The book is a brief yet comprehensive survey of the institution, cultural, and social life of the Third Reich—and Hitler's role in it, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. Based on current research findings, it spans an era of economic, social, and political forces that made possible the rise and growth of Nazism. Coverage includes material on anti-Jewish policies and the involvement of ordinary Germans in the Holocaust, the social composition and membership of the Nazi party and its leaders, the mechanisms of terror and control, the machinery of the Final Solution, and the Jewish view of the Holocaust. An in-depth look at Adolf Hitler, the man and the leader, examines influences on his early development, character traits, oratorical skills, messianic pretensions, and provides an analysis of his ideology based on extensive quotations from his writings and speeches. For anyone trying to get more background into a panoramic view of 20th Century German history.