Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich

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Summary: A brilliant piece of historical writing!!
Review: William Shirer's book is the definitive text on Nazi Germany, and shall be forever more. Anyone who has read it will be awash in the tyrannical obsessions that made 1933-1945 in Europe a true living nightmare. Although it is obviously long, with more subtitles, annotations, and footnotes than one is generally accustomed to, these are essentially to the very nature of the complex subject material. Without peer, its comprehensive study of the years leading up to WWII are both gripping and frightening. Yes, most aspects of the Holocaust (Shoah) are given short shrift, but Shirer never pretended to be a definitive expert on the subject, and other texts define the atrocities much better. What really seperates this book from all the others of its genre are the use of captured Nazi documents. Recently, I saw a 2002 documentary called "Blind Spot", about Hitler's personal secretary, Traudl Junge, who recounted the last days in the bunker under the Chancellary in Berlin. Most of the commentary she recounted were nearly composed verbatim in this book, written over 40 years ago. If one wants to learn history, and not subjectivism, then this is the account to have in your library.

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Summary: Hitler's persecution of the church
Review: Wonderful book describing how Hitler persecuted and killed Christians--both Catholic and protestant--and how the Pope strongly condemned Hitler and Nazism.

Hitler's goal was to establish a statist cult based on barbaric paganism. He loathed Christianity, and admired the violent aspects of Islam and the Japanese-style emperor worship.

Atheist/Humanist/Socialist/Darwinists such as Hitler, Mao, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, and others killed more people during the past 100 years than all of the so-called "religious war" in all of the previous centuries combined.

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Summary: A Superb Historical Volume -- It Raises Some Questions
Review: This book is the excellent exploration of the development of a global-class terrorist, and should be read by every adult in the Western World. It's a lesson for all of us.

That said, I have to adduce some questions. Why didn't we give Neville Chamberlain's approach more time to work? Chamberlain favored a cooperative strategy, a real appreciation for tolerance and diversity. Why couldn't the allied nations (a fine practical example of a coalition formed by several countries) have sent inspectors to ensure compliance with the Treaty of Versailles? Couldn't we have given him more time to comply?

A major question of history was NEVER contemplated: Why does this terrorist hate us? What did the allies do wrong, to prompt this uprise from a suppressed member of the Eurpean community? Aren't we supposed to be more understanding, when terrorists lash out? Where was the compassion for the plight of the Bund? These allies ended up determining that their only tactic for dealing with this terrorist was to destroy him, and neutralize him as a threat to the world. Is that the sort of inclusive thinking which about half of us today (per a survey conducted in the United States in November 2000) insist is the preferred method for dealing with terrorists?

These allies, led by cowboys Roosevelt and Churchill, simply determined unilaterally that the terrorist had to be wiped out. Can anyone call that sort of mindset "progressive"? The allies merely destroyed an entire nation -- an exemplary socialist nation which had completely banned from its shores the corruption of capitalism. No sort of liberal thinking was employed in the process.

Following victory, the allies generously took on the task of rebuilding the nation they had just finished decimating. It was a long, arduous process completely void of instant gratification, and a lot of small-minded people living among the victors complained and railed and mewed and whined that it was taking too long, that the allies had not planned appropriately for "managing the peace."

Yes, this book indeed is a fine lesson for all of us living in the world today.

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Summary: Eyewitness to History
Review: This is a real reading project. My unabridged hard cover volume feels like the Manhattan phone directory, making it unwieldy to sit in bed and read. I had to buy a book stand to hold it on my lap desk!

Once the ergonomic problems were overcome it is, of course, a most worthy read.

Rather than recounting the details of the many battles of WWII (for example, the entire D-Day invasion is dispensed with in just a few pages), Shirer's book is instead focused on the mad genius and sheer will of Adolf Hitler and the fascinating story of his rise from poverty and obscurity to a position of absolute power. The book exhaustively details the political and diplomatic machinations that propelled Hitler and Germany into - and out of - WWII. Many pages are filled with footnotes (at a much smaller font size!) that give further detail about a subject in the main text. This virtually doubles the actual number of pages of reading material - it took me a solid three weeks of reading 1-2 hours a day to get through it.

