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 for all

I loved how well the author relied on documents to bolster his writing. Very little was his personal feelings or thoughts.

Much needed context

I've spent my life hearing important WWII stories, but never managed to have quite the sense of context needed to understand how they all fit together. This book analyzes the most important factor of the war -- Hitler's Third Reich -- in minute detail from the beginning to the end. And in so doing, provides the reader with a amazingly thorough understanding of exactly how the world landed in the mess it did.
This work of exhaustive research, beautifully composed and narrated, should be required reading for anybody who values democracy and peace.

A Journey as Astounding as it is Long

I'm not quite sure how I ended up on this path. It started with a book about WWII in general, then a few that touched on specific people or incidents during the war, and it has circled back to this epic account of Hitler and his twisted designs for the world. This is a work that feels so comprehensive, though I suspect that scholarship since the 1960s has produced a bit more detail, that I feel like I just spent several days of my life walking down the path of destruction that seemed so inevitable throughout the recounting of the Third Reich. An amazing book and experience, it is not for the faint-hearted -- those either daunted by size or by content. It is for the truly intrigued among us, who often see in historical events a reflection of who we are today, and how to address challenges in the world around us.

Clocking in at 60-ish hours, this book takes commitment. But that investment comes with a grand payoff. You never feel cheated. The sheer volume of leftover records and accounts of daily life in Germany during the timespan covered here ensures that the reader walks away with a belief that no stone has been left unturned. There are so many things that I recall from previous exposure to World War 2, and almost all of these are told again here, but with a specific focus on the motivations and reactions of Hitler and his cronies. While I would never suggest that I am an expert in such things, I do feel like I can speak confidently about what happened, why it happened, and perhaps draw a little from that to talk intelligently about how to identify and react to modern day despots and lunatics.

Grover Gardner does a fantastic job with his narration. I had to repeatedly remind myself that he, himself, was not the author. It is easy to make this mistake in a book of this nature, which has a number of self-reflective moments by William Shirer, but even when acknowledging that, of course, Grover was not actually there, it still felt like an intimate conversation with someone reflecting on their days in Berlin during the 30s and 40s. Great quality throughout.

A final note -- one criticism that could be leveled at this book is that William Shirer often interjects his personal opinion, both on Hitler, and on the Germans in general. And actually, on many others as well. These personal opinions sometimes disrupt the natural storytelling flow of the narrative, and pull the listened/reader out of the depths of listening for content into a level of critical analysis of the author's intent. When he characterizes Germans in a specific way, it sounds more like stereotyping than it does educated analysis. While I understand the personal nature of this book, I could have done without some of the antiquated beliefs expressed within. And yes, I acknowledge that writing this book in the 50s and 60s might play a part -- our system of political correctness many not have been as refined then as it is today -- but it still strikes the reader today, and should be noted.

All in all, a fantastic, sweeping, and important work, that should appeal to anyone even remotely interested in what happened to the world 80 years ago.

Amazing, fascinating, couldn't stop listening.

Where does The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best, most interesting book I've ever read. Made me want to read every book mentioned in the book as a source. I am not a history buff, but even though this book is incredibly long, I listened to it twice! Explains the perfect storm of things that came together and resulted in the otherwise unfathomable reign of Hitler.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

It was very well read, a pleasure.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible.

Any additional comments?

Wish I'd read this years ago. Being able to listen to it was far less daunting than finding time to read the book.

Very thorough analysis

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

Very thorough analysis of the rise and fall of the Nazi regime, as well as the responses from the various players in the various countries. I thought this was a very balanced examination of the people, background and influences that shaped the events of the day, from someone who lived through the era and experienced things first hand.

Classic Book Well read

This is a classic and I can see why. It has the details and well designed chapters that allow one to focus on the subjects. Sometimes moving ahead as required and then returning to the time frame to keep it in clear order.

Fascinating history of the 3rd Reich

I remember as a kid, everyone's parents had this book on their shelves. I think it must have been a book club selection. I picked up a paperback in Jr Hi,, but it was a little too overwhelming.

This is a long book, but fascinating. Shirer was stationed in Berlin as a journalist, for much of the time working for Ed Murrow and CBS. He is opinionated and often uses colorful terms in describing many of the main characters. But, I don't think it takes away from the historical conrent and accuracy of his story, and, in fact makes a long book a more enjoyable listen.

I had never heard this narrator, but it felt as if you were actually listening to Shirer tell you the history of Germany's and Hitler's rise to power, and then fall.

as good as they come

What a great book. A unique historical account in that the writer was actually there for so much of the period involved, and immensely researched, with frequent quotes, some lengthy, from diaries, official records, which put everythign into context. The author is right in that he was uniquely able to put his own experiences as well as the immense documentaiton which the German's provided in form of official and unofficial documents, which allowed him to contsure a unique opus.
The reading is outstanding a perfectly fits.
As far as history goes, this sets the standard. And all for one "credit".

A must read for any history buff

I have read many books on the civil war and revolutionary wars, but realizing that I didn't know much about the specifics of WWII, I began to look for books about this time. Naturally, I came first to this book. It promised to answer for me what I felt is the big question as you look back at the atrocities of WWII, "How could someone like Adolf Hitler actually come to power and rule over a large nation like Germany?", "Why was he tolerated,even when his regime was so obviously brutal?" This book answered these questions completely and revealed atrocities and intrigues that I had no idea of. I believe that every American, indeed every human, should read this book, so that something like Nazi Germany has very little chance of occurring again. Even if you are familiar with this time period, you may be surprised, as I was, at the visionary genius of Hitler. A mad genius, to be sure, but he clearly knew what he wanted to happen and planned out all aspects of his rule far in advance, including the surprise attacks and extermination of anyone who might oppose him. You also get a sense of what the world would have to expect if Hitler had succeeded, simply because he had already crafted his plans for all the territories that he hoped to occupy. In many ways this book is the most terrifying book I have read, because it shows how evil man can be.

This book combines the authors notes as a war correspondent, research into public records from the war and most importantly, secret documents of the Nazi military and government bureaus. It provides a historical "man on the street view" and a "behind closed doors" view of Hitler's inner circle.

Excellent (Considering written in 1960)

It is a story written by a journalist who actually lived and experienced the Third Reich from the ground up. This journalist actually saw the rising powers and had first hand interaction with many of Reich members. In addition, this also includes snippets and interpretations from first hand interviews with several leaders of the Reich who were captured after the war and facing trails as war criminals. The first hand experience gives it an honesty of what these experiences felt like not only to those in command, but also to those in the streets following.

There are many reviews that state in the decades since many documents have surfaced and several different forms of research and facts have become available which paint a different story. Documents that discount certain "facts" of this book. But you can't discount first had experience of this story. That is why I find this book an excellent read, it tells you how people felt and how they experienced the Third Reich. On a personal note, I also think that many times information that surfaces right away is usually the most honest because nobody had time to review it ahead of time, or alter it in any way.

I will agree though that the author at times is objective, but many times the author is trying to appear objective but his feelings on the subject shine through in the undertones. For example he describes certain members of the Reich as stupid, short and fat, etc. These all may be true, but many times these descriptions have no relevance to the story, or he provides no evidence to support his description of the person (ie. what had he done to classify him as stupid?). But I feel this adds the the personal feel of the story.