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Showing reviews 1-5 of 287
 Perfect introduction to Nazi Germany... May 28, 2010
Brian C. Mason
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the perfect introduction to Nazi Germany for those who, like me, are just beginning to study this disturbing and fascinating period of history. There are a number of things which I think make this the perfect introduction.
First, Shirer was a journalist and an excellent writer. This is diplomatic history at it's best. Shirer does an excellent job of both presenting the big picture in terms of the overall narrative of events as well as the fascinating details which make a history like this truly engaging. This is easily one of the most readable and enjoyable history books I have ever read.
Second, Shirer was actually present at many of the major events that he narrates. He was present in Vienna on the night of the Anschluss of Austria, he was present at the French surrender at Compiegne, and he was present during many of Hitler's speeches. He was in Berlin just before the outbreak of war and is able to describe the mood, and the tension, of that city and its inhabitants on the eve of war. This adds a vividness to Shirer's account which is unique.
Third, despite what some negative reviewer's have claimed Shirer's scholarship was excellent. I have no doubt that scholarship on Nazi Germany has progressed a great deal since this book was published, and it will no doubt be possible to find errors here and there, as well as questionable interpretations. But one should always remember that fifty years from now people will be saying the same thing about the books that are being published today. Does that mean they should not be read? Of course not. The fact is Shirer quotes extensively from captured foreign documents, Nazi diaries and letters, speeches, as well as testimony from the Nuremberg trials. It would be hard, I think, to find a single unsubstantiated claim in the whole book. Shirer was not just a journalist writing down his personal reflections, he did his research, and it shows.
I agree with some of the reviewers who have said this should not be the only book you read on Nazi Germany. But it would be impossible, in my opinion, to find a better place to start.
-Brian
The Definitive History of Hitler's Germany May 14, 2010
J. Trex (Media, PA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just finished this 1500 page masterpiece and was amazed at how good it was. It was a historical work so well written and original in its research that I was sad to turn the last page but grateful to Shirer for the incredible work he'd done.
Shirer was a CBS news reporter in Berlin during the pre-war years during Hitler's meteoric rise and covered the appeasement of Nazi Germany by the Western democracies, revealing thru his research that the Nazis were fully aware that if they were called to task at any time they would have been roundly defeated militarily and finished politically. This was evident from the internal papers Shirer was given access to after the war.
Shirer uncovered many other previously undiscovered facts about Nazi political interference in the Wehrmacht High Command that ensured Nazi defeat, such as Goering & Hitler's decision to "terror" bomb London in retaliation for a small British bombing raid on Berlin, which turned out to be a disasterous decision on Hitler's part, because the strategic bombing of England's manufacturing had nearly destroyed Britain's radar defenses and defense manufacturing capacity at the time of Hitler's decision to abandon strategic bombing for "terror" bombing.
This was a great book and if you are put off by the sheer volume of the book, don't be. It's a great read and if you have an interest an WWII, this is one book you simply must read.
 A great source of info, but readers, ye be warned January 28, 2010
Lo Su-i
0 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book would have received 0 star from me had it not for the mounmental effort, and result, of the auther's research. For that part, a very very big hat, way-off my head, to Mr. Shirer.
Otherwise, this book is just another example of subjective, shallow interpretations, blinded by Mr. Shirer's personal connection to the topic, of the complex factors that unfortunately, led to the Nazi party's rise to power after WWI in Germany.
Not to undermine the horror suffered by the Jewist community during the Holocaust; but at a time when even the babyboomers are receiving senior welfare checks, it's time to give the current Germany, and its good citizens, a BREAK!
For those interested in the cultural aspect of the same period, I highly recommend The Orientalist The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life. Put these 2 books together, you should get a fairly objective understanding of what took place.
Clara Lo
One of the Most Horrific Chapters in Human History January 19, 2010
Miguel B. Llora (Bay Point, California USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In hindsight, war analysts argue that no other imperial project destroyed more lives and displaced more people than the Third Reich. William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany stands alone as the measure of the factual account of World War II, its doppelganger (and equally weighted in terms of pages) is John Toland's The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936-1945 which also provides a sweeping perspective of World War II. When the Great War was over, and before the Nazis could destroy their records, the Allied insistence on unconditional surrender generated an almost minute-by-minute record of the events leading to the ultimate demise of the Third Reich and the death of Adolph Hitler. Shirer recounts the rise and fall of the Reich but fails to record the Nuremberg trial testimony of Nazi leaders and a through examination of the concentration camp. Shirer uses an extensive archive to recount the story of the Third Reich through diaries of officials, transcripts of secret conferences, army orders, and private letters. In the end, Hitler's drive to conquer the world was recorded in detail for later historians to examine. Shirer, who had watched and reported on the Nazis since 1925, spent five and a half years examining the massive archive the result of which is this seminal study. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, along with Toland's The Rising Sun have been highly acclaimed as the definitive records, working in interesting ways in public culture, vis-à-vis one of the most horrific chapters in human history.
The origina of nazi germany..a great read..hard to put down December 18, 2009
N. Richko (the death star)
this had to be by far the definitive history of nazi germany.
this book is well written,and very informative. if you ever wanted to learn about the origins of the reich this book is for you.
this book goes into great detail about adolph hitler's rise to power..his contempt for the west, his dreams of a 1000 year empire...its a compelling read and hard to put down.
sure, its a bit long, but this is an important book. if you are a fan of ww2 or are studying this time period..you need to read this..
Showing reviews 1-5 of 287
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