Customer Reviews

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

5 star:		(212)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Don't be intimidated by the 1100+ pages of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." It reads more like a novel than a dry historical narrative and -- trust me on this -- this book is awesome.

As a reporter for CBS, William Shirer lived and worked in Germany during much of the Nazi movement. Until he left in 1940, he saw firsthand Hitler's rise to power, the consolidation of that power, and the use of that power. As a fallible human being, his prejudices may show through at times, but this is not necessarily a weakness. In today's climate of political correctness, works by historical revisionists -- that purport to show that Hitler and the Nazis weren't so bad -- are not only published, but they're even taken seriously. Perhaps our modern view of Hitler has been distorted by allied propaganda and Hitler and Goerring were fun loving and lovable guys, they say. At the extreme, some revisionists even claim that the Auschwitz death camp didn't even have gas chambers - they were added later as a tourist attraction! Yeah right.

In that sense, Shirer's book, published in 1959 is refreshing. He doesn't hold back one bit with his opinions.

Hence, Quisling is "pig-eyed", Rohm is a "pervert", Goebles is "dwarfish", Goering is "corpulent", Ribbentrop is "vain as a peacock", Brauchitsch is "unintelligent", Eva Braun has the "brain of a bird", and so forth. Such epithets may offend the sensibilities of some modern day readers, but they certainly spice up the telling of what could otherwise be a boring tale. (If you don't know who these people are, buy the book. Believe me, if you read it all the way through, you will become a formidable expert in Nazi trivia).

Because "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" was finished a mere 14 years after the fall of Nazi Germany, some facts that have come to light after its publication are necessarily missing. The premier example of this would be the breaking of the secret Nazi military codes by the British. But writing this book in 1959 also had its advantages. Many of the participants were still alive when William Shirer was doing his research. Hence, when encountering a slight inconsistency in General Franz Halder's war diary [The Chief of Staff of the High Command (the OKH)], William Shirer wrote to the old General and received "a prompt and courteous reply."

Perhaps Shirer's most vivid firsthand account of all is the several page description of the French surrender in the rail car at the forest at Compiegne:

"I look for the expression in Hitler's face. I am but fifty yards from him and see him though my glasses as though he were directly in front of me... He glances slowly around the clearing, and now, as his eyes meet ours, you grasp the depth of his hatred."

Amazing stuff.

But these personal accounts only take up a very small portion of this absolutely fantastic book. Particularly well covered was Hitler's rise to power -- a story that is not often told. The Hitler that Shirer paints during these early years is a very astute political observer who shrewdly plays the German people like a violin. He promises the people what they want, plays on their fears, and is extremely ruthless to anyone who dares to oppose him.

In later years, Shirer's Hitler's political savvy falls apart. At one point Shirer calls his inner circle a "lunatic asylum". Except for very occasional bursts of brilliance, Hitler has no idea what the heck he is doing politically much less militarily and yet his fanatical followers still go along with him. Hitler's megalomania goes on overdrive until, like a Viking in a Wagner opera his body is burned in a last stand against the Russian army just blocks away from his bunker.

While making my way through "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", I can't tell you how many times I would read about a pivotal event and wonder "WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING THROUGH THESE GUYS MINDS?" I always knew the Nazi's were nuts as well as scary. This book provided all of the details I needed.

I grew up near Lenox, Massachusetts, where author William Shirer spent his last twenty years, and we often drove by the old Victorian where he lived, set back from the road as it was, with a large, lovely lawn hiding the rather reclusive author from public view. I picked up this book again to reread it once more, for I find that it is a wonderful treasure trove of personal observations and actual eye-witness history, written on the run by a man married to a German woman and living in the shadow of the nazis as they climbed into power.

William Shirer's comprehensive treatment of the curious rise and horrific fall of the Nazis in post-Weimar Germany is the benchmark volume to measure all other treatments of the era by. There are so many monographs on Nazi Germany that one reels before the list looming in a relevant bibliography. Save yourself the trouble; this book gives one exactly the kind of complete immersion in and coverage of the realities of the era that too many of the other books lack. Shirer, an American journalist stationed in Berlin as a newspaper (and later radio) correspondant during the rise of the National Socialists, was there, on the ground and at the scene witnessing many of the events he describes in such detail.

He has, of course, written extensively on these experiences, both herein and elsewhere in books like 'The Nightmare Years' and 'Berlin Diary'. But this book has to be considered his masterpiece, and is worth the time, trouble and price for this hefty best-selling volume. After all, it has never been out of print in the forty years since its original publication in the early 1960s. I promise that if you read this, you'll never think of World War Two in the same way. It is indeed a long and difficult read, but one that is well worth the effort. Enjoy!

