The Nazi Menace

A "fast-moving, absorbing" account of the years leading up to WWII—a tale of democratic crisis, racial conflict, and a belated recognition of evil (New York Times Book Review).
"Thought provokingly, Hett notes that commonalities between the 1930s and today . . . he suggests that lessons learned by dealing with the Nazi regime could be applied today. This compelling work is highly recommended for those interested in World War II or in the history of fascism."―Library Journal

Berlin, November 1937. Adolf Hitler meets with his military commanders to impress upon them the urgent necessity for a war of aggression in eastern Europe. Some generals are unnerved by the Führer's grandiose plan, but these dissenters are silenced one by one, setting in motion events that will culminate in the most calamitous war in history.


Benjamin Carter Hett takes us behind the scenes in Berlin, London, Moscow, and Washington, revealing the unsettled politics within each country in the wake of the German dictator's growing provocations. He reveals the fitful path by which anti-Nazi forces inside and outside Germany came to understand Hitler's true menace to European civilization and learned to oppose him, painting a sweeping portrait of governments under siege as larger-than-life figures struggled to turn events to their advantage.


As in The Death of Democracy, his acclaimed history of the fall of the Weimar Republic, Hett draws on original sources and newly released documents to show how these long-ago conflicts have unexpected resonances in our own time. To read The Nazi Menace is to see past and present in a new and unnerving light.

"A timely reminder that democracies are fragile creatures." —Giles Milton, host of the Unknown History podcast
"A remarkable, authoritative journey . . . with deft writing, keen insight, and moments of narrative thrill." —Neal Bascomb, New York Times–bestselling author
"Narrative history at its gripping best." —Henry Hemming, author of Four Shots in the Night