Sebastian Haffner Knihy

Sebastian Haffner zažil ako dieťa prvú svetovú vojnu, v mladosti bol svedkom turbulentnej inflácie z roku 1923, radikalizácie politických strán i nezadržateľného nástupu národného socializmu. Hoci nebol politicky ani rasovo prenasledovaný, z Nemecka emigroval. Spomienky na roky 1914 až 1933, ktoré spísal roku 1939 už v Anglicku, sa našli v jeho pozostalosti. Exil mu umožnil vnímať autentické zážitky s odstupom. Pohľad mladého Haffnera na blížiacu sa katastrofu je nesmierne jasnozrivý a zároveň veľmi triezvy. Dosah politiky na život jednotlivca, vlastný vývoj i vývoj nemeckého národa opisuje bez samoľúbeho pátosu, zato však s jemnou iróniou a kde tu aj so zábleskami hnevu a vzdoru. Jeho dielo svedčí o tom, že tí, čo náročky nezatvárali oči, videli skazu už pred rokom 1933!

En 1918, devant la défaite imminente, les huissiers de l'Empire ouvrirent aux dirigeants sociaux-démocrates la porte si longtemps close et les introduisirent, non sans arrière-pensées, dans l'antichambre du pouvoir. Et voilà que les masses se précipitèrent à l'intérieur, bousculèrent leurs dirigeants et les entraînèrent jusqu'à la porte du pouvoir lui-même. La social-démocratie semblait enfin parvenue à son but. Alors ses dirigeants, élevés malgré eux jusqu'au trône vide par la foule de leurs partisans, n'eurent rien de plus pressé que d'ordonner aux anciens gardiens du Palais de mettre tout le monde dehors. Sebastian Haffner raconte la trahison d'un peuple insurgé par ses propres représentants : comment les Ebert, Noske ou Scheidemann, déjà ralliés à l'union sacrée en 1914, consomment la faillite définitive de la social-démocratie. Appelés au pouvoir par le gouvernement impérial pour prévenir une révolution, ils jouent sans faiblir leur rôle, jusqu'à l'écrasement de la révolte de Berlin aux premiers jours de 1919.

"The Meaning of Hitler is a historical and psychological study of the enigma of Adolf Hitler and his impact on the twentieth century. Sebastian Haffner examines Hitler's performance, successes, errors, intellectual misconceptions, crimes and, last but not least, his great betrayal of his nation, the Western world and human civilisation."--BOOK JACKET

Using his skills as a journalist, historian, and memoirist, Sebastian Haffner (author of The Meaning of Hitler) traces the development of the German Empire (1871-1945) and the central role of warfare that characterized the Reich. Haffner contends that Germany’s unfavorable geographic position had much to do with the state’s belligerence and that, from its inception, created the conflicts that culminated in two world wars.

When Churchill died, one might have thought that it was not a man who was being borne to his grave, but British history itself - a resplendent, fortunate history whose last illustrious chapter Churchill himself had written almost a quarter of a century before.

Prussia, a state which contributed so much to European civilization, only exis-ted as an independent power for 170 years. Sebastian Haffner, a Prussian by birth, reassesses the legend and tells the short but dramatic history of this unique state. He casts fresh light on its foundation, its struggle to become a great power in the eighteenth century, its important role as one of the Three Black Eagles with Austria and Russia, and its eventual disappearance from the map of Europe after the establishment of the German Empire.

Sebastian Haffner's memoir offers a firsthand account of life in Germany from 1907 to 1933, capturing the tumultuous period leading up to the rise of Nazism. It explores the experiences of ordinary citizens as they navigated significant societal shifts, including the emergence of right-wing militias and the impact of hyperinflation in 1923. Through personal reflections, Haffner illustrates the evolving attitudes and beliefs of the time, providing a compelling narrative of how individuals coped with a rapidly changing political landscape.

Brilliantly insightful analysis of Hitler's Germany first published in 1940.

Die berühmten und einflußreichen Artikel Sebastian Haffners aus dem Londoner Observer zum ersten Mal in deutscher Sprache: Porträts u. a. von Hitler, Goebbels und Speer. Überlegungen zur Kriegslage in Europa, zum Kriegsende 1945, zum Umgang mit den Nazis und zur Politik nach dem Krieg. Und schließlich temperamentvolle Thesen zum Kalten Krieg und zur Bildung zweier deutscher Staaten - mit Porträts u. a. von Louise Schroeder, Kurt Schumacher, Konrad Adenauer und Theodor Heuss.