A Portrait, Hitler’s Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction, Unsolved Mysteries of World War Two and Hitler’s War Beneath The Waves.