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)

History as it was made

I would never have attempted this book in hard copy but as an audiobook, listened to over several weeks it is exceptional. Grover Gardner is mesmerizing. He makes Shirer's words come alive in the here and now. All the details, all the people, all the politicians become real people in Gardner's voice, and never boring as they could in reading. He doesn't do anything spectacular but his reading brings you along on the journey William L. Shirer took when he was a journalist in Germany and Europe during the events which he wrote about. At times a first hand description of the events. All the mechanisation, the murders, the political blunders of senior international politicians who should have known better are there, clear as a bell.

At times it is clear that it was written during the 50's and published in 1960 because of the cultural assumptions of his time, as is to be expected. Shirer writes clearly and places the often horrible events in context of the times. For example, I never understood how bloodthirsty the world was in Europe and Austria before WWII where murder often went unpunished or was condoned by the powers that be and prejudice against the Jews and other minorities was entirely common and acceptable my many people.

As a historical document is is worthwhile. As a work that provides everything you need to know to understand how the Third Reich came into being and how it collapsed, it is brilliant.

Comprehensive and gripping account!

A very thorough accounting of the events and people. It is fabulously narrated! The narrator keeps you interested and excited even though it is a long read. Excellent book!

An In Depth news story about Nazi Germany

The value of the book is delivered by Shirer's investigative and researching skills. As a journalist and war correspondent present during the formative years of the Third Reich, he was perfectly positioned to chronicle the events that led to the end of the European centric world. Modern day readers may be dismissive of Shirer's pro-Allies bias but considering his chronological proximity to the events he writes of and the outrageous actions of Nazi leadership during the period, he should be given some leeway here.

Worth the read if for no other reason than to compare and contrast to current events.

Incredible and great

This work is incredible and incredibly detailed and deep in its investigation into the rise and fall of the main antagonist and spark that ignited a Second World War. I was a little intimidated at first for such a long and deep work but the first chapter and section is easy to listen to and brings you quickly into the work. By the middle and the height the muted suspense of what you know is going to happen is brought to life by the narration. I’d highly recommend this to anyone interested in Germany’s role during this time period.

glad that I noticed this book and could hear it

I learned so much about Nazi regime and it's cruelty. mind blowing. it is very important to hear this book by anybody who believe cospiary theories created by morons who wants to control people

Awesome !

We all know that those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it. As such, this book is essential and giving us a peephole and eves dropper’s view into the past. This book was illuminating. I love all things WWI & WWII. This book really gave the intimate details and palpable emotional state of the major leaders and happenings during the war. It was fascinating to get the very inside scoop on the third Reich and the German perspective. The narrator did a great job and his voice was wonderful reading the book. I recommend everyone read &/or listen to it.

Very well done!

I would highly recommend this book. The history of the 3rd Reich was compiled very well! It is anything but boring.

Worth the time

I'll be honest here, I chose this book as my freebie because it was so long and I wanted to get the most I could. I love history anyway so it seemed a perfect match. For such a shallow reason I had no idea what a deep book this would be. Obviously if you're looking at a book of this subject you're looking at depth, but this book takes that word to an entirely new level. I've studied World War II and nazi Germany for over 20 years and learned stuff in here that left me feeling as though it was my 1st time hearing about the war. That's a good thing, I assure you. There's such a depth to learn and it's written in such a way that it naturally moves from one aspect to the next, vividly playing out like the most intense movie in your mind. My point is- if you love history, I cannot recommend this book enough.

In depth history of the third reich.

Informative, and in shocking detail history of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Very well researched and well written.

A classic book with a top-notch narrator

This book presents a thorough account, complete with first-hand observations from the author, of Hitler's rise to power and his twelve years as dictator of Germany. The story is gripping, and the narrator's performance is exceptional.