New (and hopefully final) Structure and Logic of the Book (1)

To maximize the value of the book to its reader, every chapter (with the obvious exception of Executive Summary, Appendices, Conclusions and Bibliography) will begin with the Summary and will be followed by the “Body Text”. Most of the chapters will end with Conclusions.

Likewise, the whole book will begin with Executive Summary and end with Conclusions. The latter will contain the aggregate performance assessment of Adolf Hitler from the aggregate value perspective. In other words, I will try to determine Adolf Hitler’s performance from the standpoint of financial, functional, emotional and spiritual value that he created (and/or destroyed).

I decided to functionally divide the book into three parts – the Methodology part, the Main Content (Main Body Text) part and the Appendices part. The latter will include Appendices proper – the key documents that you will need to get a better understanding of Adolf Hitler; Select Bibliography and Glossary of key terms and names used in the book.

The Methodology part is absolutely crucial and will include three chapters – the chapter on this book and the whole “Comprehensive Guides” series; the chapter on the scientifically correct way to study history (and write non-fiction history books) and the chapter on the history paradigm used as the foundation for this book.

The chapter on this book and the whole “Comprehensive Guides” series will present the comprehensive list of books in the series (as it stands now); explain what this series is – and isn’t; tell my readers why I decided to write this series – and why I am perfectly qualified to do it; and, finally describe in appropriate detail my relationship with Adolf Hitler (even when one writes a book about a deceased individual, there is still a relationship between the author and his or her subject).

This book is neither the “mainstream” nor the “revisionist” history. For a very simple reason – there is no such thing as either of these. There is no “mainstream” history and no “revisionist” history – there is only history (as a science) and propaganda. The latter, obviously, has nothing to do with history (or science for that matter) – it is a different thing entirely.

To prove beyond the reasonable doubt that this book is history (i.e. a scientific product) and not propaganda, I included into this book (and will include in every book in a “Comprehensive Guides” series) and introductory chapter on the scientifically correct way to study history.

In this very first chapter, I will explain (again) why it is absolutely vital for everybody to study history in general and the history of the Third Reich in particular; explain the fundamental differences between a scientifically correct and a “politically correct” way to study history (and why it is usually an “either/or” choice) – and between genuine history and propaganda; present a professional creed of genuine historians; demonstrate why historical research is essentially the process of mining historical knowledge from raw data and information (and often requires a thorough systems analysis).

And, finally, expose the fundamental (“cardinal” and very much deadly) sin of both “mainstream” and “revisionist” books, articles, research papers, lectures, documentaries and other content on the history of Nazi Germany.