A Brief History of the Third Reich: The Rise and Fall of the Nazis

By: Martyn Whittock

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Beginning in the broken aftermath of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles, which made German recovery almost impossible, Whittock tells not just the account of the men who rose to the fore in the dangerous days of the Weimar republic, circling around the cult of personality generated by Adolf Hitler, but also a convincing and personality-driven overview of how ordinary Germans became seduced by the dreams of a new world order, the Third Reich. The book also gives a fascinating insight into the everyday life in Germany during the Second World War and explores key questions such as how much did the Germans know about the Holocaust and why did the regime eventually fail so disastrously?

©2011 Martyn Whittock (P)2014 Audible Ltd

Brief but thorough

For me it had plenty of detail and documentation and storyline to explain "how could this happen. Loved the narration as well.

6 people found this helpful

good brief intro

good introduction to the third Reich. good narration. necessarily leaves out much. also very biased against the third Reich and moralistic at times. given our progressing understanding of genetics and population differences, Nazi "psuedo science" was, in hindsight, the most scientifically sound political philosophy among its major rivals (international communism and democratic liberalism).

1 person found this helpful

great review

highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Nazi regime and how Germany and why Germany did what they did in World War II

A superb telling of the history of the Third Reich

Sean Barrett superbly reads this very informative history audiobook detailing the history of the Third Reich, written in an engaging yet respectful way, bearing in mind the atrocities committed by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945...

Recommended!...

5 people found this helpful

Brief But Exceptional

An exceptionally well written and presented insight into the Third Reich from its very beginnings to its downfall in the rubble of Berlin in 1945. This is an particularly informative look at it subject matter and due to being a “Brief History” succeeds in avoiding getting bogged down in too much detail and statistics.

This audiobook would be ideally for anyone with a passing interest in WW2 or from an education / student point of view and would provide an excellent taster for anyone unsure if they would find the other audiobooks that are available but are a lot longer in length!

4 people found this helpful

One of the darkest periods of European History

What did you like most about A Brief History of the Third Reich: The Rise and Fall of the Nazis?

Sean Barrett is one of my favourite narrators and his authoritative and at times slightly amazed ( at the sheer horror of it all) voice enhances this production

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Brief History of the Third Reich: The Rise and Fall of the Nazis?

The descriptions of the almost school-yard efforts of the senior Nazis to impress Their Hero Hitler by outdoing one another

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Cry- how did it happen and could it happen again ??

1 person found this helpful

Ear opening

I listened to much of this while walking around Berlin. There are many books which recount the events leading up to the Second World War but few which so cogently explain how the Nazis were brought into power _democratically_ and how they retained power until the third Reich unravelled.

1 person found this helpful

Fascinating

I really liked the way this book explained the history and functioning of German society and how the Nazis came to power. This was a democratic process not a coup.

It gave some fascinating insights particularly into women’s roles and views at the time.

I found it very useful for understanding the current political climate and how populism spreads. This book should be seen as a warning.