Drawing primarily from German language sources, this book describes the desperate social and economic conditions in Germany before Hitler took power in 1933, and the programs that his government introduced to alleviate widespread unemployment, political discord, social misery and national bankruptcy. A study of Hitler's foreign policy objectives focuses on the political climate in 1930's Europe, and the circumstances confronting Hitler that influenced his diplomacy. The book shows how during World War II, not only Germany's chauvinistic occupation policies, but traditional nationalist barriers among Europeans hampered German efforts to gain sympathy and support on the continent. The covert, systematic sabotage of Hitler's war effort by army officers opposed to National Socialism, a subject seldom addressed by military historians, is examined in detail. Liberally quoting from period publications, the book also provides a concise and understandable explanation of the National Socialist ideology, including its views on liberalism, democracy, communism, labor, race, education, free enterprise and world history. Evidence presented in the text is thoroughly documented, with 1,056 footnotes and a bibliography of over 200 published works