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)

Compelling history told by one of America’s great broadcast journalists

Let me start with the cons: length, archaic/bigoted perspective towards homosexuality (much of this may be his echoing the prejudices of his time), and certain sweeping generalizations about the German people and German history (this part probably informed by his nearly decade stay in the country during the Nazi era).

Pros: Overall, this book is a compelling read cover to cover. It starts a little slow, delving into upbringing and evolution of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party. It gives a very detailed view as to “how” the Nazi party gained power, as well as a few theories as to the “why”. Whether or not you agree with those is less important than the factual information provided (the author is pretty clear when he offers his opinion on a subject).

The other main reason to read this is for the firsthand perspective and the journalistic way in which it is written. Shirer, along with friend and cohort Edward R Morrow, were masters of broadcast journalism in the early days of its development. Therefore, the author knows how to weave together a compelling narrative from the vastness that was the German and Allied archival record, eyewitness testimony, and known historical events. This book may not be a “history” text in the strictly academic sense, but it’s approachability (and firsthand perspective) more than makes up for this. How many professional historians from that time could tell you (from their own eyes) what Hitler’s face looked like striding into the train car to oversee the proud French army surrender or the awestruck detachment with which the residents of Berlin reacted to the knowledge that their great “man of peace” Fuhrer had begun a war on a scale not seen since 1914?

To conclude: this book is a great lesson for those that wish to learn. Not only does it give a fairly objective view of the rise of Nazism, it also gives a clear eyed view of the ghastly and deluded minds of its leaders that led it to ultimate ruin.

timely reminder in age of Fake News president

Fascist totalitarianism takes a passive public, elimination of factual information with propaganda, and an enemy easy to blame and persecute. all concerned citizens today will benefit from understanding how persuasive hate filled fact free leaders can corrupt us all. this book with first hand and detailed documentation is more important than ever.

An eye opening journey through the darkest dangers of human frailty, and how it came about.

Growing up in a place like Pakistan, where history is taught somewhat as a vacuous subject, this book helps to underline the huge disparity between progressive democracies and totalitarian dictatorships, helping to provide meaning and understanding to this dark period in human history. It is a stark warning to the dangers that surround young democracies, the fragility of human psychology, the importance of accurate histories and progressive national mythologies, and above all, the tragedy of mankind's journey in its pursuit of civilization.

Really enjoyed the long well told story.

A surprisingly enjoyable telling of such a horrible period in human history. Don't be intimidated by the length of the book, it's told in a fast enough pace to keep you consistently interested and riveted on the dark and sorted tale of the Nazi rise and fall.

Long but the definitive narration of WWII

Would you consider the audio edition of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich to be better than the print version?

Yes, I preferred the audio version since the length of this book made it hard to read.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is perfect for narration. The cadence and speed was great. He put pauses and emphasis in just the right places to draw your attention to certain points and it made it more engaging to listen.

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

The portion regarding the concentration camps and resistance movements understandably are difficult to listen to.

Any additional comments?

As has been previously mentioned on several websites - this book contains some very prejudiced and bigoted statements. Remember that it was written in 1960 and it thus contains the mentality and paradigm from that era.

Absolutely riveting

Looking back on my education in high school, I find it appalling as to how major, world altering events were glossed over in trivial fashion. The history of the second world war tends to be a hefty a chapter in most curriculum in high schools around the globe, but the history of Nazi Germany is relegated to a few paragraphs (at least it was in my case). In many ways, one should view that as borderline criminal. To me history is all about the "whys and hows" rather than the "what happened and when". In that light, "The rise and fall of the third Reich" is an in depth look into the "whys and hows" of the what is undoubtedly one of the darkest chapters of humanity.

Why was the treaty of Versailles such a blow to Germany?
How could the land that birthed the likes of Engels, Richter, Brahms, Beethoven and so many other cultural icons also create a Hitler?
Why did Hitler think the way he did?
Why was Nazism so popular (if it even was)?
How on earth could Germany create and field an army of such devastating strength and volume right under the noses of everyone else?
Was Adolf brilliant and fearless or just lucky and plain crazy?
And many, many other questions like these.

After going through this book it became apparent to me as to why Shirer's work is taken to be "the" definitive text on the rise and fall of the third Reich. It is very thoroughly researched and though the author does have personal inputs, he does well to openly admit to his biases in the rare cases where they do exist. It is obvious that Shirer was a foreign corespondent of high quality and as such, his status as reporter gave him the kind of access that historians would kill to have. It is also interesting (and a little amusing) to see some of the politically incorrect phrases and view points that sometimes show up. If anything, they only add to the charm of the book, although this is admittedly a personal opinion.

Grover Gardner does a good job of narrating the book. This is a long listen and to his credit, Gardner had me rapt with attention. His delivery did make me miss some of the weighty and warm tones that someone like Charlton Griffin brings to his performances but this again, is a personal opinion.

Any way you look at it, "The rise and fall of the third Reich" is one of the most important works of modern history. If it were up to me, I'd make this required reading in high schools everywhere.

very comprehensive history of adolf Hitler's life

this is a very thorough and in-depth look at Hitler's life using primary source documents.

Captivating from Start to Finish

Would you listen to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich again? Why?

Probably not - kind of long.

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

I don't know maybe "Les Miserables" for length.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure that I have.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

That would be physically impossible.

Any additional comments?

I wanted to echo a previous reviewer's comments about "start to finish". This book does hold your attention and interest the whole way through despite its length. Of course, there is a natural revulsion to the subject matter in spots, and so that slowed things down a little bit here and there as I had to take a break and regroup.

Excellent

Really detailed and full of valuable information. It's like a long book version of those 'secrets of ww2' shows on tv.

A masterly first hand dispassionate exposition of

What did you like about this audiobook?

William L. Shirer tells it like it is because he was there during the crucial years of growth of the nazi party and subsequent dominion over German society. He uses his own experience and the documents that nazis were unable to burn to draw a thoroughly convincing picture of how the nazis obtained power and how they used it. No one is spared: The German society that acquiesced, Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister of Peace in our time, or the British Poet Laureate who celebrated him.

Do you have any additional comments?

The book is long, but worth the effort