If you only could read and own one history book on Nazi Germany, this would be it. Don't let the 1245 pages daunt you, this is a very well written and readable book on the subject. Shirer was apparently a journalist and started research on the book when he first went to Germany in 1925. He spent 5-1/2 years writing it. The title pretty much explains it, it covers the rise of Adolf Hitler to the eventual fall of Berlin. There are other history books that cover specific aspects of the Nazi's, such as the recommended 2002 publication of Antony Beevor's The Fall of Berlin 1945, but this is the one history book on it all. Considering how the events covered set up the modern world, this should be essential reading for everyone on the planet.

I see that this is the first review for the hardcopy version of the book, which is the version of the text that I have. Those wanting to read other reviews should go to the paperback version site.

Lest anyone mistake the three star rating for rejection or dislike, let me say up front that Shirer's monumental work is absolutely informative, eye-opening, and, as so many reviewers have said, probaby *should* be read by just about everybody, not just those with an interest in World War Two.

That being said, there are some criticisms to be had. First is the length. I have nothing against 1000+ page books per se. Shirer's work, however, could have been several hundred pages shorter but for his near obsessiveness toward recording every detail. The days leading up to the invasion of Poland, for example, are told almost in "real time." Second is the complete lack of maps. There is very little more frustrating than to be bombarded with place names and to have only a rough idea of where these places are. Third is the lack of focus on the Germans themselves, especially once the war starts.

Some parts of this book do stand out. Shirer's two chapters on life in Nazi Germany and the occupied countries are both gripping and horrifying. Shirer's forays into his own recollections are also welcome diversions from the endless barrage of Nazi documents, memoranda, and diaries and are, perhaps, the best parts of the entire work. And Shirer's account of the Nazi party's rise is fascinating reading, and shows that, indeed, Hitler and Stalin had more in common than one would have thought.

All in all, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a worthwhile read. It is not great "literature" in the sense that Gibbon or Will Durant are (contrary to what some others have suggested), but it is an investment in time and attention that will pay off for the reader.

This should be the one. William Shirer's comprehensive treatment of the curious rise and horrific fall of the Nazis in post-Weimar Germany is the benchmark volume to measure all other treatments of the era by. There are so many monographs on Nazi Germany that one reels before the list looming in a relevant bibliography. Save yourself the trouble; this book gives one exactly the kind of complete immersion in and coverage of the realities of the era that too many of the other books lack. Shirer, an American journalist stationed in Berlin as a newspaper (and later radio) correspondant during the rise of the National Socialists, was there, on the ground and at the scene witnessing many of the events he describes in such detail. He has, of course, written extensively on these experiences, both herein and elsewhere in books like 'The Nightmare Years' and 'Berlin Diary'. But this book has to be considered his masterpiece, and is worth the time, trouble and price for this hefty best-selling volume. After all, it has never been out of print in the forty years since its original publication in the early 1960s. I promise that if you read this, you'll never think of World War Two in the same way...

This is a brilliant book - tremendously well researched, incredibly well written, and packed full of unparalleled insights. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in Adolph Hitler, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany, and the Third Reich at war.

Written soon after the end of the Second World War and first published in 1959, William L. Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" remains the monumental history of Adolph Hitler and the Germany he created.

The author, William L. Shirer, served as a newspaper correspondent and CBS radio reporter in Europe and Nazi Germany during the war and witnessed first-hand many of the events that led to the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. More importantly, Shirer, the correspondent turned historian, was among the first individuals to avail himself of the confidential archives of the Third Reich and all its branches seized and held by the U.S. government after the war in Alexandria, Virginia.

These documents included the official diaries of the German Armed Forces High Command, the German Navy High Command, the Chief of the German General Staff (General Franz Halder), and those of the Minister of Propaganda (Dr. Joseph Goebbels). Shirer also made good use of the stenographic records of Hitler's conferences on the daily military situation, as seen and discussed at the Fuehrer's headquarters, and the texts of the Nazi leader's table talk.

The result is an extremely well documented and detailed history of every aspect of Hitler's Germany. Shirer makes it clear early in his book that although he detested Adolph Hitler and the Nazis, he sought to write an objective history of events. Certainly his observations on the leader of the Third Reich are of special interest to readers and historians alike. Shirer calls Hitler: "The man with the Charlie Chaplin mustache, who had been a down-and-out tramp in Vienna in his youth, an unknown soldier of World War I, a derelict in Munich in the first grim postwar days, the somewhat comical leader of the Beer Hall Putsch, this spellbinder who was not even German but Austrian..."

