A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition

By: Thomas Childers, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Thomas Childers

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Know thy enemy. That's what the wisdom of history teaches us. And Adolf Hitler was surely the greatest enemy ever faced by modern civilization. Over half a century later, the horror, fascination, and questions still linger:

• How could a man like Hitler and a movement like Nazism come to power in 20th-century Germany – an industrially developed country with a highly educated population?
• How were the Nazis able to establish the foundations of a totalitarian regime in such a short time and hurl all of Europe - and the world - into a devastating war that would consume so many millions of lives?

Professor Childers has designed this gripping 12-lecture course to shed light on these and other questions that have plagued generations. You'll start by looking at the catastrophic impact World War I had on Germany, and how the war and the humiliating Treaty of Versailles crippled the Weimar Republic. From there, you'll turn to the Third Reich – Nazism in power – with an investigation of how Hitler and his henchmen systematically and ruthlessly broke resistance, taking over the major institutions of state power and creating a totalitarian system of terror, propaganda, and pervasive regimentation. You'll also examine Hitler's foreign policy between 1933 and 1939, and discover how and why he puzzled the world by entering into an accommodation with his deadly enemy, Stalin, on the eve of World War II. In the final lectures, you'll focus on Hitler's war against the Jews from Mein Kampf to Auschwitz, dissecting the horrifying racial ideas of the Nazis and the policies adopted to transform those ideas into reality. Finally, you'll learn how Hitler's evil empire was destroyed by Allied might.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great Courses

Forewarned is Forearmed

If you could sum up A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition in three words, what would they be?

Important, current and terrifying

What did you like best about this story?

“Forewarned is forearmed.” These are the last words of this lecture series and it sums up perfectly why this lecture should be listened to. In the course of 12 thirty minute lectures, Professor Thomas Childers of the University of Pennsylvania does an incredible job of explaining how the Nazi party rose to power in Germany. Beginning with the catastrophe of World War I, he guides the listener through the terrible economic conditions which confronted Germany. He then discusses how these abrupt changes left the German people looking for a “strong man”, someone who could not be any worse than the Social Democrats of the Weimar Republic. Unfortunately, they found the very worst.
Overall, one of the best lectures from The Great Courses series that I have listened to and would recommend to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how the Nazis rose to power in such a cultured, sophisticated country as Germany.

What about Professor Thomas Childers’s performance did you like?

I was very impressed with Professor Childers and found his manner of speaking to be incredibly easy to listen to and the entire lecture felt entirely conversational. While I wish the lecture was longer because I was enjoying it so much, I still felt like the material was covered in great detail. I made notes throughout the lecture to guide my future reading on the topic.

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

The last two lectures which detailed the Holocaust were very moving and Professor Childers was very respectful of the subject.

Any additional comments?

Great lecture! Greater lecturer!

Basic

The material on the political rise of the NSPD was fairly detailed. Everything after 1933 was little more than what you would get from a highschool-level history class.

This would be OK if you know little about Hitler

As a lecturer, Childers has some odd speech patterns that may put people off and I had the feeling his books may be better. I just finished reading the lecture notes which were good at reinforcing the lectures.

Overall, I was not satisfied with the lectures but when I bought them, I thought that could happen as 12 lectures aren't enough for such an important time in history. I learned a little but not a great deal. I have many lectures from The Great Courses and this may be the weakest one I have encountered.

Informative, but hard to hear

Any additional comments?

The presenter had a very low voice, and he got quiet at times, so it was hard to hear in my car. Very good otherwise

An excellent overview of Hitler linking WW1 to WW2

Just a novice history fan, but have read books on WW1, WW2, and the German hyperinflation. Somehow my background readings were too focused and never really synched the inter-war period together for me. This is a high level intro to that time period, but it really stitched my prior readings together.

By high level it is only 12 lectures 30 mins give or take a piece. The sixth lecture (lecture titles can be found on great courses website) is Hitler's Assumption of Power. It then covers through WWII resolution at a high level.

If you're a history novice like me or just lacking in knowledge about he interwar period, this is a great start to answering a lot of questions you may have and fueling the fire for further exploration. I highly recommend it.

The final solution is told with understated horror

I took this course at the university ofbpennsylvania a few years ago. The last lecture made me weep. Hearing it again I weep again.

Passionate

Well-organized and passionate, especially in the last two lectures when Childers discusses Hitler’s war on the Jews. I listened to this as preparation for reading his history of the Third Reich. He doesn’t cover much detail about the war, leaving that for the Great Courses entry on that subject.

A warning for us all

What did you like best about this story?

Professor Childers outlines how Hitler rose to power and slowly eroded the rights of Jews, and others, until no one dared contest him. This should be a warning to us all.

necessary history

fascinating and understandable look at the beginning of the Nazi party and what events led to the atrocities of WWII and the Holocaust

A really great lecture series.

Just a great overview of this terrible chapter in history. Easy to listen to, entertaining and intelligent. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent

I studied this era as an undergraduate. The lecture series has answered all my nagging questions and effectively filled many of the gaps. It has also given me the interest to renew my reading of the subject matter. The lecturer engages you and keeps your interest throughout the series.

Very informative and important

These lectures are compelling, clear and informative. The lecturer is excellent and very engaging. I only wish the course was longer and more detailed as I learned an enormous amount from it. I will certainly seek out other courses by this speaker.