The Third Reich

A History of Nazi Germany

By: Thomas Childers

Narrated by: David de Vries

In The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, Thomas Childers shows how the young Hitler became passionately political and anti-Semitic as he lived on the margins of society. Fueled by outrage at the punitive terms imposed on Germany by the Versailles Treaty, he found his voice and drew a loyal following.

As his views developed, Hitler attracted like-minded colleagues who formed the nucleus of the nascent Nazi party. Between 1924 and 1929, Hitler and his party languished in obscurity on the radical fringes of German politics, but the onset of the Great Depression gave them the opportunity to move into the mainstream. Hitler blamed Germany's misery on the victorious allies, the Marxists, the Jews, and big business - and the political parties that represented them. By 1932 the Nazis had become the largest political party in Germany, and within six months they transformed a dysfunctional democracy into a totalitarian state and began the inexorable march to World War II and the Holocaust.

It is these fraught times that Childers brings to life: the Nazis' unlikely rise and how they consolidated their power once they achieved it. This is the most comprehensive one-volume history of Nazi Germany since the classic The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

©2017 Thomas Childers (P)2020 Tantor

Solid History

Wide-ranging survey of Nazi Germany. Well-written and performed. Spotty in the sense that some topics are barely mentioned (Eva Braun, War in the Atlantic, impact of the war on common German families and soldiers, legacy, etc), but still quite interesting and easy to follow.

Pronunciation is good

The ability of the reader to adequately pronounce the German words is satisfying. He was very easy to listen to considering it the amazing amount of details in the book.

human tragedy, folly, and horror. an imperative lesson

This masterfully written and narrated history of Nazi Germany and its dire consequences upon the world should be a must read in high schools and/or colleges. Our freedoms in a democracy, like our lives, hang by fragile threads, We must know our history in order to preserve and defend our values and our way of life. Demeaning one group demeans all of us. Hate is both the enemy of the hater and hated, while love, compassion, and empathy, like a rising tide, lifts all.

Great Book

Thorough history of Nazi Germany with fantastic narration! A compelling listen that's hard to put down.

Compelling story

I really liked it, story from start to end is described is out of this world, this is one of my top on the list that I have read or listened to books.