History – 80 pages – my copy (paperback; 1997) purchased for 50p from Plymouth Central Library sometime during 2008
- 3 nods out of 5 -
The Worm hears your concerns already: “not another book on Hitler.” But let us all be serious; Mr Hitler is hardly your every-day politician, of scandal and infamy; not your run-of-the-mill dictator; nor your next-door-war-monger of which the world has countless numbers throughout history. No, Hitler is more than that. As historians have proclaimed in the past few decades, we are far from done with Hitler yet. And if that’s good enough for the academic community, then it’s good enough for the Worm.
Yet this book, from the hand of Dick Geary, perhaps deserves more of your time and consideration. In a brief, yet information packed, 80 pages Geary manages to give us the birth and growth of Nazism, of the collapse of the Weimer Republic, of a look at Nazi state and society, leading towards the ominous chapter title: ‘War and destruction’. And if that wasn’t enough, Geary is ready at hand to reflect and analyse on every notable tenant of the Nazi regime. The Worm can already hear you gasping for air.
Many of the prominent books on Hitler and Nazism normally number hundreds of hundreds, into the thousand mark (William Shirer, most famously); so to pack in such information and debate into double digits is nothing short of remarkable. Although Geary himself would argue he has written greater works, with heavyweight impact; this book is the perfect introduction into Nazism, as well as the book for Nazi enthusiasts to brush up on their Hitler. As the Worm concurs, we are a long way from being done with Hitler. The continuance of books such as this ensures the past is never forgotten.
