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Summary: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - Hardcover Edition
Review: This book is a treasure trove of information consisting of not only the historical facts, but of unparalleled insights into the psychological make-up of those invoved in that history. The author seems to have been involved directly with the Reich, as he points out clearly he was close at hand during many historical moments. This view allows the reader to envision the scenes and understand not only the madness... but the reasons behind that insanity. On the low point, the author sometimes bears out to be somewhat prejudicial. When reading, one can't help but notice the pro-Nazi sentiments that are hidden between the lines as he rails against the regime. This makes the author appear to be less credible after around 600 pages. But...if you can get over the author's contradictions and read through them to the story itself, this is one great book.
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Summary: For historians AND novices
Review: I have to say that I was never a fan of historical accounts but I found Shirer's history of Nazi Germany remarkable. If you are a historian and an expert in the field, this book will meet your expectations (the primary resources are most impressive) but if this is the first time you read something that is non-fiction, the author's style is not too oppresive as he presents the incredible events that transpired during World War II. The miracle at Dunkirk, the flight of Rudolph Hess, the rescue of Mussolini... if you don't know what I'm talking about, yet you're reading this review, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
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Summary: The story of the dark ages
Review: I was very impressed with the book. The author brings a first hand impression of the events leading to the most darkest ages of humanity. Although he was trying to stay subjective he did not and brought his own personal opinion from time to time. Historian is not supposed to do that. On the other hand the author was deeply involved in the event s and it is highly understandable why he acted like that. I thought that I am very familiar with those times, 1900-1945, but the book came and shows me what I was missing and it is a lot. The book opened my eyes to the real reasons for the NAZI party and the German people unimaginable behavior and it was a revelation. The book is very successful of explaining the roots of the German hatred to the Jews and the reasons to the Jews' and others' holocaust.
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Summary: Invaluable but flawed
Review: Shirer's account is one of a journalist, not a historian. His facts are researched and exhaustive, but he brings no intelligent analysis to the tale. It is a book written with emotion, with prejudice. It is an invaluable work that no student of the Great War must leave unread. But it must be tempered with more balanced works such as Alan Bullock's Hitler: A study in Tyranny and AJP Taylor's Origins of the Second World War. If you're going to read only one book about WWII, Shirer's shouldn't be it.
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Summary: one of the real WWII classics
Review: This massive tome is still a solid treatment of WWII and the events leading up to it. While its history isn't perfect, it is Nazi Germany as the author saw it--he remained there until late 1940, which took special courage. Shirer did not know all that we know now, but a lot of what he says has held up. It would be a much more wearying book were it not for Shirer's unique and pungent commentary on Nazi figures he found lacking in merit, particularly Ribbentrop. (How can anyone resist a characterization like 'insufferable ignoramus'?) He delves into some of the more interesting rogues in the Nazi gallery, such as Alfred Naujocks, giving information not commonly known. Strongly recommended, with the caveat that one should also read other books to get a more complete historical perspective.
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Summary: Good, but a bit outdated.
Review: Despite the exhuberance of the other reviews, I suggest potential readers think twice before reading this particular work. Shirer's arguments are outdated on certain subjects and the book really drags in some places. There are several other histories of the Third Reich that tell the story more effectively and in less time. That said, I enjoyed Shirer's book and his coverage of the major battles (especially Stalingrad) is dramatic. Those willing to invest the time to read it (1400 pages! ) will be better for it.
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Summary: A Chilling Account that Raises Questions.
Review: A well documented and engrossing book. Shirer may at times paint the scene with a certain prejudice, yet the greater implication is inescapable: men who have tossed aside their conscience for the sake of blind ambition, open themselves to the gravest dangers Humanity can face. Consider this: the unlikely path of Adolf Hitler, who began his adult life as an untalented, maladjusted Vienna tramp, yet in a few short years, climbed to such levels of destructive power that his Reich will forever leave a scar upon Humanity. Thankfully, we have not often been served such tragic consequences on our little Earth. Yet within horror of Shirer's account exists a profound lesson for all--one, if correctly understood, can clarify our duty to ourselves and to Humanity.
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Summary: Wonderful, daunting
Review: A well documented, frightening, extremely detailed account of the inner workings of Nazi Germany, this ook is a must-read for anyone studying WWII. It's also useful for compiling a further reading list, since the author cites a dizzying array of other books throughout the text. One note for purchasers of the mass-market sized paperback: put your copy in a book jacket of some sort right away, as the flimsy paper cover is not strong enough to hold the 1500+ pages together!
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Summary: Well written/Lacking in places
Review: It was with much hesitation that I began reading this book several years ago. I had been forewarned that it was well written, but that it alone was responsible for creating much of the historical myth surronding Hitler's Germany and the rise of National Socialism. Many critical points and assumptions in Shrier's book have been questioned and re-evaluated. If their was any single flaw concerning this book it would be that it attempts to report the facts, but on occasion delivers myth. The notion of black-shirted "boogie men" saw it's embryonic formation with Shirer's work. Their are many other authors, such as David Irving who have strived to report and record the truth as it happened. Irving, unlike Shirer, manages to give us a pragmatic, sobering analysis of Hitler and his Party, and the war years, without the exssesive speculation and drama...which leads me to my last point; Shirer's book is well written and is a pleasure to read and I suppose that is it's main appeal. You can tell Shrirer strived for sense of continuity and rhthym throught the chapters. It almost reads like a piece of fiction. Unfortunately, Shrirer sacrificed objectivity and good old fashioned research in the process.
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Summary: The definitive volume on Nazi Germany
Review: This book is nearly as astonishing as the facts themselves. The Third Reich, National Socialism and Adolf Hitler from cradle to grave: (unfortunately for humanity) a long tale told directly and comprehensively. The facts need no embellishment to captivate the imagination, and beyond the frequent sarcastic jibe at the men responsible for the upheavals (the Norwegian traitor Quisling derided as a "Baltic dolt"; Goering as the "fat Reich Marshal"), Shirer gives them none. He gives full treatment to the historical and contemporary political conditions that shaped Hitler, his followers, and the German Republic he seized, as well as European political conditions that allowed Nazi Germany's rise. Shirer's political astuteness and scholarly approach are not blended together in journalism today, but they should be. This is as well-written and interesting a historical treatise as you will find, perhaps on any subject.
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