The Bottom Line
Pros
- Wide ranging study.
- Treats Hitler as a complex individual.
- Focuses on rare topics.
Cons
- Often brief.
Description
- 214 pages plus 8 of pictures.
- Spellmount, 2006
- ISBN i862273227
Guide Review - Adolf Hitler: A Portrait by Michael Fitzgerald
In a media market crowded with material on Adolf Hitler, one of the dominant figures in European history, Michael Fitzgerald sets his aims out early: to answer "How could a mass murderer command such genuine and extraordinary affection and trust?" He tackles the question in thirteen largely thematic chapters including 'Hitler as Conspirator' and 'Hitler the 'Green' Leader', each emphasising aspects of Hitler's life that other histories pass over.Art, Social Darwinism, modernism and massive working class support are brought to the centre of the discussion. Perhaps the most surprising material is on the extent of the Hitler's socialist beliefs and practice, environmental policies and treatment of women. The origin of Hitler's anti-Semitism is explored - Fitzgerald argues for a sense of anger at an absentee Jewish father – as is the huge extent to which Hitler acquired his philosophies from others. However, this isn't the first book you should read on Hitler: much of the political context is taken for granted which, given the extent to which it's covered elsewhere, is fair enough.
Fitzgerald is careful to explain which sources can be relied on, which is fortunate as this reviewer longed for more depth in each chapter. It's not that the author's ideas are lightweight, but that with just 214 pages to tackle so complex a figure he has to rush, particularly the conclusions. Fascinating comments, including that Hitler was 'like a child', have to go unexplored. Of course, this commitment to alacrity makes the book more accessible. The book's weak spot is the author's choosing to discuss the death toll of the Holocaust, which for many will undermine the integrity of whole work.
Overall this is a wide ranging - but quirky - look at a complex individual and a good supplement to any other work.
