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Petulla, a traditionally fried dough made from wheat or buckwheat flour , is as well a popular speciality and is served with powdered sugar or feta cheese and fruit jams. Also, popular is Flia , consisting of multiple crepe-like layers brushed with cream and served with sour cream. Krofne, similar to Berliner Pfannkuchen , are filled with jam, marmalade chocolate and often eaten during the cold winter months. Desserts include Walnut Stuffed Figs that is made of walnuts or candied walnuts and fig syrup.
Although fig is an important agricultural product of Albania. It is cultivated around the south of Albania and noted for its medicinal properties. Black tea with a slice of lemon and sugar, milk or honey is also a popular type of tea. Withal, coffee is by far one of the most consumed beverages in Albania, with several types of filter and instant coffee.
Drinking coffee is very much a part of the people's lifestyle. Wine drinking is popular throughout the Albanians. The country has a long and ancient history of wine production, as it belongs to the old world of wine producing countries. In , Albania surpassed Spain by becoming the country with the most coffee houses per capita in the world.
This is due to coffee houses closing down in Spain due to the economic crisis, and the fact that as many cafes open as they close in Albania. In addition, the fact that it was one of the easiest ways to make a living after the fall of communism in Albania, together with the country's Ottoman legacy further reinforce the strong dominance of coffee culture in Albania.
The architecture of Albania reflects the legacy of various civilizations tracing back to the classical antiquity. Major cities in Albania have evolved from within the castle to include dwellings, religious and commercial structures, with constant redesigning of town squares and evolution of building techniques.
Nowadays, the cities and towns reflect a whole spectrum of various architectural styles. In the 20th century, many historical as well as sacred buildings bearing the ancient influence were demolished during the communism. Considering the long period of rule of the Byzantine Empire , they introduced castles, citadels, churches and monasteries with spectacular wealth of visible murals and frescos. The 20th century brought new architectural styles such as the modern Italian style , which is present in Tirana such as the Skanderbeg Square and Ministries.
Moreover, other towns received their present-day Albania-unique appearance through various cultural or economic influences. Socialist classicism arrived during the communism in Albania after the Second World War. At this period many socialist-styled complexes, wide roads and factories were constructed, while town squares were redesigned and numerous of historic and important buildings demolished. The Albanian folk music is a prominent section of the national identity and continues to play a major part in Albanian music.
Although, it can be divided into two stylistic groups, as performed by the northern Ghegs and southern Labs and Tosks. The northern and southern traditions are contrasted by the rugged tone of the north and the relaxed form of the south. Many of the songs are about events from history and culture , including the traditional themes about honour, hospitality, treachery and revenge. He was nominated for the Grammy Award. Every cultural and geographical region of Albania has its own specific variety of costume that vary in style, material, color, shape, detail and form.
Some conservative old men and women mainly from the high northern as well as southern regions and wear traditional clothing in their daily lives. The clothing was made mainly of products from the local agriculture and livestock such as leather, wool, linen, hemp fiber and silk.
Nowadays, the traditional textiles are still embroidered in very collaborate ancient patterns. The visual arts tradition of Albania has been shaped by the many cultures, which have flourished on its territory. Once the Byzantines , the Ottomans ruled over Albania for nearly five centuries, which greatly affected the country's artwork and artistic forms. After Albania's joining with the Ottoman Empire in , Ottoman influenced art forms such as mosaic and mural paintings became prevalent and no real artistic change occurred until the independence in Following mosaics and murals from Antiquity and the Middle Ages , the first paintings were icons Byzantine traditions.
Albanian earliest icons date from the late 13th century and generally estimated that their artistic peak reached in the 18th century. Among the most prominent representatives of the Albanian iconographic art were Onufri and David Selenica. By the end of the Ottoman rule, the painting was limited mostly to folk art and ornate mosques.
Albanian artists continue to move art forward, while their art still remains distinctively Albanian in content. Though among Albanian artist post-modernism was fairly recently introduced, there is a number of artists and works known internationally. The Albanian language comprises its own branch of the Indo-European language family. The language is considered an isolate within the Indo-European. The only other languages that are the sole surviving member of a branch of Indo-European are Armenian and Greek.
