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Adolf Hitler’s rule between 1933 and 1945 is still seen by many as the embodiment of total, all-encompassing, unrestrained, yet madly pursued power. This paper examines the factors that underpinned Hitler’s power. Among them, his own abilities, his will to power, his rhetorical talents, his program-making habits, his organizational skills, his ability to restrain his subordinates and his cult. It becomes evident how the Nazi party efficiently structured itself into one of the most organized and distinguishable political entities in Germany, offering a credible alternative in a time of economic crisis, and, amid the intrigues of the Weimar elite, finally seizing power in 1933, consolidating and securing it through well thought-out measures implemented in stages. Hitler’s power thus became unchallengeable and rested on a foundation so solid that, though eroded, it remained firm to the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]