The Coming of the Third Reich

By: Richard J. Evans

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

There is no story in 20th-century history more important to understand than Hitler’s rise to power and the collapse of civilization in Nazi Germany. With The Coming of the Third Reich, Richard Evans, one of the world’s most distinguished historians, has written the definitive account for our time. A masterful synthesis of a vast body of scholarly work integrated with important new research and interpretations, Evans’s history restores drama and contingency to the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazis, even as it shows how ready Germany was by the early 1930s for such a takeover to occur. The Coming of the Third Reich is a masterwork of the historian’s art and the book by which all others on the subject will be judged.

©2005 Richard J. Evans (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"[A]n impressive achievement.... [Evans'] opus will be one of the major historical works of our time." ( The Atlantic)

Tour de force!

This is a great book, the first in a trilogy about the Third Reich. A lot has been written about Nazi Germany over the years, but this trilogy is unique in its extensive examination of life under the Third Reich through the use of letters, diaries, and eyewitnesses' accounts. Rather than focusing on just the political aspects of the era, Richard Evans also covers the culture and daily of life of regular people under the Nazi regime.
The first book begins decades before the Third Reich, and in it we learn that the beliefs expressed by the Nazis in their most extreme form were present in Germany since the days of Bismarck. It follows German history through the Great War and the shock of defeat. It examines the "stab in the back" myth and the German public's reaction to the Treaty of Versailles. It looks at fringe movements in German politics during the inter-war years, including the Nazi party. One of the most fascinating chapters in the book is about the seizure of power itself, when conservative politicians grossly miscalculated Hitler's influence by agreeing to a coalition government with the Nazi leader as premier. After taking power by "legal" means, Hitler proceeded to systematically eliminate all opposition, including his conservative allies, in building his totalitarian regime.
The performance is adequate but somewhat monotonous. It actually improves in the second and third books, as you can notice the narrator's subtle emotional response when describing the atrocities against european minorities perpetrated by the Nazis.
This is an essential trilogy for anyone with even a passing interest in 20th century history. I highly recommend it.

Strange, off putting narration.

Great book, but it seemed like the narrator was on auto-pilot for a lot of it. The odd pauses etc. were unreasonably distracting.

extremely complete and thorough. FRIGHTENING

this is how it happened. how Hitler and the Nazis were invited into power

Excellent.

What did you love best about The Coming of the Third Reich?

I've read many books on Hitler & the NAZIS from Shirer to Kershaw. This is the only one that truly puts the NAZIS in context within the political environment of early 20th century Germany.

Any additional comments?

This is a must read for anybody who wants to see exactly were the NAZIS fit into the political landscape of 1920's Germany. Over the last decade there has been a concerted campaign by some on the 'far Right' to re-write history and claim that Hitler and the NAZIS were 'Left Wing'. The Coming of the Third Rieth is a goldmine for debunking such revisionism.

Explained Culture Well

I finished this book finally. I wanted to learn about the culture of pre-Nazi Germany to get an idea of how it happened. It went as far back as Bismarck, and it did a great job of fulfilling my wishes on covering the culture and circumstances. I love this book. I already got the next book in the series today with my credits. 10/10

Good informationally, but not a great listen.

Any additional comments?

There is plenty of good material here. I've read Shirer's Rise and Fall a few times and this book (series of books, I should say) does indeed dig deeper. I would characterize Evan's writing as mediocre. There is no particular flair that some historians can pull off and which can really add a lot to a dry subject like the slow political evolution of the early Nazis. I'd still recommend the book to those with a strong interest in the topic.

I cannot recommend the audiobook, however. Pratt is quite awful. He speaks in a mostly monotone voice that exacerbates the aforementioned dry material, and he has a strange inflection at times that messes up the tone of the prose. What's worse, he constantly mispronounces words. Not just the German and French (side note to audiobook publishers: get a reader who can speak German when you're doing a book about German history), but an astonishing number of English words as well. Evans overuses the term "demagoguery" in his text, and Evans mispronounces it every time. I'm disappointed that a professional reading can still be this bad in this day and age.

For Historians Only.

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

Probably not. This book taught me a lesson - even though I might be interested in a particular era of history, there are historians, like Richard J. Evans (author) that are far more knowledgeable. If you are looking for names of people and political parties that influenced Germany's place in European history, then this is the book. It has enough references to keep you busy for the rest of your life. If you are looking for a simple book that explains the rise and fall in the Third Reich in common, simple terms, then this is the wrong book. This is a hard core, factual account of European events from the mid 19th century through the mid 20th century with emphasis on Germany . It is not intended for the listener that is looking for entertainment simultaneous with education. The book was wasted on me.

Well performed over-complication

Very well performed. The book seems to me an attempt at appealing to an elitist audience. I think it is a lost opportunity for educating a broader audience as to the human potential for evil, and enabling by the masses.

Relevant today

It's dry stuff. If you really want to remember all the pieces at play it would be good to take notes.

Like History class, fascinating

Interesting and engrossing. Like looking through an in-depth book without the eye strain, and seeing how an evil empire evolved.