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)

great work

for anyone interested in this era it is a must read. the end is excellent

Great history of Nazi Germany

I really enjoyed this book. It is a comprehensive history of Nazi Germany starting with the Nazi's rise to power in the 30's and spans through to the end of the war. It reads like a story rather than a history and is interesting the whole way through. It is heavy in the politics and foreign policy portion of the war and lead up to it, which is very interesting.

A must-listen

A great, in-depth account of the years leading up to the war, the war itself and the aftermath. Filled with stuff you never learned in high school.

Enormous in detail

there is great detail into what created, sustained and ended the Nazi party. Hitler and his thirst for power, and the consequences it brought to the German people need not to be forgotten.

Hitler = Trump ? Refreshing read...

What made the experience of listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich the most enjoyable?

Ok, so I was fascinated how Hitler could have risen to power and the parallel to the current presidential election in the USA and the neo-nationalism being preached by candidate Trump. No doubt there was a sequence of bungles and opportunities which Hitler capitalized to gain power, later there were some gigantic blunders which thankfully led to the collapse of the 3rd Reich, but looking at history possibly 'rhyming' then this is an interesting read, especially the first third of the book documenting Hitler's rise and how he masterminded absolute power. Fortunately the USA has separation of powers... hmmmm

A Description of Nazi Germany

This work of William Shirer has two great qualities: It is heavily based in primary sources and extremely well written. The history is based in the documents obtained after the war, when the nazi files were captured by the allies. Hitler's My Kampf and his speeches during the period of Nazi Germany were examined and contextualized. The facts and protagonists of the period are presented in a readable and fluent text. Sometimes one feels that is reading a tale. This book can be paired with Richard Evans's work in the Third Reich (The Trilogy) in order to give the reader an enlightened presentation of Nazi Germany.

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.