Working towards the Führer : essays in honour of Sir Ian Kershaw

Working towards the Führer brings together leading historians writing on the Third Reich, in honour of Sir Ian Kershaw, whose own work, along with that of the contributors to this volume has done much to challenge and change our understanding of the way Nazi Germany functioned. Covering issues such as the legacy of the world wars, the female voter, propaganda, occupied lands, the judiciary, public opinion and resistance, this volume furthers the debate on how Nazi Germany operated. Gone are the post-war stereotypes of a monolithic state driven forward by a single will towards war and genocide. Instead there is a more complex picture of the regime and its actions, one that shows the instability of the dictatorship, its dependence on a measure of consent as well as coercion, which recognises the constraints on political action, the fickleness of popular attitudes and the ambiguous, ephemeral nature of acclamation and opposition alike. This is a remarkable collection of essays by leading historians in the field that will undoubtedly be welcomed by students and lecturers of German History.