On the night of 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler leaned out of a spotlit window of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, bursting with joy. The moment seemed unbelievable, even to Hitler. After an improbable political journey that came close to faltering on many occasions, his march to power had finally succeeded.

While the story of Hitler's rise has been told in books covering larger portions of his life, no previous work has focused on his eight-year climb to rule: 1925-1933. Renowned author Peter Ross Range brings this period back to startling life with a narrative history that describes brushes with power, quests for revenge, nonstop electioneering and underhand campaign tactics. For Hitler, moments of gloating triumph were followed by abject humiliation.

This is the tale of a school dropout's climb from the infamy of a failed coup to Germany's highest office. It is a saga of personal growth and lavish living, a melodrama rife with love affairs and even suicide attempts. But it is also the definitive account of Hitler's unrelenting struggle for control over his raucous movement as he fought off challenges, built and bullied coalitions, quelled internecine feuds and neutralised his enemies - all culminating in the creation of the Third Reich and the world's descent into darkness.

One of the most dramatic and important stories of the twentieth century, Hitler's ascent spans Germany's wobbly recovery from the First World War through years of growing prosperity and, finally, into crippling depression. Masterfully woven into an unforgettable and urgent narrative, The Unfathomable Ascent will remind us of what we should never forget.

About the Author
PETER ROSS RANGE is a world-travelled journalist who has covered war, politics and international affairs. He served as TIME correspondent in Germany and Vietnam and as White House correspondent for U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT. He has reported extensively for the NEW YORK TIMES, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE and PLAYBOY. He has been an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, and a Distinguished International Fellow at the University of North Carolina. He lives in Washington, DC.

Reviews

A fast-paced tour-de-force that shows how the German republic wrecked itself from within, Peter Ross Range's The Unfathomable Ascent is a must-read for anyone interested in Adolf Hitler's march to power or the tragic fragility of democracy

-- David King * author of The Trial of Adolf Hitler *



Book Information
ISBN 9781803990224
Author Peter Ross Range
Format Paperback
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd