The Voice of Destruction - Paperback

by Hermann Rauschning (Author)

Hermann Rauschning was president of the Danzig senate from 1933 to 1934 and had been Hitler's frequent guest, often for long periods of time.

Back Jacket

A frequent guest of Hitler for long periods of time, Hermann Rauschning resigned from his post as president of the Danzig senate in 1934 and severed his ties with the Nazi Party. He then meticulously transcribed conversations with Hitler from 1932 to 1934 and published them with the hope of sounding a warning throughout the world of the dark days that lay ahead. Unfortunately, it was not published until 1940.
This book is unique in its perspective from inside Hitler's intimate circle. The conversations recorded here took place in the last year before Hitler's seizure of power and the first two years of the National Socialist regime. Important not only for the intimate outlining of Hitler's aims and how he would seek to achieve them, The Voice of Destruction helps add detail to the portrait of this man who would settle for nothing short of global German supremacy, even if it meant annihilation for some.

Author Biography

Born in 1887 in Torun, a town in West Prussia, Hermann Rauschning studied history and music in Munich and later in Berlin. After volunteering to serve his country during World War I, Rauschning became mayor of Danzig and later president of the Danzig senate in June 1933. While serving in the senate, Rauschning had many opportunities to interact with Hitler, both in group settings and alone. Alarmed by Hitlerís beliefs and his plans for world conquest, Rauschning resigned from the senate in 1934 and fled to Paris. He eventually moved to Zurich, where he spent the remainder of the war. A former believer in the Nazi party, Rauschning became disillusioned through his conversations with Hitler. Rauschningís notes and transcriptions of conversations between himself and the German leader reveal Hitlerís plans for world domination and population control, as well as Hitlerís nightmares and fascination with the occult. While in Zurich, Rauschning began assembling and publishing his notes, many of which contained verbatim transcriptions of his conversations with Hitler. The Voice of Destruction begins in 1932, well before the rest of the world was aware of Hitlerís destructive potential. As a member of the Danzig senate and a confidante of Hitlerís, Rauschning provides a rare, first-hand glimpse into the mind of the German Fuhrer. Nora Levin, a Holocaust scholar, described Rauschning as