Overview
The three Stauffenberg brothers, Berthold, Alexander and Claus, were inseparable both emotionally and intellectually. Their view of human existence was rooted in their south German aristocratic background, in classical antiquity, and in Christian culture, as well as in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Pindar, Dante, Holderlin and Stefan George were their principal literary heroes; Alexander, Caesar, Frederick II, Napoleon and Gneisanau were their models in generalship and statesmanship.This 'family biography' describes the brothers' youth and formative years, their association with the circle of the poet Stefan George, and their professional and political development. Their professions and their political and military environments led them to take fundamental positions on the military ethos and on their government's and Hitler's tyranny.
The military career of Claus, Count Stauffenberg and his fight to overthrow Hitler, culminating in the attempted assassination and coup of 20 July 1944, provide the focus for the book. It is based on the most comprehensive collection of sources yet used, including family papers, correspondence, and information from numerous contemporaries, with a unique collection of illustrative material.
Synopsis
Hoffman (history, McGill U.) explores the lives and work of the three brothers, Berthold, Alexander, and Claus, of the south German aristocratic Stauffenberg family. He focuses on the military career of Claus and his effort to overthrow Hitler, which culminated in the attempted assassination and coup in July 1944. The German original Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg und siene Brüder was published by Deutsche-Verlags-Anstalat, Stuttgard in 1992. Hoffman's English translation was first published as Stauffenberg by Cambridge University Press in 1995. Distributed in the US by Cornell University Press Services. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR