Disobeying Hitler

Both horrifying and life-affirming, Disobeying Hitler tells the untold story of German revolt against the dying Nazi tyranny.

Anyone with even a passing interest in the Second World War knows about the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944. There was even a Tom Cruise movie. But the story of the great wave of resistance that arose in the year that followed--with far-reaching consequences--has never been told before.

Drawing on newly opened archives, acclaimed historian Randall Hansen shows that many high-ranking Nazis, and average German citizens in far greater numbers than previously recognized, reacted defiantly to the Fuhrer's by then manifest insanity. Together they spared cities from being razed, and prevented the needless obliteration of industry and infrastructure. Disobeying Hitler presents new evidence on three direct violations of orders made personally by Adolf Hitler: The refusal by the commander of Paris to destroy the city; Albert Speer's refusal to implement a scorched earth policy in Germany; and the failure to defend Hamburg against invading British forces.

In gripping, story-driven style, Disobeying Hitler shows how the brave resistence of soldiers and civilians, under constant threat of death, was crucial for the outcome of the war. Their bravery saved countless lives and helped lay the foundations for European economic recovery--and continued peace

RANDALL HANSEN is a Professor of Politics and holds a Research Chair at the University of Toronto. He has lived in the UK, US, France, Ireland, and Germany.
He has a master's degree and a doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he was a Commonwealth scholar. He has held a Research Fellowship at Christ Church, Oxford, a Tutorial Fellowship at Merton College, Oxford, and two Chairs at research universities. He is the author or editor of five books, including Fire and Fury (Doubleday Canada, 2008), a narrative history of the Allied bombing of Germany during the Second World War. He has given public lectures throughout Europe and North America, and his work has been translated into German, French, Spanish, and Italian. He is frequently interviewed by and quoted in the press, including the BBC, the International Herald Tribune, and the Boston Globe. He has appeared live on NPR, the CBC, the CTV, BNN, and numerous local and national television and radio programs. The author lives in Toronto.