Albanian is often held to be related to the Illyrian languages , a language spoken in the Balkans during classical times. Scholars argue that Albanian derives from Illyrian [] while some others [] claim that it derives from Daco - Thracian. Illyrian and Daco-Thracian, however, might have been closely related languages; see Thraco-Illyrian.
The cultural renaissance was first of all expressed through the development of the Albanian language in the area of church texts and publications, mainly of the Catholic region in the northern of Albania, but also of the Orthodox in the south. The Protestant reforms invigorated hopes for the development of the local language and literary tradition, when cleric Gjon Buzuku brought into the Albanian language the Catholic liturgy , trying to do for the Albanian language, what Martin Luther did for the German language.
Meshari The Missal written by Gjon Buzuku was published in and is considered as one of the first literary work of written Albanian during the Middle Ages. The refined level of the language and the stabilised orthography must be the result of an earlier tradition of written Albanian, a tradition that is not well understood.
However, there is some fragmented evidence, pre-dating Buzuku, which indicates that Albanian was written from at least the 14th century. Other significant examples include: Albanian writings from these centuries must not have been religious texts only, but historical chronicles too.
The History of Skanderbeg is still the foundation of Skanderbeg studies and is considered an Albanian cultural treasure, vital to the formation of Albanian national self-consciousness. The most famous Albanian writer in the 20th and 21st century is probably Ismail Kadare. He has been mentioned as a possible recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. The first Albanian films were mostly documentaries ; the first was about the Monastir Congress that sanctioned the Albanian alphabet in This was followed by the first Albanian epic film , the Great Warrior Skanderbeg , a cooperation with Soviet artists chronicling the life and fight of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg.
By , about movies had been produced, and Albania had over theaters. With the economic transition after the collapse of communism in the s, the Kinostudio was broken up and privatised. A new National Center of Cinematography was established, while cities built modern cinema theatres showing mostly American movies. The Tirana International Film Festival was established in and has become the premier and largest film festival in the country as well as in the Balkans.
Albania participated at the Olympic Games in for the first time. The country made their Winter Olympic Games debut in Albania missed the next four games, two of them due to the and boycotts, but returned for the games in Barcelona. Since then, Albania have participated in all games. Albania normally competes in events that include swimming, athletics, weightlifting, shooting and wrestling. The country have been represented by the National Olympic Committee of Albania since The nation has participated at the Mediterranean Games since the games of in Syria.
The Albanian athletes have won a total of 43 8 gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze medals from to Football is by far the most popular sport in Albania. It is governed by the Football Association of Albania Albanian: Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit , F. Albania scored their first ever goal in a major tournament and secured their first ever win in European Championship when they beat Romania by 1—0 in a UEFA Euro match on 19 June Weightlifting is one of the most successful individual sport for the Albanians, with the national team winning medals at the European Weightlifting Championships and the rest international competitions.
Albanian weightlifters have won a total of 16 medals at the European Championships with 1 of them being gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze. In the World Weightlifting Championships , the Albanian weightlifting team has won in a gold in a silver and in a bronze medal. Historically, the Albanian people have established several communities in many regions throughout Southern Europe. The Albanian diaspora has been formed since the late Middle Ages , when they emigrated to places such as Italy , especially in Sicily and Calabria , and Greece to escape either various socio-political difficulties or the Ottoman conquest of Albania.
Albanian minorities are present in the neighboring countries of Macedonia , Montenegro and Serbia. In Kosovo , Albanians make up the largest ethnic group in the country. Altogether, the number of ethnic Albanian living abroad its territory is estimated to be higher than the total population inside the territory of Albania. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the country.
For other uses, see Albania disambiguation. Greek Aromanian Macedonian others.
Timeline of Albanian history. Albania in the Middle Ages. Albanian Declaration of Independence. First Republic of Albania. World War II in Albania. Fall of communism in Albania. Pyramid schemes and civil war of Ecoregions and Protected areas of Albania.
Counties and Municipalities of Albania. Foreign relations of Albania.
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Armed Forces of Albania. Banking , Telecommunications , and Tourism in Albania. Renewable energy and Oil fields in Albania. Science and technology in Albania. Regions with a traditional presence of ethnic groups other than Albanian. Distribution of ethnic groups within Albania, as of the census. Districts colored gray are those where a majority of people did not declare an ethnicity the question was optional. The census was criticized and boycotted by minorities in Albania. Traditional locations of linguistic and religious communities in Albania.
