Adolf Hitler is a great paradox: full of hatred, incapable of any normal interpersonal human relationship, unwilling to even discuss political issues, yet managed to gather a huge mass support, captivating and persuading millions of people. How did this happen? This is the crucial question that this book tries to answer.
The Holocaust, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the outbreak of World War II - the exclusive responsibility for all these catastrophic and atrocious events, and more, could be solely attributed to Hitler. He was certainly a war criminal, unprecedented in historical chronicles. However, as many who knew him attest, he often managed to exert immense influence on those around him. Laurence Rees examines the nature of Hitler's appeal and reveals the role that his alleged "charisma" played in his success. In his previous work, Rees has explored the internal workings of the Nazi state in his book "The Nazis: A Lesson from History" (Patakis Editions, 2008), as well as the crimes committed by the Nazis in his book "Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'" (Patakis Editions, 2006). "The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler" is a natural evolution of a twenty-year-long writing and research work on the Third Reich and is an extremely penetrating study of the man, his personality, and his psyche.