Coupled with this is a keen insight into the German mindset, both from a mythological and historical standpoint, with a particular emphasis on the sense of injustice and deep anger the German people felt following their defeat in WWI and the Treaty of Versailles. All of this is vital to understanding how Hitler - who by all accounts was a hypnotic orator - was able to manipulate those around him and, ultimately, the German people.

Shirer has a unique perspective on the matter, having been both an eyewitness to many of the key events plus having had access to mountains of captured Nazi documents. He was also able to gain information directly from many of the principal figures involved. This allowed him to demolish the many self-serving recollections by various Nazi figures, and also to ferret out the inconsistencies and bona-fide errors found in many previously published works - even a few by Churchill himself.

The countless numbers of diplomats, generals, world leaders, obscure figures, Nazi thugs and unfortunate victims are woven together to produce an historical reference without parallel.

This is essential reading. It is the cornerstone of knowledge for any serious student of WWII and the horror of Nazi Germany.

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Summary: One of the Best Short Histories of the Third Reich
Review: For anyone eager to gain a fairly comprehensive understanding of the development, growth, decline, and collapse of the Third Reich, this book is it. With Shirer, you have someone who was a witness to many of the events described in this book - e.g. the Nazi Party rallies at Nuremberg, Hitler's marching of troops into the Rhineland in 1936, the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich in March 1938, the Munich crisis, and the French surrender in June 1940.

Shirer also makes skillful use of the wealth of Nazi archival materials to give the reader a full scope of the characters and policies which defined and shaped Germany between 1933 and 1945.

In today's uncertain times, reading this book should also serve to remind the reader that any democratic government, whether threatened by real or perceived enemies, can succumb to Fascism if its people permit the slow or precipitate undoing, by executive or legislative fiat, of their civil liberties.

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Summary: The definitive history of Nazi Germany
Review: This book is one of a kind; a true classic for the ages. Commencing in the 19th Century it sets the philosophical foundation of the Nazi Party, examining the persons who created the ideology. Moving to Hitler's youth, the forces that shaped him are closely reviewed. Shirer then shows the rise of the Nazis as a political force in post World War I Germany, and how this was aided by an overly harsh Armistice treaty, hyperinflation, and a weak government. All of this is covered in what seems to be excruciating detail, but once the reader peruses the easily understandable text, it becomes apparent that a lesser treatment would almost be worse than no examination at all.

Shirer then turns to the Nazis' ascent to power, and the years prior to World War II. Masterfully exhibiting a deft touch, Shirer exhaustively traces the consolidation of power, the first anti-Jewish atrocities, and the almost innumerable opportunities the West squandered in failing to stifle Nazism by diplomacy and appeasement, instead of using or threatening use of force. One by one, the Rhineland, Austria, Memel, Czechoslovakia and Spain fell into the Nazi orbit.

Shirer's best work, in my opinion, is the discussion concerning the events leading up to the invasion of Poland. Hitler's cynical dealings with the equally cynical Russians are amazingly detailed in this book. A sense of breathless anticipation ensues as the date of the Polish invasion draws near. And finally the war begins.

Shirer's treatment of the Second World War is superb. He focuses not so much on specific battles, but weaves them seamlessly into a general narrative of how the various thrusts, including the Balkans, Scandinavia, France, North Africa and Russia proceed from the Reich viewpoint. A fascinating chapter includes Hitler's aborted plan for an English invasion, and what would have been done had it succeeded. Shirer's research is such that he questions the loyalty of the Duke of Windsor, a by-now accepted premise, forty years ahead of its time.

As the tide turns against Germany, Shirer veers slightly and presents a magnificent chapter about the Nazi genocides and atrocities, setting forth what was done in grisly detail. This reading is not for the squeamish, but it is necessary to understand what the true nature of the Third Reich was. He then turns back to D-Day and the collapse of Germany, concluding with the bomb plot against Hitler, and his subsequent suicide.

One of the better parts of the book is the Epilogue, which covers the Nuremberg trials, and what was adduced by them. This is must reading.

