Sir Ian Kershaw is perhaps the leading authority on Hitler and the Third Reich, and his work has redefined the way we examine this period of modern European history. The Nazi dictatorship is a landmark in his historiography, as it addresses the key themes that his studies of Nazism focus on and documents, analyzes, and evaluates the historiographical debates that arose in the effort to understand and interpret the Nazi era.

The book discusses issues such as the Holocaust, Hitler's prestige and leadership, Nazi foreign policy and its consequences, as well as the impacts of the unification of Germany on the historiography of the Third Reich. The writing of the book was prompted by Kershaw's participation in a highly significant conference in 1979, which included all the leading German and British historians specializing in the Third Reich.

There, radically opposing interpretations of how the Nazi regime operated emerged. One interpretation emphasized almost exclusively Hitler, his ideas, his decisions, his will. This approach was strongly opposed by those who focused on the structures of the regime and forces beyond the dictator, forces of which he was a significant factor but did not necessarily control.

The intensity and fervor of the discussions at this conference, particularly among German historians, helped the author realize that the issues raised were of great importance to the participants and concerned not only the past but also the present of Germany. These debates, which often had political, ideological, and even moral implications, prompted Kershaw to seek syntheses that would allow the modern scholar to gain a more detached yet comprehensive view of the Nazi dictatorship.

"Undoubtedly the most authoritative, balanced, detailed, and vivid introduction to the Third Reich." International History Review

"Impressive, incisive, outstanding." English Historical Review

"The best introduction to the study of Hitler's Germany." European History Quarterly