Die Braune Elite

de Ronald M. Smelser, Rainer Zitelmann, Enrico Syring

Leading scholars from Europe and the United States profile twenty-two prominent figures in the Nazi Party and the National Socialist (N.S.) regime. In so doing they address some critical issues concerning these leaders, including their social origins, their experiences in the First World War, how they came to join the Nazi Party, the role played by ideology in motivating them, their relationship with Hitler and with other N.S. leaders, and their historical importance for the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the N.S. regime. Written in a style accessible to the layperson, these profiles reflect the most recent research findings and contain up-to-date bibliographies. They also shed light on some interpretive controversies, including the question of the role of "modernization" during the "Third Reich" and Hitler's role as dictator. In most cases the authors have recently written a full-length biography of their subject or an important work in which the subject figures prominently. Often their profiles shatter common stereotypes and offer new perspectives.