Many books have been written about Adolf Hitler since the end of the Second World War and there seems to be no abatement in the fascination he holds for those who try to understand him as a figure in history.
Despite all these books, every now and then new revelations are unearthed to shed further light on the man and the complexity of his character.
Historically, he was a monster of unparalleled cruelty, whose intended mission was to subjugate Europe as a whole, as well as the lands to the east, to spread his evil cult of Nazism by means of brutal conquest and cleanse it of those he saw as inferior branches of humanity; first the Jews, then the Slavs (though the latter part of his programme was never fully engaged).
As an artist in his early years, his gifts were no more then mediocre, but he was no ordinary man and the idea that he was in any way intellectually lacking is certainly not true.
He is not to be easily encapsulated in any fixed theories of personality.
Young Hitler by Claus Hant, published by Quartet, is an important book that reveals aspects of the man and the way he became what he did, without any of the usual marginalisation of his achievements.
The fact that the press has chosen to ignore the book’s publication in the United Kingdom speaks volumes about the irrationality of prevailing attitudes that have no bearing on merit.
Read the book and judge for yourself. An open mind is often the antidote to unfounded prejudice.
I didn’t ignore it, Naim.