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Defying Hitler

A Memoir
By Sebastian Haffner
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Brief Description
Written in 1939 and unpublished until 2000, Sebastian Haffner's memoir of the rise of Nazism in Germany offers a unique portrait of the lives of German citizens between the wars. Covering the period between 1907 and 1933, his eyewitness account describes a country in constant flux,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5600
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Written in 1939 and unpublished until 2000, Sebastian Haffner's memoir of the rise of Nazism in Germany offers a unique portrait of the lives of German citizens between the wars.

Covering the period between 1907 and 1933, his eyewitness account describes a country in constant flux, where civilians struggle to reconcile the tedium and dramas of their private lives with the world-historical scale of Nazi politics. How does one recognise a turning point in real time?

From the rise of Hitler Youth to the economic crisis of 1923, Haffner charts a personal history through the disturbing years in which ordinary Germans joined the Nazi party with willingness, indifference, and glee.

An unflinching look at the day-to-day changes of an increasingly fascist society, Defying Hitler is a perennially urgent work of first-person history.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250441218

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 September 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Picador USA

Illustration: 8 Pages of Black-and-White Images

Contributors:

  • Translated by Oliver Pretzel
  • Introduction by Richard J Evans

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 208.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 336

Collections

Biography & Memoir Education & Reference History & Archaeology History & Military Military History Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Political Biographies Politics & Current Affairs Pre-order Biographies Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Sebastian Haffner

About the Author

Sebastian Haffner was born in Berlin in 1907, and died in 1999. In 1938, he was forced to flee to Britain, where he worked as a journalist. While living in Britain, he adopted the pseudonym Sebastian Haffner in place of his given name, Raimund Pretzel, to protect relatives still in Germany. In 1954, he returned to Germany and became a distinguished historian, commentator, and journalist. He published numerous historical books, many about twentieth-century Germany. Oliver Pretzel, Sebastian Haffner's son, is the translator of this work. He has also served as Honorary Principal Research Fellow in the department of mathematics at Imperial College London.

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