Review for Apocalypse Hitler

It seems utterly pointless to say that Hitler was the very definition of evil. It seems that is a given. If you ask anyone in the world who you think of when you think of 'an evil person' the likelihood is they would say Hitler. His rise to power in Germany is astonishing when you consider how average he was as a person. The only thing that powered Hitler was a deep hatred of the Jewish people who he blamed for everything and an amazing, almost hypnotic way of speaking. It was this he used to charm his way into power and become one of the most dangerous, evil people in history.

Apocalypse: Hitler tells the rise of Hitler to power in 1933 and what caused this man from Austria to become the way he was. We hear how he fought during the First World War, receiving the Iron Cross for his bravery and when the war was over he was utterly crushed by the betrayal of the Leaders in charge and what he was felt was an embarrassing treatment at the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler joined the political party the National Socialist German Workers Party (which became the Nazi party) and after the failed Munich Beer Putsch was jailed and there wrote Mein Kampf or My Struggle, which was the manifesto that the party and later the country of German would live and die by.

We see the party struggle to get voters until the economic crisis in 1929 and this led the country to even more hate the restraints that the Versailles Treaty has put on them. With the rise of membership and creation of the SA and SS, Hitler and the Nazis began to gain power and in 1933 following the Reichstag fire, Hitler became Chancellor. After that... sadly is history and the documentary ends here.

This is an excellent two-part documentary that I really enjoyed and learnt more than I thought I would, being a history nerd. I do hope they carry on the story as there is still more to be told, especially in regards to the whys of war and the Holocaust and everything that Hitler as leader Germany actually did. It is odd to say I enjoyed it because of the subject matter, but there is something deeply fascinating about just how a country could come under his spell.

One of the more shocking things I learnt was that Hugo Boss (Yes, that Hugo Boss!) was an avid supporter of the Nazis even to the point where he designed the outfits for the SA, SS and the Hitler Youth. Yes, that Hugo Boss fragrance that Gerard Butler is going aroudn advertising talking about being a 'real man' was built on the foundations of a racist Nazi who profitted from the pain that was caused.

Apocalypse: Hitler is a fantastic documentary that I do recommend anyone interested or studying that time should watch. I do hope there is more as there is certainly more to be said and I think it would be unwise to just look at the rise, but the fall is all the more important.