Those Germans, such as Count Claus von Stauffenberg, who fought the Third Reich from within have often been mythologised as heroes in the fight against tyranny but the truth is far more complex. This seminal book traces the history of the German resistance from the ascent of the Nazi party to the July 1944 attempted assassination of Hitler. Informed by more than four decades of research and written by the premier historian of the German Resistance, "Germans Against Hitler" offers the most authoritative history of the tens of thousands of Germans who tried to resist Nazism. Hans Mommsen considers the full spectrum of opposition, from small but still dangerous acts of political disobedience to large-scale conspiracies to overthrow government. He analyses the ideologies of the incredible assassination plot of July 20 1944, as well as those of the Kreisau Circle and the conservative, socialist, church and military oppositions. "Germans Against Hitler" is the definitive work on this subject, of vital importance for scholars and students and all those interested in the history of World War II.