This book, and its companion work on the Collapse of France, comprise a rather complete history of Western Europe in the years 1870-1945. Certainly, they are a winter's worth of reading, but you will never find them dull, disappointing, or inaccurate. Shirer's two works are epic in stature, and will be read years from now. There are no photographs, and few maps. Those maps that are presented are very well done. Shirer is to be commended for his herculean effort and his studied objectivity in discussing such a cataclysmic evil.

Again, the book is a true classic. I recommend it highly. NEVER LOAN IT OUT TO ANYONE.

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Summary: My first book review
Review: Put this book in a different environment and give the characters different names and it would be one of the greatest gangster books ever written. It's basically grown men player toy soldiers with real countries and real people.
I cannot recommend this book enough.

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Summary: A Remarkable Achievement
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. The writing is supberb and the reporting appears to be extremely thorough. I find it amazing that, through some divine circumstance, a writer with the talent and skill of Shirer happened to be in Berlin to bear witness to the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

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Summary: An outstanding book,and a classic of our times
Review: By far the most definitive account of the Nazi era, this book is brilliant from almost all viewpoints. It touches upon the German inter-war government, European politics during that period, the German Wehrmacht and the great battles of the War, the turning points and then the end, all in sufficient depth and detail.
The reader also gets a clear insight into the mind of the adolescent Hitler, his frustration on not being able to study arts at Vienna, his decision to leave home, the years he spent on the streets of Vienna (where his only company were the "rats, and the excruciating hunger") and his years as a Corporal in the Austrian Army, and finally his meteoric rise to become Chancellor of Germany.
In over 1200 pages, Shirer explains how a regime of unimaginable cruelty came into place, and took over Europe, despite the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, and the utter misery of the German people at the end of 1918.
It seems to me as if the horrors of that age continue to be relived, as the oppression of peoples goes on, around the World. The book makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that besides the tumultuous changes within Germany itself, the single biggest factor that led to the War was the policy of appeasement followed by the western powers of the day. In their burning desire to see the fall of Bolshevik Russia, the West betrayed many lands, before they finally realised the enormity of Hitler's militarism. Today we once again live in an age where neo-colonialism has arisen, and the world is once again bent on appeasement. I am reminded of the words of Hans Frank (Governor General of Poland), at his trial at Nuremberg. He said, "A thousand years shall pass, but the guilt of Germany shall not be erased".
Before buying this book, it might be well worth remember that this is a book on Nazi Germany and the Third Reich, and not on the World War. For example, you wouldn't find too much on Pearl Harbour or the Imperial Japanese Navy. Also, while Mussolini's rise to power is dealt with, this book doesn't deal with the many dubious characters who arose in Italy during that period. And it certainly doesn't speak of the Red Army in detail. While some of these subjects do acquire passing reference, more authoritative books on them have been written and read.
This book comes close to being perfect; even so, it has its vices. Shirer seems to have prejudices against some of the wily characters he writes about, like Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hermann Goering, etc. while some of the other equally scrupulous characters don't seem to invite adjectives as harsh. A more conspicuous drawback is the superficial treatment of the Holocaust. Although scores of pages have been devoted to describe the capture, transport and execution of prisoners, as well as the conditions at the concentration camps, Shirer fails to fully capture the reader's imagination, as he does in other chapters. The author time and again stresses that the topic is vast as well as deep, but in the end fails to narrate as much as was necessary, considering the fact that the Holocaust is the most striking symbol of Nazi flagitism.
In spite of these negatives, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich remains an immortal classic. It shall forever be a reminder of the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, and indeed the causes that led to it.

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Summary: A definete account of the Third Reich
Review: This book analyses the rise of Hitler and his party, how it went on to become one of the worst in the mankind. Also, it explains how the superpowers stayed away when Hitler was growing like cactus. As George in Seinfeld says "You could have put Chamberlin's face in the toilet and he would have given half of the Europe to Hitler", this book clearly portrays how Britain was a silent observer when Hitler took over Czech.

Very worth reading eventhough the early days of rise of Hitler is being painstakingly explained. I guess it can be comparable to Churchill's work of WWII.