A remarkable historical and psychological study of the enigma of Adolf Hitler and his impact on the twentieth century - by the bestselling author of DEFYING HITLER.

'Dazzlingly brilliant' OBSERVER

'Mr Haffner ... has exposed better, and more briefly, than anyone else the clockwork of that infernal machine' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Sebastian Haffner examines Hitler's lifespan, his performance, his successes, errors, intellectual misconceptions, crimes and, last but not least, his great betrayal of his nation, the Western world and human civilisation.

'What makes Haffner's book different is that it is not one more biography but an analysis - a most penetrating analysis - of what Hitler was up to in his astonishing career' A.L. Rowse

'Mr Haffner...has exposed better, and more briefly, than anyone else the clockwork of that infernal machine' Gordon Brook-Shepherd, Sunday Telegraph

A quite dazzlingly brilliant analysis of what [Hitler] was * OBSERVER *
Mr Haffner ... has exposed better, and more briefly, than anyone else the clockwork of that infernal machine * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
A most penetrating analysis - of what Hitler was up to in his astonishing career -- A L Rowse
Tough-minded evaluation of Hitler's career ... That this book was a best-seller in Germany [43 weeks] indicates that Haffner's countrymen welcomed this compact, lucid, hard-headed re-examination of contemporary history * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
A stimulating book, brilliant and rich in ideas; in short a masterpiece of historical essay writing -- Joachim Fest, author of PLOTTING HITLER'S DEATH
An intelligent, wholly original and very enlightening book ... clear, informative and provocative * ENCOUNTER *

Sebastian Haffner was born in 1907 in Berlin. He emigrated to England in 1938 and wrote for the OBSERVER for many years. He returned to Germany in 1954, where he became a prominent journalist and historian, writing for DIE WELT and STERN. He died in 1999.