Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Viktor Frankl – giants of Viennese intellectual life – revolutionised the science of psychological research within a strikingly short span of time. They became the founding fathers of theories and methods of treatment that are still highly influential even today: psychoanalysis, individual psychology and logotherapy. What were their social environments, how were they shaped by their family backgrounds, and what did their professional networks look like? The authors offer a gripping account of a hundred and fifty years of cultural and scientific history, shedding light on the complex relationships between these three figures.

Going beyond psychological speculation, the authors close a gap in historical research by portraying Hitler's family, childhood and youth in its social and cultural context. Focusing on Hitler's time in Braunau through to his experiences in Vienna, they offer an insight into his character traits and ideological imprints. The book closely examines Hitler's personal background as well as his social environment. National fanaticism, race hatred and anti-Semitism had become firmly established in society long before Hitler and the National Socialists started their ascent. Hitler's radicalised rhetoric could only gain potency when his audience already knew what he was speaking of. Taking a fresh look, Leidinger and Rapp detail Hitler's childhood and youth from a new angle.