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Summary: An exceptionally well written history of Nazi Germany
Review: William Shirer was a journalist who lived in Berlin during the '30s and '40s and saw first-hand the horrors and the allure of the German Nationalist Socialist party. Based upon his own personal experiences and a large number of official German documents captured in the war, he has written _the_ history of the era. It covers the history of the Nazi party from the birth of Hitler, all the way to the bitter and shattering defeat in 1945.The writing is superb and the story he tells is both compelling and horrifying. If you must buy one book on the 3rd Reich then this is the one. A classic.
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Summary: A great book about one of mankind's darkest hour.
Review: For anyone who wants to know what really was happening in Germany in 1933, this is simply the best book. I've have read many books about the subject but none has captured my attention like this masterpiece. It is full of facts and details but unlike many books about this subject, it never gets dull or boring
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Summary: The most entertaining history book ever!
Review: I probably have read this book a hundred times, and will keep reading it until it falls apart. Shirers writing has a quality about it that makes the complex very clear, and takes dull facts and transforms them into fascinating reading. Shirer provides insights and descriptions that only a man who saw it with his own eyes could, and the result is that the book is not only an excellent coverage of the war, but it also touches on the individuals who played key roles during this time in history. This book is not always perfectly objective, but the historical account is accurate and among the best I've read. It can also be very funny, and with its outstanding collection of photos it is a very educational and entertaining piece of literature. I've been recommending this book to readers for years, and not one person has been disappointed yet.
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Summary: An excellent work by an author intimate with the subject
Review: I'm 43 years old, and I first read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich when I was ten years old. In the intervening years, I've read it two more times, and everytime I do, I understand more about the Third Reich. Shirer's book is an excellent work by an author who was most intimate with the subject, having been CBS Radio's correspondent in Berlin from the mid-30's until December 1940. Having met most of the major players and seen the major events, such as the Anschluss, the Sudeten crisis, Prague 1939, and the surrender of France in June, 1940, few people were in a better position to be able to interpret these events. Also, the massive amount of research involved is staggering. The Nazis churned out tons of records, which, because of their thoroughness, help to convict them at Nuremberg. This ocean of documentation Shirer waded through to give us this magnificent book. A more-than-worthy addition to anyone's library of the history of World War II and Hitler, Nazism and the Third Reich.
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Summary: A reader from Italy
Review: I am a 42 year old italian reader; I am just finishing to read this unique book that I enjoyed very much. I read it because I needed to know an event, WWII, the I have not experienced directly, nor studied at school (in Italy at school History lessons stop at the end of 19th century, nobody knows why...). Of course one thinks to know enough about the biggest war in the world, but this book has provided me such a vivid image of what has happened that i feel extremely thankful to the author and I wish young people could read this book at school.
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Summary: A book about the empire which nearly destroyed the world.
Review: Although this book is one and a half thousand pages long, it still can be described as a general overview of the most fateful time in human history. This book is well written, informative, and easy to understand; however, it is not very objective. The author clearly has a bitter anti-German bias, which sometimes results in utter sarcasm. Although he sights his sources with amazing detail, he often puts a negative spin on many Germans, particularly the Generals of World War II, making them look like bumbling cowards. Still, anyone who reads this book will not regret the experience, and will become a better person for the knowledge which they have gained.
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Summary: best book for anyone starting to learn about WWII
Review: Despite its length and density (the author devotes almost 200 pages just to the month before the Germans invaded Poland), this is a fascinating book. Well written and still up-to-date, though from today's perspective it contains the occassionally "politically incorrect" phrase, such as when Shirer refers to the "perverts and queers" that populated Hitler's inner circle and the Nazi party. Nevertheless, this is wonderful history and required reading for anyone interested in the World War II era--a time still resonating and still influential on the world today.
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Summary: Informative! Brilliant Writing! Great Account of WWII.
Review: The Rise and Fall of the third Reich was one of the best books I have EVER read. It has much research information, and gives details never known to us before. I feel that the best section of the book was THE NEW ORDER.Shirer is a genius of his writings. Though it was horrific, it was a realization of the sufferance that happened during WWII. It also provays Russia's strong part in the war. All the dates and places of the war are in the book. To the greatest account, the book describes the war.
If you want to know anything about WWII, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is the book to read!
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Summary: GREAT READING
Review: William Shirer is the "poster-boy" for his age of reporting. He delivers hard facts and keeps the atmosphere of the time period in perspective. That's what makes his book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," a page turner. Eventhough some Germans have described Shirer's book as being one-sided, he allows us to view the world through his journalistic ventures into Nazi Germany and to political strategy in Churchill's England.
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Summary: A Review Of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Review: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a very informative and reliable account of the Nazi regime and the rule of Adolf Hitler. The book is very interesting, but it is also very long and detailed. One could read it several times and still gain new information each time read. In order to understand and gain the most from the book it helps to have some prior knowledge of German history during this time period, however, Shirer does a good job of giving the necessary background information, so one can appreciate why events unfolded as they did. This makes for a most interesting reading experience. In sum the book was not only informative, but also it made me appreciate the many facets of life during the Nazi Era.
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