How Hitler Was Made: Germany and the Rise of the Perfect Nazi

Many historians evaluate Hitler’s rise to power during the early stages of World War II through the framework of a politically fragmented German state. The “stab-in-the-back” mentality, which divided Germany into left and right in the wake of the Treaty of Versailles, is often considered to be the primer for Hitler’s rise in public appeal. In Cory Taylor’s How Hitler Was Made: Germany and the Rise of the Perfect Nazi, these catalysts are indeed thoroughly scrutinized, but interestingly, a significant amount of attention is given to the post-war socialist revolution in Bavaria and its impact on public perceptions of the so-called “Jewish-Bolshevik plot.” And though the text does follow Hitler’s political origins and subsequent rise to power, it also offers insight into the inter-workings of smaller uprisings throughout the Bavarian state, each of which contributed to the power vacuum that allowed Hitler to seize control.

Taylor provides a succinct and well-organized chronology of the rise of Nazism in post-World War I Germany, filled with ample background research on the other key political players who helped push Hitler into power. His writing works swiftly and clearly, revealing the atrocities of the political regimes of the time in terms of propaganda and manipulation of facts in a poignant manner. Though a highly complex, disturbing, and confusing time in history, Taylor has crafted a compelling and important narrative that is highly recommended to history buffs and merely curious readers alike.