Hindenburg by Anna Von Der Goltz

Hindenburg by Anna Von Der Goltz

Hindenburg: Power, Myth, and the Rise of the Nazis reveals how a previously little-known general, whose career to normal retirement age had provided no real foretaste of his heroic status, became a national icon and living myth in Germany after the First World War, capturing the imagination of millions. In a period characterized by rupture and fragmentation, the legend surrounding Paul von Hindenburg brought together a broad coalition of Germans and became one of the most potent forces in Weimar politics. Charting the origins of the myth, from Hindenburg's decisive victory at the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 to his death in Nazi Germany and beyond, Anna von der Goltz explains why the presence of Hindenburg's name on the ballot mesmerized an overwhelming number of voters in the presidential elections of 1925. His myth-an ever-evolving phenomenon-increasingly transcended the dividing lines of interwar politics, which helped him secure re-election by left-wing and moderate voters. Indeed, the only two times in German history that the people could elect their head of state directly and secretly, they chose this national icon. Hindenburg even managed to defeat Adolf Hitler in 1932, making him the Nazi leader's final arbiter; it was he who made the final and fateful decision to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933.

a crisply written, stimulating, and important work that deserves wide readership from historians of Weimar politics and consumer culture alike* Eric Kurlander, The Historian *
Anna von der Goltz sets the stage brilliantly. * The Canada Post *
lucid study...Anna von der Goltz does an expert job in deconstructing the Hindenburg legend * David Cesarani, Literary Review *
This book...offers important new insights. It demonstrates like no previous study the dynamism and universal appeal of the Hindenburg myth as arguably the most important unifying factor of the Weimar Republic. * Gerd Krumeich, Süddeutsche Zeitung *
Impressive, innovative, convincing * Wolfgang Kruse, HsozKult *
This clear, well-written and thoughtful work is an excellent vindication of the thesis at its best... This is an important work that indicates the pernicious consequences of the First World War for Weimar politics. * Jeremy Black, History *
This is a profound study that will help any reader, German or not, better to understand this unique era in German history. * Contemporary Review *
Von der Goltz's compelling and multi-faceted study opens up many new perspectives on important themes in German history * Christian Bailey, English Historical Review *

Anna von der Goltz (née Menge) was born in Freiburg in 1978 and grew up in Bremen, Germany. She moved to Britain in 1997 to study History, first at the University of Sussex and then at Oxford University. In 2006, she took up a Junior Research Fellowship at Magdalen College, Oxford. Anna von der Goltz won the German History Society Essay Prize in 2006 and was awarded the prestigious Fraenkel Prize in 2008 for her work on the Hindenburg myth. Since 2007, she has been a contributor to the research project 'Around 1968: Activism, Networks, Trajectories' funded by the AHRC and the Leverhulme Trust.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199570324
ISBN 10	0199570329
Title	Hindenburg
Author	Anna Von Der Goltz
Series	Oxford Historical Monographs
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2009-09-10
Number of pages	344
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.