The End Audiobook By Ian Kershaw cover art

The End

The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945

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The End

By: Ian Kershaw
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating and original exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able to fight to the bitter end of World War II.

Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lost World War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to the equally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out as long as it did. The Third Reich did not surrender until Germany had been left in ruins and was almost completely occupied. Even in the near-apocalyptic final months, when the war was plainly lost, the Nazis refused to sue for peace. Historically, this is extremely rare.

Drawing on original testimony from ordinary Germans and arch-Nazis alike, award-winning historian Ian Kershaw explores this fascinating question in a gripping and focused narrative that begins with the failed bomb plot in July 1944 and ends with the German capitulation in May 1945. Hitler, desperate to avoid a repeat of the "disgraceful" German surrender in 1918, was of course critical to the Third Reich's fanatical determination, but his power was sustained only because those below him were unable, or unwilling, to challenge it. Even as the military situation grew increasingly hopeless, Wehrmacht generals fought on, their orders largely obeyed, and the regime continued its ruthless persecution of Jews, prisoners, and foreign workers. Even beneath the hail of allied bombing, German society maintained some semblance of normalcy in the very last months of the war. The Berlin Philharmonic even performed on April 12, 1945, less than three weeks before Hitler's suicide.

As Kershaw shows, the structure of Hitler's "charismatic rule" created a powerful negative bond between him and the Nazi leadership - they had no future without him, and so their fates were inextricably tied. Terror also helped the Third Reich maintain its grip on power as the regime began to wage war not only on its ideologically defined enemies but also on the German people themselves. Yet even as each month brought fresh horrors for civilians, popular support for the regime remained linked to a patriotic support of Germany and a terrible fear of the enemy closing in.

Based on prodigious new research, Kershaw's The End is a harrowing yet enthralling portrait of the Third Reich in its last desperate gasps.

©2011 Ian Kershaw (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp World War II Wars & Conflicts Europe Military Germany War Imperialism Holocaust

Critic reviews

"Kershaw's comprehensive research, measured prose, and commonsense insight combine in a mesmerizing explanation of how and why Nazi Germany chose self-annihilation." ( Publishers Weekly)
"[A]superb examination of the final defeat of Hitler's tyranny...an excellent portrait of the regime's death throes." ( Booklist)
"This is an astonishing story well told by the reigning English-speaking master of Third Reich history.... A carefully considered and powerfully told saga." ( Kirkus)
Meticulous Research • Fascinating Psychological Insights • Clear Pronunciation • Comprehensive Historical Analysis

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What made the experience of listening to The End the most enjoyable?

The facination of "The End" was Hitler's third war, the war against his own people

What was one of the most memorable moments of The End?

The failed plot to kill Hitler.

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've listened to Mr. Pratt's work.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

As an animal lover, I was angered by Hitler's order to euthenize all the pets.

Any additional comments?

"The End" gives the reader a "you are there" perspective more powerful than "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."

Hitler's Third War.

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This is an important work. I encourage anyone wanting to leave more about this time in WWII. Great narration as well! I highly recommend it!

Important Work

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The End is a study of how Germany kept their civilian and military committed to World War II to the end in spite of it being clear that the war was lost, especially after the successful Allied landings in Normandy. While I think there is nothing very surprising in this book (German fear of the Russian Army during the war is well known as is the power of the Nazi government to enforce its edicts), the book held together for me reasonably well in spite of my having read a good amount about this war. There was nothing very new, but neither did the book ever get boring.

Mr Kershaw is a known expert on Adolph Hitler and on Germany during the Nazi period and, although his views may diverge from the commonly held belief that Hitler was Nazi Germany, his knowledge about how Germany perservered until the end of the war as a single state without anyone signing a separate treaty with the Western Powers is of considerable interest. The ability of the Wehrmacht to successfully resist the British, Canadian and US Armies in France, Belgium and Western Germany was always been a puzzle to me considering that it was also fighting the Russians in the East and that the populations and economies of the countries it was fighting were much larger than that of Germany.

While not breaking any new ground (for me, at least), it did successfully piece together all of the separate threads which held Germany together and proved helpful and informative. This is, of course, not a replacement for a study of the war as a whole, but a successful adjunct to that part of a general study that covers the closing period of that war. I recommend it on that basis.

Interesting information on the end of the war

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The book does a marvellous job with diving into the "why" and "how" the catastrophic end to the war in the European Theater came about. How despite the ever increasing lunacy of Hitler's war strategy and growing desperation at the front, that so many brilliant and accomplished generals remained staunchly loyal to the Fuhrer, willing to carry out his orders against their better judgement. And why the crippled nation was able to maintain its defenses against near infinitely superior opposition, and even more miraculously how the regime was able to function until the very end. This book delves into the unimaginable horror of the war's most destructive phase as the Third Reich crumbled around a leader determined to totally destroy the very nation he claimed to have loved once defeat became imminent.

No work will ever be able to fully do justice to what transpired in those final months, but The End comes about as close as one could get. The only flaw that keeps this book from getting a perfect five stars in my opinion, is the repeating of phrases like, "Very few letters written by German soldiers were openly critical of Hitler and the regime because if something was found by the censors then it would have dire consequences for their families." The listener will hear sentences such as that repeated several times throughout the book, to the point of minor annoyance. Aside from the small blemish the book is stellar and a must read/listen for all who have an interest in World War II and the fall of the Third Reich.

Fantastic work despite a slightly annoying flaw.

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Kershaw has written extensively about Hitler and the Third Reich. This excellent book breaks down the final months as the situation became more dire for the Germans as the Russians press from the East and the Allies from the West. Kershaw gives us a wide variety of villains, liars, syncopates, cowards who surrounded Hitler and his minions. Great amounts of detail and anecdotes to illustrate the fall. Highly recommended!

Great overview of the last months

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