"I am completely normal," claimed Rudolf Hoss, commandant of Auschwitz, in his autobiography. "Even while I was carrying out the task of extermination I led a normal family life and so on."
How did Germany fall victim to a group of psychopaths? To reach a deeper understanding of this terrible epoch in his country's history Joachim C Fest examines the Nazi regime through individual studies of its leaders.
Quoting his subjects own words he explores the psychology of Hitler, who could only talk with confidence before a crowd; of Goebbels, who admitted that "propaganda,has nothing to do with truth"; of the mild mannered Himmler, Reichsfuhrer of the SS, who gave orders for the mass murder; and many others.
A disturbing picture emerges: not only of Nazi Germany, but also of modern man's susceptibility to totalitarian rule.