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)

Details

Liked the dispassionate presentation of the darkest days of man’s inhumanity to man, never to be repeated.

Complete

Excellent narration . Don’t let yourself get bogged down: this book is based on archives and records, as well as the author’s personal experiences in Germany as a corespondent. The book is very readable, thought provoking, and worth revisiting. Highly recommended.

Gripping and a necessary reminder in 2024

This should be required reading and study in every high school classroom in the world. Let’s all learn the lessons of the past so that history does not repeat itself.

As captivating as it is disturbing

Beautifully narrated, this detailed and comprehensive account of such a terrifying time takes the listener back in time but mercifully returns to the present with insightful warnings for our future.

History for all

I loved how well the author relied on documents to bolster his writing. Very little was his personal feelings or thoughts.

Great history.

Anyone interested in WW II history should listen to this book. Absolutely fantastic. A must for the daily workings of the lead up to the war.

Interesting perspective of a journalist who lived through Nazi Germany.

I appreciated the author sharing his diary entries of certain events; they were helpful in understanding the power of propaganda to keep the support of the general public (or at least keep it mollified). The author, in his afterword, mentions he was disappointed, but not surprised, that this book was not well received. He seemed to suggest that Germans just couldn’t stand facing up to their past. I think it was more to do with the sweeping generalizations about Germans, calling them “a gullible people” more than once throughout the book.

I learned a lot. I began to worry when I had listened to more than half the book, but concentration camps had only gotten some passing mentions. Turns out the author saved the most graphic descriptions of some of the worst atrocities of The Third Reich for the chapter just before dealing with the fall of the reich. Its proximity to the end, I think, reinforces that you absolutely should not feel any pity for the Nazis as the reich begins to crumble and the situation gets desperate. I think it was a smart choice.

Finally, the voice acting was fantastic. I think he captures the tone of each quote, footnote, and, when it creeps in, the author’s sarcasm perfectly. I don’t know if I will be reading anything else from this author, but I know I will be looking for this narrator’s version if a book has more than one choice in future.

A detailed and well researched history of man’s darkest days

Outstanding book! Written by William Shirrer, the CBS radio correspondent who was stationed in Germany for a large part of the time covered, it gives the details and impressions of the Third Reich and its citizens, with excellent citations and references and first hand sources.

A full blown masterpiece.

This is one of the greatest books ever written. This book should be taught in every history class in every country. The content in this book could be used ti teach entire college courses.

Incredible

Excellent for history lovers who want to learn more about what took place. So much research was done.