Writing about the rise of the Third Reich, Shirer shows conclusively that many of Hitler's beliefs as well as the basic tenets of the Nazi Party, including its' highly centralized, authoritarian and violently anti-Semitic nature, were deeply embedded in German history. It is for this reason that most of the German population and military so willingly followed their Fuehrer into another destructive two-front world war and continued to believe in him and victory until the very end.

There is very little about the German leader and the Third Reich that is not in this book. Shirer was able to detect early on, for example, the Nazi program to murder its own citizens, who were mentally retarded or otherwise physically incapacitated, and the resistance by the German population and the Catholic Church to that program. He also shows that, contrary to the view still held by some historians to this day, the vast bulk of Hitler's generals fully supported the German leader and his Nazi party. At the same time, Shirer was among the first historians who attempted to record the civilian and military resistance to the Fuehrer.

All of this makes Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" wonderful and compelling reading. It remains the monumental history of Hitler's Germany and one of the most important historial works of our time.

William Shirer, a journalist/broadcaster stationed in Berlin in the 1930s and 40s, had a unique opportunity to witness Adolph Hitler's rise to power. Few can say they attended Nazi rallies or stood behind Hitler as he delivered some of his famous speeches. Shirer, the consummate narrator, delivers his experiences to the rest of the world in this book, first published in 1960. It covers Hitler's young life and many experiences that probably helped form his anti-semitism. It is fascinating to see how many of these major characters of the last century came together at first in small restaurants and bars, and later in stadiums before hundreds of thousands of Germans.

This book remains one of the great docu-historical writings of the twentieth century. Part history and part opinion, it is quite stunning in scope and character. True, Shirer does occasionally transcend his role as journalist, delivering intense personal opinions on characters from Ribbontrop to Goering to Goebbels. Some have faulted him for this, but I liked it. Who else would be in a better position to deliver such information? If Shirer has spent the time with these people-if he knows enough of them, then by all means, he should expound in this manner.

This is a very long book. At 1200-some pages, It was daunting and enjoyable at the same time. While some details blurred over time, the amount of information erred on the safe side-better too much than too little. While this is a valid criticism, it has no bearing on my feelings regarding the book when all is said and done. This is masterful history mixed with first hand drama and (despite what some have said) intense documentation.

Essential and highly recommended.

Shirer's definitive work on the history of the Third Reich is still as relevant to the subject today as it was when it was published back in the 1960s.

The book was unique at the time (and quite possibly is still) because there was no precedent for a government such as the Third Reich being so utterly defeated that all their dirty secrets were laid bare. Government documents, memos, notes, even the diaries of some of the German leaders were opened up to the world when the Reich fell. Shirer used those sources as well as his own experiences as a journalist in Nazi Germany and conversations with living members of the former Reich to put together this book.

Shirer's defiance of convention at the time in writing a history so soon after the actual events initially brought criticism of his work. The unique circumstances of the fall of Nazi Germany demanded such a history though and time has shown his book to be one of the most important works ever created on Nazi Germany.

Shirer's opinion of the events of the time may not ring true for all readers, but he doesn't portray his own opinion as historical fact instead letting his sources speak to that point. Because of his position as a foreign journalist in Nazi Germany before, during and after the war Shirer's opinion of events and the people he met (including some of the most important figures in the Nazi government) is at least as valuable as the facts he presents and deserving of inclusion in this book.

A must read for anyone interested in Nazi Germany and World War II.

William Shirer was well qualified to write this all-to-necessary book. As a war correspondent, he lived in Nazi Germany, covering the darkest chapter in human history thoroughly and objectively as possible. This 50-year old classic is a story that tragically is not told very factually anymore.

This book should be read to counterbalance all the misinformation that now envelops the Third Reich. While the politically correct spin often claims that Christianity is responsible for massacre of the Jews-the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC is founded on such fatuity--this book details Hitler's hatred and oppression of Catholics and Protestants. He imprisoned thousands of priests, nuns, and ministers in Germany and warned that he would exterminate all clerics in Poland who failed to preach his message. Shortly after seizing power he ordered all churches to replace the crucifix with a swastika and to substitute Mein Kampf for the Bible-not exactly what the radical liberal left likes to teach about this evil dictator, who in reality despised Christianity as much as he abhorred Judaism. Pope Pius who today is regularly singled out as being insensitive to nazi atrocities is evidenced to have been one of the few vociferous voices who repeatedly denounced nazism from its earliest days.

Another current myth debunked is the nazis' systematic annihilation of homosexuals. The book documents that many of the founders of nazism were in fact homosexuals themselves. When innocent homosexuals were brutally murdered it was during Hitler's purges of party members who had aroused his suspicions. Often these targeted gay advisers were caught in the company of innocent young men who were killed along with their nazi lovers. Even Hitler's questionable sexual preference is alluded to in this voluminous narrative.

