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)

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.

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..

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.

Superb first hand documented account of the Third Reich

There is simply no better book on WW2 Hitler's Rise & Fall than this book by William Shirer. Mr Shirer was an American journalist stationed in Germany during WW2, his account while often first hand, is sourced from a trove of documents taken by allied troops at the close of the war. There is simply no better documented unbiased history than Shirer's accounts in this book.

This high quality audible production features the talented orator Grover Gardner, over 57 hours he walks you through Hitler's political rise in post WW1 Germany. Mr Gardner does an excellent job with the challenging historical material presented in this text. I highly recommend this book on audible, I'd owned the book itself for years never had the time to get through it & audible made it easy.

Classic History, Some of It First Hand Experienced

Shirer was there in Germany in the 1930s as a journalist covering what was going on that lead to WWII. His perspective is trustworthy, and his facts are solid based on reviewing extensive diaries and other information written at the time by those in and around the Nazi high command. Grover Gardner is the ideal reader to give voice to the story. I have listened to the book twice and am on my third time through. Highly recommended for any serious student of history! Highly recommended for anyone with more than a passing interest in WWII in Europe.

Reminder

It's amazing how we don't pay attention to history and suffer the repetition of it. This time it's unfortunately occurring in the U.S. with the rejection of those not of European ancestry. Simply disgusting behavior of our leaders.

The importance of this book

Given the current situation in Eastern Europe, the importance of this back cannot be denied. The rise of a dictator similar in so many ways like Hitler should be alarming to the entire world.