Albanian language and Languages of Albania. One road sign in Albanian and a minority language Macedonian and one in Albanian and a foreign language for tourists English in Pustec left Road sign in Albanian and a minority language Greek in Goranxi right. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. October Learn how and when to remove this template message. National symbols of Albania. Albanian cuisine and wine. Albanian music and traditional clothing.
This section needs additional citations for verification. Albanian language and literature. Naum Veqilharxhi lawyer and scholar — Parashqevi Qiriazi teacher and feminist — Albania at the Olympics and Albania at the Mediterranean Games. Lorik Cana is Albania's most capped player of all time. He captained the French Olympique de Marseille , as well as the Albanian national team. Albanian diaspora and Albanian communities. Albania portal Mediterranean portal. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February , but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory.
The two governments began to normalise relations in , as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from out of United Nations member states , of which several have been revoked. Archived from the original on 14 October Retrieved 6 January Archived from the original on 3 August Archived from the original on 23 July Retrieved 3 July Retrieved 15 September Jak Junkut t' Scocniis Retrieved 23 July — via Internet Archive.
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Islam in the Balkans: University of South Carolina Press. East European Monographs By , after a chaotic interregnum, Sultan Mehmet I sent the military to erect the first Ottoman garrisons throughout southern Albania, establishing direct military authority in the region From Constantinople to Communism by D. Communism, Health and Lifestyle: The Paradox of Mortality Transition in Albania, — The decline of Byzantium". Central European University Press, p. Archived from the original on 20 February Retrieved 20 February On 10 June , The League of Prizren, Alb. Retrieved 5 January Modernisierung durch Transfer zwischen den Weltkriegen.
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Centre for European Constitutional Law. Archived from the original on 22 January Retrieved 22 January Dover Wilson; Alfred E. Archived from the original on 25 January Retrieved 25 January In November , these forces, War Minister who was of Albanian origin. Chronology of 20th century eastern European history. February 28 George Zographos, a former foreign minister of Greece, proclaims at Gjirokaster the establishment of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus, with Zographos as president.
He notifies the International Commission that his government has been established because the Great Powers have not provided the Greeks in southern Albania any guarantees for the protection of the life, property and religious freedom, and ethnic existence. Archived from the original on 28 January Retrieved 28 January Thousands of muslim peasants, He gathered round him a group of discontented Muslim priests Albania and the European Union: The Psychology of Genocide and Violent Oppression: The nationalist Balli Kombetar, which had fought against Italy, made a deal with the German invaders, and formed a "neutral" government in Tirana which Retrieved 15 February Retrieved 22 November Retrieved 11 November Retrieved 11 April Historical Dictionary of Albania.
Historical Dictionaries of Europe, No. Lanham, MD, and Plymouth: The Case of Albania". Cambridge Journal of Economics. Albania as a case study" PDF. Retrieved 8 February The [] election was closely monitored by the European Union, which has twice rejected Albania's membership application and warned that the poll would be a crucial test for its further progress towards integration in the bloc. Albania and Bosnia have stumbled at the first hurdle of becoming fully-fledged European Union EU members after MEPs questioned the credibility of their democratic values.
Archived from the original PDF on 24 July Retrieved 12 November Situated on the shores of Lake Ohrid, the town of Ohrid is one of the oldest human settlements in Europe; Lake Ohrid is a superlative natural phenomenon, providing refuge for numerous endemic and relict freshwater species of flora and fauna dating from the tertiary period.
As a deep and ancient lake of tectonic origin, Lake Ohrid has existed continuously for approximately two to three million years. Archived from the original on 14 September Retrieved 3 June Archived from the original on 7 August Retrieved 27 August Carnivora in Albania" PDF. Former library copy, only a few internal marks. Front hinge just starting. Dark grey cloth, gilt titles, Arctic motif on front board. An account of the Arctic north, by the world traveler responsible for first discovering the existence of pygmies.
Loss to spine ends, lightly foxed, a few marginal ink notations in French, owner's title label on spine. Nouvelle et Derniere Edition. Buff paper boards, sewn binding. A treatise on geometry followed by a distillation of Vauban's theories regarding military architecture.
