Review by Choice Review
Ryback (director, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation, the Netherlands), the author of Hitler's Private Library (2008), has written an indispensable account of the politics that led President Paul von Hindenburg to reluctantly appoint Adolf Hitler to the chancellorship of the Weimar Republic in 1933. A sworn enemy of democracy, Hitler sought to use the Republic's constitution to destroy it. As Goebbels wrote, "the big joke on democracy is that it gives its mortal enemies the tools to its own destruction" (qtd. in Ryback p. 110). True to form, within weeks of Hitler's appointment Germany was no longer a democracy. To better understand what led to this, Ryback includes detailed accounts of the many personalities who contributed to Hitler becoming chancellor, including his potential rival for the leadership of the National Socialists, Gregor Strasser; his bittersweet relationship with Alfred Hugenberg, the media mogul and founder of his own anti-democratic fascist party; and von Hindenburg and his disdain for Hitler. All played a role in designating Hitler as chancellor, as did Franz von Papen and Kurt von Schleicher, who similarly bear responsibility for the demise of democracy in Germany. Ryback concludes by questioning whether Weimar Germany can serve as a cautionary tale for the US, given its present polarization and fragmentation. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates and graduate students. --Jack Robert Fischel, emeritus, Millersville University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
A leading historian of Nazi Germany reminds us that Hitler assumed power largely through legal and political maneuvering along with the hubristic miscalculations of more powerful men. Winning a sizable percentage of the vote in the Reichstag elections of July 1932, the National Socialists were ascendant even if their internal party politics and finances were in disarray. But Hitler's installation as chancellor was not a given and indeed was opposed by leading conservative non-Nazis. One powerful opponent was Kurt von Schleicher, the militaristic, antidemocratic, and anti-Hitler chancellor of a conservative coalition government. Others included Hitler rival Alfred Hugenberg and the elderly Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg. But in the end, all would be outmaneuvered by a small cadre of Hitler loyalists acting assertively (and lying constantly) to take advantage of a confusing and volatile historical moment. Informed by diaries, newspapers, meeting minutes, and other archival sources, Ryback offers a discerning play-by-play of this "devils' dance" and reminds readers of the many missed opportunities for individuals to have chosen differently. He makes no reference to the present, but its relevance is obvious.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Historian Ryback (Hitler's First Victims) presents a riveting blow-by-blow account of the six months leading up to Adolf Hitler's January 1933 appointment as Germany's chancellor. Describing a nation in disarray, Ryback notes an "epidemic of murder sweeping the country" at the hands of partisan paramilitaries. Meanwhile the Nazi party, though it had just claimed the largest share of votes in July 1932 elections, was short of an overall majority. The tempered win led to Hitler entering the "rarefied" orbit of Kurt von Schleicher, "the ultimate Berlin power broker" who worked toward securing Hitler the chancellorship, convinced it would "lure the National Socialist leader away from the 'all or nothing' faction of his movement." As Ryback illustrates, this scheme faced multiple obstacles. Germany's president Paul von Hindenburg, concerned for democracy, refused to appoint Hitler. Then, November elections saw the Nazis lose two million votes from July, causing "fissures in party leadership." By the end of the year, Hitler was viewed by some as "a man with a great future behind him." In Ryback's propulsive narrative, the quick turnaround--brought about by multiple small compounding vagaries of breaking news, personality quirks, and political horse-trading--that resulted in Hitler being appointed chancellor by Hindenburg at the end of January makes for a chilling climax. It's a dire and remarkably astute depiction of how fickle and contingent the forces of history can be. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An expert account of the dizzying months when Hitler solidified his power in Germany. Some readers may be shocked when Ryback, author of Hitler's Private Library and The Last Survivor, points out that Hitler's assumption of absolute power was executed legally. His failed 1923 coup made him famous as a hypernationalistic right-wing fanatic, one of many in post--World War I Germany. His brown shirts were thugs, and his rhetoric was hateful, but the National Socialists became a legitimate political party, participating in elections throughout the 1920s and winning a few seats until the devastating Depression, after which membership exploded. Ryback begins his riveting account in July 1932, when the party won 37% of the vote, making Hitler a legitimate candidate for chancellor. Germany's conservative establishment included national icon Paul von Hindenburg, who was president, a position that held the power to appoint the chancellor. All shared Hitler's hatred of communism, the Treaty of Versailles, and the "haggling and compromise" essential to "weak-kneed democracies." Hitler enjoyed scattered conservative support, but most were put off by his fanaticism and his followers' savagery. Hindenburg disliked him and, in a painful August interview, announced that he would not be appointed. Of course, this infuriated Hitler, and readers curious to learn his ultimately successful tactics may be shocked that he simply went on as before, with equal fanaticism. His Nazis did not tone down their violence, and the times worked in his favor. Germany was a mess, with rampant unemployment and a wildly unpopular government. The fear of a communist revolution, far more than right-wing vulgarity, obsessed conservatives. No more rational than Hitler, in early 1933, they convinced themselves that they were clever enough to control Hitler as chancellor. Everyone knows how that turned out. A masterfully narrated story of how a democracy committed suicide, with lessons for today. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
