Book excerpt: This book analyses some of the fundamental reasons for the triumph of National Socialism in 1933. Written in 1983 by historians at Canadian, American and British universities, it provides a clear and balanced historiographical perspective of the dynamics of socio-political mobilization which helped make the Machtergreifung possible. The relationship during the Weimar republic between the Nazi Party and various social groups constitutes a major element in the book, as do the attitudes towards Hitler displayed by a number of influential institutions. The Nazis’ successful mobilization of popular support before 1933 is illustrated through the impact of foreign policy and ideology/propaganda on the Germans.