Throughout his life Hugh Trevor-Roper sought to understand the forces that had allowed Nazism to emerge in German society. He was constantly in search of answers to his most pressing question: how was it possible that a regime so violent and barbarous, without effective opposition, emerged in a society which had seemed a stable and highly civilised European country? This book represents the most important and most compelling aspects of Trevor-Roper's work on the Third Reich - much of which is previously unpublished. Together, it demonstrates the force, coherence and durability of his underlying convictions and arguments, combining vivid reporting and the re-creation of contemporary experience with a long-term perspective on the Nazi phenomenon. Written in Trevor-Roper's inimitable style, this book will be invaluable reading for anyone interested in World War II and Nazi Germany.