Vauban was the most respected mind of his time in this field, and his innovations led to significant changes in fortified structures. Blank sheet from Mayer's Rx pad laid in. Jacket price clipped, jacket a bit rubbed. An ambitious work relating medical health to the shaping of the world's civilizations, written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of So Human an Animal. Dubos was a microbiologist who discovered tyrothri Minor wear to corners, moderately foxed throughout, lending library bookplate on front endpaper.
An examination of the natural world as evidence of the greatness of God; i. Part of a four volume work, each volume treating a separate season. Revised and enlarged edition. Light stains to corners, boards rubbed, small pharmacy bookplate Smith's Homoeopathic Pharmacy on front endpaper. A comprehensive medical dictionary, compiled by the Professor of the Institutes of Medicine, Etc. First edition Sabin ; Howes D Volume 1 of 2 only. Includes frontispiece, a map of regional distribution of Native American tribes, and a fold-out map of New York City.
Bottom corner lightly stained, 1 inch tear to spine head, spine faded, minor loss from edges of paper over boards, front and end matter foxed, lightly foxed throughout. A history of what is now New York State from the earliest colonial claims through the Americ Edges faded, early ink name and modern owner bookplate on front endpaper of each volume, front hinge of third volume a bit weak. An early 19th century work focused on preventative medicine as it relates to travel, discussing the diseases to which one may be exposed during voyages, and their remedies.
Duplanil was most well-known for translating and augmenting William Buchan's work Domestic Medicine into Fre Spine lightly creased with a few splits starting, corners rubbed and lightly curled, light stain to rear wrapper and last few pages. Engraved frontispiece of St.
A 19th century Italian travelogue, written in the tradition of the Grand Tour. Henry Holt and Company: Former library copy, usual marks. Rear endpaper removed, front hinge just starting. A collection of primary sources from French records relating to the American Revolution. Amateur repair to front joint of second volume, edges rubbed. Full leather, elaborate stamped decorations, gilt titles, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins, silk moire endpapers. A profusely illustrated history of Egypt from the time of ancient Alexandria through the time of publication.
Beautiful engravings by various artists throughout. Edges rubbed, corners stained, top page ridge lightly foxed. National Temperance Society and Publication House: Original orange cloth, gilt titles. A medical assessment of the affects of alcohol on the body, but clearly speaking from the perspective of the temperance movement mentality of the day.
Very Good Matted for framing, taped to board at corners. Demosthenes with English Notes, Part I. Demosthenes; Holmes, Arthur Price: Good Free endpapers removed, pencil notes in text. Denison, Mary Andrews Price: Good Boards lightly soiled. Hoewel we ongeveer een idee hebben van de zelfmoord van Hitler en Eva Braun, en wat met hun lichamen gebeurd is, toch blijft het in een mysterie omhuld.
Joachim Fest maakt ook de kritische bemerking dat net door dat mysterieuze einde, Hitler blijft verder leven in de geesten. En hoe meer tijd er verstrijkt na de verschrikking van het Nazirijk, hoe groter de populariteit van Hitler opnieuw wordt Feb 28, Alexis Ohanian rated it it was ok. I get a little nervous when a "history" book at least, that was the section it was in doesn't have any endnotes or footnotes. I get more than a little nervous when the explanation given by the author is essentially "lots of the accounts contradicted one another, so I didn't want to confuse you, the reader, by including citations".
Granted, the scene in Hitler's bunker in those final months of the war were confusing to say the least. But throw us history majors a bone here, Herr Fest. Much of t I get a little nervous when a "history" book at least, that was the section it was in doesn't have any endnotes or footnotes.
Much of the history written on these waning hours in the heart of the Third Reich has largely been based on the diary of one of Hitler's personal secretaries, Traudl Junge. These women were in the end the few who Hitler still believed hadn't betrayed him -- he'd wished he had generals with such resolve and loyalty. Needless to say, his paranoia and delusion had hit their apex at this point.
Two entire chapters were frustratingly speculative and appear to contradict most of the historical research I have seen it was only a matter of time before my history major would start to pay off. And all without any citation.
Granted, I haven't read Fest's biography of Hitler, so he has the authority, I just wish he had the evidence, too. Ultimately, these flaccid chapters weakened what was otherwise a fine read. The film Der Untergang [the Downfall: Rent the movie, skip the book. It's not a great first date flick Nov 12, Kathryn rated it it was ok. I thought the movie "The Downfall" was excellent, so thought this book might be also, since the movie was partly based on this book.
