Why, of all the nationalist-racist fanatics at large in Germany after the First World War did Adolf Hitler find such appeal? How did such an unlikely candidate gain control of the machinery of a complex modern state? Why was his power not curtailed by the traditional ruling classes and what was his personal role in the shaping of policy? In this now classic account, Ian Kershaw takes an innovative approach to the Hitler story. Moving away from conventional biography, he focuses in particular on the nature and mechanics of Hitler's regime to paint a compelling portrait of dictatorial power.