Called "one of the most useful and illuminating studies of Nazism" by The New Yorker, this highly acclaimed work of history unravels the secret financial web which Hitler spun across Europe and around the globe to bankroll his dream of world domination.Adolf Hitler did not come to power easily. He began his political career in 1919 and did not become Chancellor until fourteen years later in 1933. During this time it took a tremendous sum of money to support the Nazi Party. Where it came from, who provided it, and why, are the topics of this book.There have been many books written on the Nazi period, but this most important aspect of Hitler’s activity—one of the very keys to his success—has never been dealt with. One reason is that much of the information about financial contributions has only recently come to light, but the primary reason is an understandable reluctance to acknowledge the ease with which money can subvert the democratic process.History is replete with unsavory tales of political financing, and there is a serious question whether democratic principles can ever ultimately be upheld in an atmosphere of unsupervised and unpublicized political fund raising.Table of contents Preface.1. A Mysterious Beginning.2. Billions.3. Ford and Hitler.4. Kirdorf and Thyssen.5. What Did Big Business Want?6. Depression.7. Hitler's Foreign Financiers.8. Big Business Attempts to Stop Hitler.9. Bribes and Blackmail.Appendix.Selected Bibliography.Articles.Index.