But the book was disappointing. For one thing, I felt like I had walked into a discussion already underway, with no one explaining the things you had missed. It assumed you already knew all the players involved, and the basic plot. Sometimes captions to pictures explained who some of the people were, but not others, and left you to guess which was which.
For anothe I thought the movie "The Downfall" was excellent, so thought this book might be also, since the movie was partly based on this book. For another, one of the things I liked about the movie was that it showed you the human, the emotional, side of the people involved, providing some depth in its analysis, instead of just focusing on the battles, which is the part of history I have always disliked the most.
The book, however, spent a lot of time discussing the movements of the various armies, in which I have little interest. The only person I would recommend this book to, would be a student of history of the Third Reich, someone who is already familiar with that part of history. Then it might be interesting.
It's somewhat surprising that the precise events and situations inside Hitler's bunker in April are so hard to pin down with complete accuracy. Eyewitnesses who walked in on the bodies minutes later couldn't even agree on whether Adolf and Eva Hitler were found together on the same sofa after committing suicide, or Eva was in a separate chair. Fest does a good job reconciling multiple accounts, and specifies where he isn't certain.
This book certainly puts to rest the notion that the Soviet It's somewhat surprising that the precise events and situations inside Hitler's bunker in April are so hard to pin down with complete accuracy. This book certainly puts to rest the notion that the Soviets could have done an autopsy on Hitler's corpse, as the only thing left of him besides ashes in May was his dentures. Eva's lower bridgework was all that remained of her. So the fantasy that a Soviet autopsy revealed only one testicle if you want to read all about it, Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil is proven wishful thinking.
It almost seems crass, given the death Hitler visited upon Europe, for me to note the little details such as how Hitler gave a cyanide capsule to his beloved dog Blondi - because he didn't want Blondi to become a trophy for Soviet troops, and also he wanted to test the type of capsule he would shortly be using himself - and then sent an officer to put bullets into Blondi's five puppies.
However, there is some fragmented evidence, pre-dating Buzuku, which indicates that Albanian was written from at least the 14th century. Archived from the original on 8 August Greek is the second most-spoken language in the country, with 0. This is claimed to be an attempt to intimidate minorities into declaring Albanian ethnicity, according to them the Albanian government has stated that it will jail anyone who does not participate in the census or refuse to declare his or her ethnicity. Distribution of ethnic groups within Albania, as of the census. This potboiler began her prolific career as author of pulp fiction and dime novels. Granted, I haven't read Fest's biography of Hitler, so he has the authority, I just wish he had the evidence, too.
Then there are the six Goebbels children, quickly poisoned by their mother and Hitler's personal physician; only one, the oldest daughter, appears to have resisted, given the bruising on her body. Magda Goebbels had linked her own and her children's fate to Hitler's in the final days, and had at the last minute begged him to leave Berlin so that she and the children could leave and be spared, too, but Hitler refused. Goebbels wrote in her suicide note: Our glorious idea is in ruins, and with it everything I have known in my life that was beautiful, admirable, noble, and good.
They are too good for the life that will come after us, and merciful God will understand if I myself give them deliverance. Hitler himself in the waning days was by turns angry, volatile, apathetic, suffering tremors of his hands and legs which he tried to hide from onlookers, as he insisted German troops fight on even though all was lost. He took the time to have Eva Braun's brother-in-law briefly court-martialled and shot the court-martial wasn't even allowed to conclude, once Hitler discovered that the man had known Himmler was making surrender overtures to a Swedish diplomat , even as Braun asked that his life be spared since he had a newborn child.
He declined to flee to his alpine fortress, preferring to end everything in Berlin. He was insistent that his and Braun's bodies be burned completely, having just learned what disgraces were wrought upon Mussolini and Clara Petacci. He sat silently and stared at his favorite portrait of Frederick the Great. And he ate cake: Jan 06, Charlie rated it liked it Shelves: Not sure if I should rate this book as a 2 or 3 or 4. So, I hit the middle -- a 3. It's my first real honest to goodness read on the Last few days of Hitler and that's why a 3. I would recommend for you to read several books on the Last Days of Hitler and draw your own conclusions.
