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)

Great wait to spend 57 hours!

The first time I listened to the book I found it to be somewhat too extensive at times, but very informative. I listened to it again recently and I have much more respect for it now. Once you learn a few of the german language words and phrases often quoted in the book it becomes much more comprehensible lol

amazing accuracy and detail

this is the 2nd time I've listened to this audio book and am still amazed of the mass trove of information amassed by the author, and some even by personal experience while he was in Berlin during the nazi regime, people have always said that Hitler had a mesmerizing effect on people and it is truly amazing if that word can justify it but the affect that one man in this day and age through democracy that he could influence so many to do so much damage and create so much death, truly horrifying, and I hope and pray that this doesn't ever happen again

A must read

Amazing work of information gathering and exceptional writing.
There is simply nothing like it, giving an insight into the people and ideas behind this horrible manifestation of evil on earth.
A must read.

A thorough and honest history of the Third Riech

First of all, this is probably the biggest bargain on Audible from a value perspective. 57 hours of audio of one credit is hard to beat! Quick nerd fact: when this book was published in paperback, it was the longest paperback that had ever been printed!

The entire first half of the title is about the rise of the Third Reich, and goes into deep detail of the machinations of the Nazi party and Hitler himself as they gradually claimed increasing power over the course of many years.

The second half of the title covers Germany's role in WWII and the slow but inevitable decline of the country over the course of the war, with great attention paid to the political and propaganda methods used by the Nazi party to maintain their grip on power.

Overall, this was an informative and authoritative book that I would recommend to anyone interested in history. It is an particularly relevant book today, in light of the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world.

Interesting contemporary insight

Compelling firsthand account, author's analysis weakened somewhat by obvious sentimentality toward communists and "real" socialism.

AMAZING. 57 hours but it did not feel long at all.

I would definitely recommend it. I enjoy this book very much. Very informative. I love that the author was in Germany during nazi times.

Fantastic

Absolutely the best audible book I have listened to. It lays out complex history in an understandable and compelling way. Beautifully written and the narrator is perfect. A long book that I enjoyed every minute, and incredibly relevant - in a frightening way - to today.

wow

An astonishing work. Content is matched with expert narrator. So richly detailed and engagingly written.

Fascinating!

Anyone interested in history and, more specifically WWII, owes it to him/herself this unparalleled account of the rise and fall from a man who was there, lived through it, and perforned the most meticulous research I have seen in any book in my lifetime. This book was published in 1960 (one year before I was born) and I remember having seen it in my father's library for many, many years, and promising myself I would read it someday, knowing by the awe my father (the man who inspired in me a love for reading and history) spoke about it that one day I would read it. Now, 60 years after its publication (an age I will reach in July 11 of this year) I finally fulfilled my promised to myself, and I couldn't be more adamant in my recommendation of this book. In all my years, I have never read anything so well researched, so powerful, so important and demanding of your attention than this honest, incredibly powerful and poignant account of one of the worst ordeals our world has endured. You consider yourself a history buff, a person who knows why the world is the way it is and brought it here? I'm going to propose to you, you can't be until you have read this book, and realize all the parallels to things that are happening now. Thank you William Shirer for giving us this amazing, unparalleled account of what the world went through because important, powerful men refused to do what was right (and neccessary). Thank you dad. I finally read that book in your library thar was too long for me to read, and too important for me to ignore. I love you.

One of the great works of history of the 20th century.

This is one of my favorite books. I have read it several times and the audiobook version is superb. Highly recommended. Any student of World War 2 has to read this book!