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)

as good as they come

What a great book. A unique historical account in that the writer was actually there for so much of the period involved, and immensely researched, with frequent quotes, some lengthy, from diaries, official records, which put everythign into context. The author is right in that he was uniquely able to put his own experiences as well as the immense documentaiton which the German's provided in form of official and unofficial documents, which allowed him to contsure a unique opus.
The reading is outstanding a perfectly fits.
As far as history goes, this sets the standard. And all for one "credit".

A must read for any history buff

I have read many books on the civil war and revolutionary wars, but realizing that I didn't know much about the specifics of WWII, I began to look for books about this time. Naturally, I came first to this book. It promised to answer for me what I felt is the big question as you look back at the atrocities of WWII, "How could someone like Adolf Hitler actually come to power and rule over a large nation like Germany?", "Why was he tolerated,even when his regime was so obviously brutal?" This book answered these questions completely and revealed atrocities and intrigues that I had no idea of. I believe that every American, indeed every human, should read this book, so that something like Nazi Germany has very little chance of occurring again. Even if you are familiar with this time period, you may be surprised, as I was, at the visionary genius of Hitler. A mad genius, to be sure, but he clearly knew what he wanted to happen and planned out all aspects of his rule far in advance, including the surprise attacks and extermination of anyone who might oppose him. You also get a sense of what the world would have to expect if Hitler had succeeded, simply because he had already crafted his plans for all the territories that he hoped to occupy. In many ways this book is the most terrifying book I have read, because it shows how evil man can be.

This book combines the authors notes as a war correspondent, research into public records from the war and most importantly, secret documents of the Nazi military and government bureaus. It provides a historical "man on the street view" and a "behind closed doors" view of Hitler's inner circle.

Excellent (Considering written in 1960)

It is a story written by a journalist who actually lived and experienced the Third Reich from the ground up. This journalist actually saw the rising powers and had first hand interaction with many of Reich members. In addition, this also includes snippets and interpretations from first hand interviews with several leaders of the Reich who were captured after the war and facing trails as war criminals. The first hand experience gives it an honesty of what these experiences felt like not only to those in command, but also to those in the streets following.

There are many reviews that state in the decades since many documents have surfaced and several different forms of research and facts have become available which paint a different story. Documents that discount certain "facts" of this book. But you can't discount first had experience of this story. That is why I find this book an excellent read, it tells you how people felt and how they experienced the Third Reich. On a personal note, I also think that many times information that surfaces right away is usually the most honest because nobody had time to review it ahead of time, or alter it in any way.

I will agree though that the author at times is objective, but many times the author is trying to appear objective but his feelings on the subject shine through in the undertones. For example he describes certain members of the Reich as stupid, short and fat, etc. These all may be true, but many times these descriptions have no relevance to the story, or he provides no evidence to support his description of the person (ie. what had he done to classify him as stupid?). But I feel this adds the the personal feel of the story.

Towering achievement

What did you like best about this story?

Never again will an historian have access to such a wealth of primary sources. Exhaustive and definitive, Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is an extraordinary achievement.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Grover Gardner's performance is, well, godlike. I'm in awe at how he navigates this dense text and engages the listener in Shirer's epic story. Like the book, this reading raises bar.

A masterpiece

An absolutely fascinating, enthralling account of the Third Reich from Hitler's birth to the Allied victory. At 60 hours, I wish it were longer. Grover Gardner has done an absolutely outstanding job with this narration.

If you only buy one audiobook in your life, buy this one.

A stunning work, both in breadth and depth

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

An epic historical masterpiece. This is one of the best works of non-fiction I've ever read.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Gardner's performance is pretty close to perfect in its tone and cadence. He is understated and very matter of fact, but does a fantastic job of mirroring the author's own tone.

The Rise and the Fall of the Third Reich

The author Shirer has done his homework. Well written and even though it is an unbelievable story in the telling it's all too believable. I take from it no leader can be taken for granted. We all need to be vigilant. God bless America!

I can't believe i listened to this whole book

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

Detailed, Long, Insightful

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator- The writer of the book was a journalist that lived through the Nazi years in Germany. I like his take, his asides and overall personality.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Beerhall Putsch

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

Everything you ever wanted to know about Nazis

Any additional comments?

The book is read well, and i'm sure it was a challenging task. The books spends the majority of time going over actual journal entries of the men closest to Hitler and even Hitler himself. The book is heavy on military actions, thoughts, and procedures during the Third Reich. It covers Hitler's rise to power, the way the government was fundamentally changed and how that was accomplished, the military conquests, defeats, and fears of the fuhrer. The book is very long but doesn't get boring. If you're interested in how Nazi Germany was possible- look no further.

Storytelling and History

Very good book, informative and interesting. Although it's a long book, you arrive at its end wishing it could go on to telling us more details of the post war events.

Good but Biased

It seems odd to call a bunch of people who almost took over the world like they did stupid and feeble minded. I suspect the character assesments may have been biased even though the events are historically accurate. Perhaps it sounds like I'm defending Nazi intelligence but it seems a dangerous game to underestimate such a mind if we are to prevent it from happening in the future. I found it amusing at the end when she mentioned Hitler's last Sabbath as I'm sure neither he nor his companions in the bunker were thinking about the Jewish holy day.