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)

First edition, printing, autographed

I bought this book when it came out. Mine is the first edition and first printing. It was autographed by William Shirer on 26 Oct 1961 following his speech at the University of Texas in Austin. My extensive notes from that speech reveal Shirer’s perceptive observations on the intervening years. This book served me well in understanding at an early age how such horrible events begin and progress effectively immunizing me from the many social and political paths of more or less similar nature rising and falling in 70 or so years following. Would that everyone in today’s world would have such effective knowledge and immunization.

Excellent

Much more than I thought I knew about WW2. The fact the author was actually there adds much to the narrative.

Eye opening

Great detail and in depth from actual historic documents. Not opinion but fact. Well done.

WW2 War Journal

We are doomed to repeat this.
Amazing work. So much insight into how this country lost its way.
Your worldview will never be the same.

Incredible.

So many parallels to what we are seeing in the United States today. A must read for everyone.

This is a Masterpiece

I loved the historical accuracy. A terrible time in history that we should all understand.

Good structure

The author’s first hand, eye witness accounts makes it very authentic. The structure of the story is well planned.

Great Summary of History of Events Up to and Through WW2

This was an amazing book! It also a great reminder that we should learn from our history. Even while reading it, I see parallels between current world events and those from the late 1930s. Let us not forget and not re-write out history!

Excellent

Excellent narration and content do suggest to all, this is a definitive tome on the subject

It’s relevant, cautionary tale for the current USA

This classic originally written in 1959 by William Shirer was reissued in 1990 as Germany was reunited. It is well written and the performance is excellent. Shirer spent much of the time of the third Reich in Germany as a journalist. The book attracted me again because of current political activity in the United States. It is well researched, with original sources, and begins with Hitler’s youth through his death in April 1945. A basic takeaway outside the horror: He told the world what he would do, he told the German people what he would do, he was continually appeased and he continually did what he said he would do. A dictator is a dictator in 20th century Europe, such as Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, or 21st century US. The characteristics and behavior are the same today as they were then. History never repeats itself, but there are frequently great similarities!