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)

Brilliant, Informative, and Utterly Fascinating

Despite the grim subject matter, this book was one of the best I have ever read. Shirer is an excellent writer, describing everything in vivid detail (sometimes almost to an extreme extent), clearly having heavily researched all areas of Nazi Germany. Despite the fact that it's a non-fiction history book, this reads like a novel; all of the characters feel vivid and real (and almost unbelievable), and the number of implausable things that occured is both thrilling and shocking all at once. It's very long and very detailed, and occasionally does get bogged down by that (57 hours is no joke), but I would still say it's well worth the listen.
Grover Gardner is also a perfect narrator. He doesn't overplay any character, and is very good at maintaining the tone of the section he's on. He also has a nice voice.
Overall, if you love history and you have the time, I would without any hesitation recommend this audiobook.

Superb but Sad Summary of Hitler and his People

This comprehensive history of the Third Reich reveals how a highly educated and cultured nation was hypnotized to worship an individual and drive it’s people into a hateful racist trance led by a madman. It destroyed Germany as well as tens of millions of European lives.

Shirer reveals how Hitler mesmerized his people with pageantry, lies, and propaganda (fake news). Surrounded by staffs of other blustering bullies , sadistic cruel madmen, and spineless military “leaders”, the twelve years of the Third Reich was like a Roman candle that soared high only to self-immolate itself. The collateral damage to the people of Europe still resonates seventy three years later.

Could it happen in America? We see evidence that a significant slice of our population is currently mesmerized by a President who feeds its base pageantry, lies, and propaganda. But our Institutions are far stronger than those of the short-lived post WW1 German Weimar Republic, so it should survive the current assault by the executive branch on Congress and the Courts. And while some may consider President Trump a demagogue, he probably is not insane and inherently evil. Nor does he seem to have imperialistic notions. So any comparisons of Trump and Hitler are probably inaccurate and only fan the flames of America’s divisiveness.

Nevertheless, as a society, we must remain vigilant and protect attacks on our critical democratic institutions.

A Slow, Powerful History

I purchased this audiobook because I listen to about an hour’s worth of audiobook per day during my daily travels, and I wanted to better understand how Nazi Germany, and World War 2 happened. This book is not for everyone, it is (with a few jaw-dropping exceptions toward the end) incredibly dry and you have to be dedicated to finishing it to really get behind it. But the story is remarkable, and it will carry you if you give it the time.

William L. Shirer’s telling of the rise of Nazi Germany is thorough, and his own eye-witness accounts are fascinating and I thought an excellent addition to other primary resources recovered from the collapsed German Reich.

Grover Gardner is consistently good in his narration. This story being a history, he is very matter the fact throughout in a way that kept me turning it on even for short drives in my car, I never felt like I was bored when I listened and always looked forward to turning it back on.

After about 6 weeks of listening I feel very confident in my ability to explain to my friends more about the progression of World War 2, and how Nazi Germany operated. I want to return to some of the earlier chapters at some point to refresh myself. I’m thankful for this history, even though it made me shutter at what the human experience is capable of.

I would suggest this audiobook to anyone who loves history and is interested in how oppressive dictatorships are formed and ruled. I would not suggest this audiobook to anyone who gets bored easily or has a short attention span; for this is a slow, powerful history, even if its events happened in the blink of an eye.

M.E.

A must for all interested in 20th. century history

What an engrossing , complete and worthy historical account. There were times when I felt overwhelmed by the minute details and I wanted to rush on like skimming a book, but I was held facinated by the narrator to persist. Even though the history of Nazi Germany is widely known the fine details revealed held my interest to the very end.

Masterful History

Outstanding recounting of the Nazi Germany based on captured Nazi archival documents and first hand account.

Very Informative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend to a friend but only one that its a history buff like myself .

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed how factual and in depth the story was .

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

There is no way you could finish this all at once .

Great work of history

What did you love best about The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich?

Although written many decades ago, it's still very relevant as a remarkable work of history. The detail presented strikes the right balance throughout the work for the non academic listener.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Very well delivered.

Worth the hours

The book is long but necessary,one of the most throughly interesting books I have had the pleasure to read/listen to.

Hitler, and the Nazi’s were truly monsters beyond words.

Worth every minute

A masterful compilation of history with fascinating incorporation of actual historical documents telling the story/nightmare as written by German leaders(?) in their own diary entries. Further, the first hand account of events experienced by the author provides unique insights of a horrific, pure evil era.

A True Classic

This is by far the best account of WW2 you will ever hear. It is not just an excellent book about history, it will also help you understand how dictatorial leaders can arise out of economic and political chaos and threaten the world. It is a blow by blow intimate account from a man who was there when it happened. Its riveting, fascinating and amazingly detailed without being boring! It sounds a warning for today 2016 and what is happening in the world that we do not make the same mistake. Sadly what we learn from history is that we don't learn from history!! You will not be disappointed.