Johann Chapoutot, a specialist in the history of Germany and Nazism, has just published a book with Gallimard The Tipping Point: Germany, 1933. In this book, following in the footsteps of his previous works, he explores the mechanisms that enabled Adolf Hitler to rise to power: gradual shifts, strategies for gaining the support of elite groups, and opportunistic alliances—all of which the author analyzes in depth. A lecture that is essential for understanding how the work of historians also sheds light on our own era and helps us reflect on today’s world. 

Discussant

A lecture led by Naïma Ghermani, professor of modern history, member of LUHCIE, and director of the Maison des Sciences Humaines Alpes.

Speaker

Johann Chapoutot is a professor of contemporary history at Sorbonne University. A specialist in the history of Germany and Nazism, he has just published The Tipping Point: Germany, 1933 (Gallimard, September 2026). He is also the author of The Irresponsible Ones: Who Brought Hitler to Power? (Gallimard, 2025), Free to Obey (Gallimard, 2020), The Grand Narrative: An Introduction to the History of Our Time (PUF, 2021), 100 Words of History (PUF, Que Sais-Je, 2021), The Nazi Cultural Revolution (Gallimard, 2017), The Law of Blood (Gallimard, 2014). His works have been translated into some twenty languages and have received numerous awards in France and abroad. 

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