The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

A History of Nazi Germany

By: William L. Shirer

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 57 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the twentieth century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.

Now, years after the end of World War II, it may seem incredible that our most valued institutions, and way of life, were threatened by the menace that Hitler and the Third Reich represented. Shirer’s description of events and the cast of characters who played such pivotal roles in defining the course Europe was to take is unforgettable.

Benefiting from his many years as a reporter, and thus a personal observer of the rise of Nazi Germany, and availing himself of some of the 485 tons of documents from the German Foreign Office, as well as countless other diaries, phone transcriptions, and other written records meticulously kept at every level by the Germans, Shirer has put together a brutally objective account of how Hitler wrested political control of Germany, and planned and executed his six-year quest to dominate the world, only to see Germany go down in flames.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a vast, richly rewarding experience for anyone who wants to come to grips with the mysterious question of how this menace to civilization ever came into being, much less was sustained for as long as it was. The answer, unfortunately, is that most of Germany, for a whole host of reasons, embraced Nazism and the fanaticism that Hitler engendered.

©1990 William L. Shirer (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the most important works of history of our time.” ( The New York Times)

”A splendid work of scholarship, objective in method, sound in judgment, inescapable in its conclusions.” ( The New York Times Book Review)

Amazing buy for a single credit

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

absolutely. It might be too long for some people's taste but it is an entertaining 50+ hours

What other book might you compare The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich to and why?

If you liked listening to Grover Gardner, don't mind at all long audio books, and enjoy history, Shelby Foote's 3 volume history on the American Civil War is another great audiobook.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy that Shirer actually put forth concepts about how and why the German's were susceptible to Nazi control of Germany. However these are controversial and critical of the German people of this time which might turn some people off. In a nutshell, Shirer states that the Germans were subservient and use to taking orders w/o question, preferring structure and order to civil liberties, that and Germans love David Hasselhoff.

An essential history book; a must listen.

Shirer was in Germany during the nazis rise to power and this monumental historical account is based on what he personally observed (often in the same room as Hitler) as well as original documents seized by the allies after the war. Grover Gardner's performance is excellent.

The Best Book Written on the II WW

A wonderful, enjoyable read that all should read,and be at least be discussed in American schools. Full of details that even though I thought before my reading that I knew somewhat about I gained so very much from the research and style of Wm.Shirer.Yes, it could happen again. Next time it might not be Germany where it comes from. The only thing that can stop evil of this sort occuring once more is knowledge. Today in America there is too little of that. just have a conversation with the average high school student..

For historians this is a must listen.....

Where does The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top third of all my 300 audible titles.

What did you like best about this story?

I now have a comprehensive understanding of the Third Reich

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

The reader did a great job with the performance keeping in mind the depth of this material

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Evil Fantasy comes to life

I learned so much from this book....

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a biography which deserves accolade. This seems both balanced and human - drawing from many sources from both sides of the divide. The narrative lays bare the man that symbolizes all that is evil - his strengths and weaknesses. Yet in this man there are fleeting moments of humanity and a vision too unbelievable to imagine of anyone living at that time in the Western world. And his henchmen? How could he dominate and influence these to the extent that he did. How could man have such hatred of fellow man? Hilter was a man steeped in a philosophy that could not be spoken, and he did everything he could to achieve his aims with no sense of what was fair or legal. How a man from so humble origins came thus requires a book like this to string things together. Although only one historical version, a mean feet for the author and the (almost) 'in period' narrator who's diction takes me back to the 50s and 60s. A great listen. I could not stop listening and now I am sorry it has ended. A true classic. I could never have read it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich?

The death of Hitler

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

Many characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many things.

Any additional comments?

Amazing story

Revealing

This book is a true revelation on what why and how the nazi party rose to power and then took total control of Germany and then much of europe and then lost power and control and now is only a symbol of and for hate.

Important book. Perfect narrator.

The narrator is excellent! I don't think they could have selected a better reader for this book.

This book is not just historical. It is also a warning, one which appears to have already been forgotten. We are no less prone today to deactivating our critical thinking and allowing ourselves to be manipulated by ignorant leaders and blowhard propagandists/pundits who are more than willing to use our bigotries to turn us against each other and to coax us into supporting actions and behaviors which we used to abhor. This book is like watching a slow motion train wreck. Time and again it seems as if people will come to their senses and save themselves, but they do not. And as Stanley Milgram demonstrated ("Obedience to Authority"), this was not a character flaw of a particular people at a particular time, but a trait lurking in us all. The only defense is self-awareness and the willingness to think for oneself. Education by learning from the past is key.

Fantastic Narration of a Classic

If you could sum up The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in three words, what would they be?

This is a gripping account of Hitler and his regime that gives incredible insight of his plan to dominate Europe. Grover Gardner does an excellent job narrating this classic. This book is largely based on captured German documents and diary entries.

Riveting...enjoyable...makes you stop and think.

Very riveting listening,read the book years ago.Different to sit back and listen and enjoy this most major event and tragic event in world history.

Hard to stop listening to this one

I've always been intrigued by WW II. This book provides an excellent narrative using an inside view but mostly based on the journals and documents of those that were part of Hitler's inner circle. I highly recommend this book to all.

Some parts are very disturbing, but we should never close our eyes to the bad side of human nature. The scary part is to think that it happened only seventy or so years ago.