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Summary: I would just love to know
Review: I would just love to know why the author has such a special dislike for Goering. Almost every single occurrence of the man's name is accompanied by some mention of his girth. One might expect a similar treatment of Hitler. The mad dwarf, the crazy diminutive, the nutty midget etc etc. Although Shirer does mention the fact that Hitler was a WWI corporal over and over as if that should be some sort of insult.At any rate, the book was wonderful. Much detail but at the same time very engrossing and interesting. The majority of the book deals with the rise to power as opposed to the fall. I would not recommend this work to anyone interested in a military history of the Nazis in WWII. This is a political history. It tells who how when and where the party came to power and it deals with the governing of the party more than the military aspects. Which is why this book is of such interest many man books have been written about the military aspects. Similarly the holocaust is also dealt with rather quickly though not glossed over. All in all I would suggest this book to anyone who would like a political history of the Nazi government. Just be warned if you are interested in a history of WWII the 1130(+-) of this book won't quite be enough.
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Summary: Gripping and Moving History
Review: William Shirer's book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is the best book that has ever been written about Nazi Germany. Shirer meticulously researched his account. Its not short, and someone who doesn't want to take the time to get a thorough account should settle for something else. Shirer covers the rise of Naziis and explains the conditions that brought them to power. The post-war chaos from World War I had an awful effect on Germany. Although, Shirer disputes some things that are commonly spouted. For instance, he disputes that the boundaries given to Germany by the treaty of Versailles (following WWI) were inadequate. He also disputes that the entire treaty was as unfair as many Germans claimed it to be. That a rag-tag group like the Naziis could become a major political party and eventually win control of the German government is testimony to the despair that can be created by an economic depression, human stupidity/gullibility, and the effect propaganda can have. One must assign a good part of the blame for the rise of Hitler to the German upper classes and the German professional classes. Most of these people did not initially support Hitler, but they went along and did nothing to stop him. Some of the chapters in the book really stand out. The chapter on the "Battle of Britain" is fascinating reading. Its amazing how England--greatly outnumbered-- was able to hold its own against Germany for over a year before other countries joined them in the struggle. The chapter on the invasion of Russia is interesting reading as well. That Russia managed to hang on after such a massive assault is a miracle. The chapter on the death camps called the "New Order" is a detailed and sickening account of Nazi atrocities against Jews, gypsies, and people of slavic ancestry. If you read it, have a strong stomach. Shirer's book is a one volume way to educate yourself about most of World War II. Anyone interested in this subject simply cannot pass it up.
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Summary: best book so far
Review: I found this book to be an excellent information piece of not only Hitler but all of the facts surrounding the Third Reich and a lot of facts about Nazi Germany I have found nowhere else. Its a bit long with a lot of speculation. Make sure you have a lot of time because once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: Truly a unique work of history.
Review: Shirer's definitive work on the history of the Third Reich is still as relevant to the subject today as it was when it was published back in the 1960s. The book was unique at the time (and quite possibly is still) because there was no precedent for a government such as the Third Reich being so utterly defeated that all their dirty secrets were laid bare. Government documents, memos, notes, even the diaries of some of the German leaders were opened up to the world when the Reich fell. Shirer used those sources as well as his own experiences as a journalist in Nazi Germany and conversations with living members of the former Reich to put together this book. Shirer's defiance of convention at the time in writing a history so soon after the actual events initially brought criticism of his work. The unique circumstances of the fall of Nazi Germany demanded such a history though and time has shown his book to be one of the most important works ever created on Nazi Germany. Shirer's opinion of the events of the time may not ring true for all readers, but he doesn't portray his own opinion as historical fact instead letting his sources speak to that point. Because of his position as a foreign journalist in Nazi Germany before, during and after the war Shirer's opinion of events and the people he met (including some of the most important figures in the Nazi government) is at least as valuable as the facts he presents and deserving of inclusion in this book. A must read for anyone interested in Nazi Germany and World War II.
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Summary: an editorial intro, followed by a scary historical account
Review: Once the author gets into Hitler's interaction with other nations (from 1936 on) the book becomes a quick read, although I found it very hard to take. It is not for the feint of heart. For example, satisfactory explanations are given for his dealings with other dictators (Mussolini and Franco), and these accounts demonstrate his willingness to provide just enough help to prolong the Spanish civil war (but not enough to end it) --for the gain of his own gangster government. The author was a news correspondent in Europe and *this* reporting he seems qualified to do. The first 300 pages covering the pre-Reich period are so editorial that I wonder how much of the prologue is accurate. This book contains an unabashed indictment of all German philosophers, kings, thinkers and statesmen through the centuries: he claims that *all* these men saw life as a struggle for the survival of the fittest. He makes unwarranted, unfair generalizations of all Germanic people, and inaccurate translations such as "racial sciences" for "Rassenkunde," which means "racial lore." ("Racial science" would have been "Rassenwissenschaft.") A few key figures such as Joachim Ribbentrop are mis-characterized. Regardless of how sensibilities have changed in the four decades since the book was published, I cannot reconcile the flattering cover blurbs with the contents. I hoped that the book would shed some light on the Germany of the 1920's for me, but the account of political activities during this period is often unfollowable, reminiscent of some children speciously repeating fragments of political discussion they heard at the dinner table. As one would expect from a 1600 page tome, there is a section on the treaty of Versailles, but the contents of the treaty gets less than a page in the tone of "All it said for the Germans to do was _____" --in a blithe dismissal it as if it were nothing. No doubt this book engendered most of the myths about Hitler, making him in a sense not responsible for his actions because he was "mad"; I believe he was 100% responsible. For a better insight I suggest John Lukacs' book "Duel: The 80-day Struggle between Churchill and Hitler." The author provides an appendix of notes, giving the appearance that the tome is well referenced, but the strongest assertions are unreferenced and unsupported.