That's what I intend to do. This book, however, is a good one to start with.
Mar 20, Ian "Marvin" Graye marked it as to-read Shelves: I find Impossible Germany to understand. Unlikely Japan, more too. Foi interessante ver um lado depressivo de Hitler, mais uma faceta de uma mente doentia. Is this the definitive book about the last few weeks at the heart of Nazi Germany? Joachim Fest has gathered together information to present the chaotic and mad last days of Hitler's life, as Nazi Germany's final collapse happened above him as the Soviet Army subjected Berlin to its final torture and execution.
Fest has described day-by-day the last three weeks of Hitler's life, and ipso facto the life of the Third Reich, with all the insanity that was entailed in that, and has also p Is this the definitive book about the last few weeks at the heart of Nazi Germany? Fest has described day-by-day the last three weeks of Hitler's life, and ipso facto the life of the Third Reich, with all the insanity that was entailed in that, and has also posed some historical-philosophical questions on why it had to be that way.
Where this book is interesting is in Fest's thinking about why it had to end as it did. His theory is that the Fuhrer always had, if not a death wish, a desire to destroy. This desire led him, and by extension the Nazis, to always have an enemy to destroy, and when the enemies began to prevail, he moved his desires onto the German people, wishing them to be exterminated as they had proved themselves the "weaker" race.
Fest uses as evidence for his theories the fact that Hitler always sought out enemies to destroy, and when the Germans had taken over other countries he ensured that peace was never made with the populace - an example is the Ukraine, where the population was initially inclined to side with the Nazis, before their depredations turned the people against them. The desire to crush his enemies became twisted into a desire for Germany to die in flames as they lost the War. Fest mentions that several times Hitler had the potential opportunity to come to terms with enemies during the War, but spurned them all.
His infamous "Nero" order - which was in the main ignored - showed him to be completely without feeling for "his" people. In fact Fest shows that much of the last few weeks of Hitler's life was the story of him sacrificing everything for his own glory, initially in an effort to turn the War around, and when the final realisation of defeat had set in, in an effort to have the most Wagnerian of endings that he could. These musings are worth considering, and while not explaining completely the insanity that was Hitler's reign, add to the picture of how such a disaster could come about.
If you want to know what happened in the bunker, this is probably the best book to read. Check out my other reviews at http: If you've seen the film Downfall based on Fest's work or read any other piece of literature about Hitler's final hours then this book has nothing to offer. However if you know very little about the matter then this is the perfect vehicle into the world of Berlin. More suited to casual readers than historians as it doesn't feature any footnotes or endnotes, Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich is as entertaining as it is informative.
Joachim Fest is probably Germany's m If you've seen the film Downfall based on Fest's work or read any other piece of literature about Hitler's final hours then this book has nothing to offer. Chiefly covering events that occurred in the bunker I feel the book detours too often and too far into being a piece about the Battle for Berlin which would be fine if it were not for the book's title and the fact there are many great books about that already available offering much more detail.
Although leaving him open to criticism, Fest has bravely or lazily? If this were a definitive tome for use by historians it would be unforgivable, but as an page introduction to the subject for those with a passing interest it helps make sense of a very confusing black spot in 20th century history. Jun 02, Irfan rated it it was amazing. Utterly depressing and haunting read about the final days of Hitler's regime focusing on himself and select few confidantes who stayed by his side to the very end.
The most astounding thing is how the Nazi regime continued to work at maximum power with whatever dwindling resources it had to the very last hour, ensuring murder and destruction to the very end. Hitler is the very embodiment of hubris and arrogance, refusing to believe that he has lost even when the entire city and final bastion o Utterly depressing and haunting read about the final days of Hitler's regime focusing on himself and select few confidantes who stayed by his side to the very end.
Hitler is the very embodiment of hubris and arrogance, refusing to believe that he has lost even when the entire city and final bastion of his government, Berlin, is totally surrounded and facing certain capitulation. He continues with his lengthy monologues to whoever can bear to listen like an Alzheimer's stricken uncle trying to make sense of his world. He continues to scoff himself with cake and dinners at his eating quarters.
He continues to tirade and scream at anyone within earshot, which consist of the downcast eyes of men and women secretly unable to comprehend how a man so deluded still thinks he is in charge.