The most shocking aspect of the book is its portrayal of Hitler's incredible ability to manipulate. He did not gain his power by force or treachery-rather he was one of the most skillful politicians in history. When he gave a speech, he could feel the German people's pain. He promised a brighter future for the all the citizens, and skillfully avoided discussing his fanatical plans in his campaign stemwinders. As a politician he accomplished a great deal. He gave Germany a booming economy, low unemployment rates, and his approval ratings were high right up until the end. Obviously, he failed in providing moral leadership, but The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich does a remarkable job of detailing how the one of the most evil people in history was able to assume and maintain so much power for so long. It should serve as a warning for all generations to come.

At 1500+ pages, it is an endeavor, but it's a story that must be told and more importantly it must be ACCURATELY told. Far too many innocent lives were wiped out by the depravity of nazism to let the story be doctored to suit the purposes of special interest groups. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is that rare work that truly dissects a historical period in a very readable fashion.

Probably more English-language readers have learned about Nazi Germany from The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich than any other book. That William Shirer's mammoth study is still in print, still widely read and still cited as a basic text by historians and researchers, is a testament to its importance and staying-power in shaping popular perception of Adolf Hitler, Germany, National Socialism and World War II. For many readers, this is the Ur-text of Nazi history. This is very problematic however, as Rise and Fall, while very readable, is incomplete and outdated in analyzing Nazi Germany.

Certainly, even the most skeptical reader must laud Shirer's efforts. An American journalist who spent the early years of Hitler's reign in Berlin, Shirer brings a formidable mixture of first-hand experience and exhaustive research of German archival material and primary sources. His personal encounters with Hitler (witnessing several of his Reichstag speeches, say) give the material an added edge and authority that latter-day historians lack. Additionally, Shirer is a formidable writer, and the book is extremely readable despite its flaws and near-1500 page length. His depictions of the inner-workings of the Nazi regimes, and his blow-to-blow accounts of Hitler's rise to power, WWII and Nazi atrocities are gripping and admirably thorough. There's not too much to quibble with here; it's elsewhere that we run into difficulties.

Shirer provides a blunt, straightforward picture of Nazi Germany that easily squares with the layman's understanding of the subject. In Shirer's eyes, Hitler was an evil genius who came on the political scene with a clear program for European hegemony (if not world domination) and extermination of the Jews. He embraces the "Sonderweg" theory that Germany is particularly susceptible to domination by repressive, nationalist dictators, and depicts the German citizenry as a more-or-less willing accomplice in Hitler's atrocities. The author's palpable hatred for his subjects bleeds through every page: Ernst Rohm is a pervert, Herman Goering fat, Joachim Von Ribbentrop a moron and so forth. Less enlightening is when he extends this attitude to other figures, as when he brands the anti-Hitler resistance as either irrelevant or merely self-serving opportunists.

The fact is, despite their popular endurance, few reputable historians still hold these opinions, at least without serious reservations. The Sonderweg theory isn't unique to Shirer, but it displays a remarkable ignorance of German history, disregarding the country's strong history of liberalism, Otto Von Bismarck's modernizing policies as Chancellor and, perhaps most importantly, Germany's remarkable tolerance towards Jews before 1914. Wilhelmine Germany's bellicose imperialism was certainly troubling and unduly provocative, but can't really be seen as a direct precursor to Hitler. Historians still debate how much of the Holocaust and Nazi foreign policy was mapped out in advance, but few (except maybe Daniel Jonah Goldhagen) would agree with the simplistic conclusion that Hitler never deviated from Mein Kampf. How much Hitler was an "evil genius" - a phrase Shirer employs multiple times - rather than a crafty opportunist blessed with uncanny luck is very much open to debate. And so on. A knowledgable reader can't take much of Shirer's reasoning seriously, but unfortunately many lay readers will.

Of course, some of this can be excused: the book was written in 1960, after all, and a great deal of documentation has become available since Shirer's day. However, sloppy reasoning, limited historical understanding and the author's own biases are harder to excuse, as they obfuscate the true lessons to be mined from his subject. More recent writers like Joachim Fest, Ian Kershaw and Richard J. Evans provide a more nuanced version of Nazism, placing Hitler and Co. in a proper context without diminishing their evil. The Third Reich and the Second World War were not simple morality plays as Shirer would have us believe; history is never as simple as that.

For all its flaws as a historical work, Rise and Fall is undeniably a fascinating read. Its sheer visceral power can't be denied and most readers will learn a lot. It's a fine introduction to Nazi Germany, but anyone seriously interested in the subject should follow up with more scholarly works.