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Summary: The Greatest Historical Work of All Time
Review: The must-have book for the European Theatre. If you want to understand WWII and its causes - this is it. Written by the greatest historian on the Third Reich and one of the greatest correspondents of the modern era. There's really nothing more to say! Get it (along with Shirer's "Berlin Diary")!
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Summary: The definitive story of an evil regime
Review: William Shirer's titantic (1250 pages) volume on the third reich is an awesome achievement. Written by a journalist who witnessed the rise of Hitler first hand, then spent years combing through the mountain of documents left after the war, it is a definitive and comprehensive telling of how Adolf Hitler rose to the highest peak achieve by any conquerer and then fell into ashes, a victim of his own megalomania. This is NOT a history of World War II. Japan, the United States and other nations come into the story only so much as they impact Germany. The internal politics of Russia, the US and UK are not touched on. In fact, much of the military history is glossed over. But that is the book's strength -- it keeps it tight focus on the question; How did Hitler become so powerful and how did he fall from that lofty peak? We start with an exploration of Hitler's life and personality, go through his rise to power (I was stunned to find out that the Nazis never actually won an election). Then we get into the heart of the book -- Hitler's conquest of Austria and Czechoslovakia without a shot. You'll find a vital lesson in history when you learn the France and Britain could have ended Hitler in a week had they stood by the Czechs instead of trying for "peace" and only fighting him when six years and tens of millions of lives had to be sacrificed. The days preceeding WWII drag a bit. Shirer spends way too much time on negotiations over Poland -- negotiations that were ultimately false from Germany's side. But then he hits Olympian heights again with his depiction of Hitler's insane war on Russia, the horrific regime he was putting in place and his ultimate collapse before the unimaginable armed might of the Allies. The unexpected surprise for me was my sympathy for the German people. Their country was reduced to ashes by their blind obedience to one of the most evil creatures our race has produced. While I felt enormous satisifaction when justice finally found the most evil of Nazis -- I was saddened at the fate of the average German who knew nor cared little for conquest -- especially when I read that Hitler's ultimate plan on defeat was to raze his own country to the ground. The defeat of the Nazis was not really a triumph but the necessary conclusion to the 20th century's worst tragedy. This book is long and slow. But when you put it down, you will understand World War II better than you ever have.
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Summary: Simply the best Hitler/Nazi book ever
Review: I rate this book in my all time top 10. It is very well written, goes into fascinating detail without getting bogged down and above all you get the feel of the eye witness account especially during Hitler's rise to power. For example Shirer was present during Chamberlain's visit in 1938 and again at the surrender of France in the Ardennes in 1940. He describes Hitler's demeanour on the latter occasion as he passed him on the way to the railway carriage to accept the surrender. This level of detail and insight elevates the book beyond just another historical work and gives it an authenticity, which is just brilliant. It's a long book, it took me the best part of 5 months but it was time very well spent.
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Summary: Wonderful book, but I wonder about bias
Review: Although I respect this book immensely, I have doubts about just how much the author's prejudices play into it. That is often the case, but I think it is always good to remind people that bias can occur even in great histories. For example, Shirer's references to homosexuals is always homosexual perverts. When homosexual generals disagree it is characterized as "the usual petty bickerring common to these kinds of men." Just a few pages later when the "straight" generals are fighting and disagreeing and trying to out do each other -- it's characteriezed as simple disagreement. There really was no reason for these jibes. They didn't add to the history. If Shirer can let his personal bias in in one area, how much of his history is equally colored by it? Some of the lessons to be learned from WWII and the Reich are centered around hatred, predjudice, bullying, people feeling that they are a master race better than their fellow humans. I wonder if this great author missed some of these major lessons even though he wrote the finest chronicle of the war written to date.
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Summary: The definitive book on Nazi Germany.
Review: If there was on book to read on Nazi Germany it would be William L. Shirer's, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," not only did he see the rise of Adolf Hitler first hand in Germany, he was one of the only historians to gain accsess to the mountains of captured documents. His writing is so good that at times you forget your not reading a first class novel, but that it is all real, and well documented for that matter.
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