Includes bibliographical references and index.

The defeat of Wilhelmine Germany and the origins of the National Socialist Party -- The rebirth of national socialism and the creation of the SS -- Heinrich Himmler -- A new broom -- Taking control -- Consolidation -- Dachau and the establishment of the concentration camps -- The central organisation of the SS -- The Race and Settlement Office -- The SD -- the intelligence and security wing of the SS -- The path to genocide -- Euthanasia and the beginning of mass murder -- Origins of the Waffen-SS -- Militarising the "political soldiers" -- Expansion of the militarised SS -- The invasion of poland and the special task groups -- The SS and the Polish Jews -- Gottlob Berger and the creation of the Waffen-SS -- Making up the numbers: foreign volunteers and criminals in the Waffen-SS -- The Waffen-SS heads east -- Operation Barbarossa and the first and second sweeps -- The Wannsee conference -- The extermination camps -- Auschwitz -- The final act -- Epilogue -- Appendix: Table of comparative military ranks.