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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
- A History of Nazi Germany
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 57 hrs and 11 mins
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Editor reviews
Summary
Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the twentieth century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.
Now, years after the end of World War II, it may seem incredible that our most valued institutions, and way of life, were threatened by the menace that Hitler and the Third Reich represented. Shirer’s description of events and the cast of characters who played such pivotal roles in defining the course Europe was to take is unforgettable.
Benefiting from his many years as a reporter, and thus a personal observer of the rise of Nazi Germany, and availing himself of some of the 485 tons of documents from the German Foreign Office, as well as countless other diaries, phone transcriptions, and other written records meticulously kept at every level by the Germans, Shirer has put together a brutally objective account of how Hitler wrested political control of Germany, and planned and executed his six-year quest to dominate the world, only to see Germany go down in flames.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a vast, richly rewarding experience for anyone who wants to come to grips with the mysterious question of how this menace to civilization ever came into being, much less was sustained for as long as it was. The answer, unfortunately, is that most of Germany, for a whole host of reasons, embraced Nazism and the fanaticism that Hitler engendered.
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- steven hunt
- 09-08-18
Simply the best book I have ever purchased
At first i thought this would be far too long and I would skip parts but I was wrong. It is gripping from start to finish. Brilliantly narrated and thoroughly addictive. A must buy for any one remotely interested in the Second World War.
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- paul l.
- 16-09-19
Simply brilliant
I loved this book from start to finish. Extremely well written and informative. Must read.
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- Mr Andrew J Walley
- 12-03-20
Masterful
Without question the most comprehensive detailed breakdown of the nazi history recounted by an eye witness to many of the events . Never deviates from the recognition and illumination of the fundamental wickedness of the regime .
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- Ken Sanderson
- 11-12-19
history made interesting.
written in a non judgemental way as far as the German public is concerned and tries to dissect the reasons behind the rise of the tyrannical regime and the message behind the fall.
it's full of missed opportunities to end the war much earlier and no nation escapes some responsibility for it all.
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- Tony Montana
- 17-07-21
Stunning historical writing
This audiobook was incredible, both in it’s depth and substance, but also in the incredible detail that is not evident in later historical writings involving this subject.
The Author being a journalist who was stationed in Berlin from the birth of Hitler’s reign as Chancellor, has insight that is really unparalleled. The story is told in such a brilliant way that it is like a thriller that you can’t stop following. So many car journeys that I wished could continue for a lot longer! The Narrator choice was an inspired one, Grover Gardner did an incredible job! For anyone interested in this historic and very dark period in world history, then this audiobook is an absolute must!
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- CorpusMobilis
- 07-06-20
Masterpiece
This is the best audiobook I've ever bought. The story runs for sixty hours and explores the subject in great detail and, most imortantly is based on solid evidence.
Absolutely fabulous without any reservations.
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- Bernie
- 19-12-15
Excellent
Fascinating look inside the 3rd Reich. It is surprisingly current considering it was published first in 1959.
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- R. Maines
- 27-09-16
A good read.
I have to admit that my first thought on completing this audio book was 'thank f**k for that'. At over 50 hours in length, even listening at 1.5 playback speed, it's, 'reading' this book took a long time.
This book excels as a potted history of the Third Reich. Long though the book is, don't expect detailed descriptions of the battles of WW2, many are covered in a few paragraphs or less. Still, it kept my attention all the way to the end, recommended even if you only ever read it once.
Narration was good.
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- Maeve
- 13-04-13
All you ever needed to know about the third reich
This compilation encompasses everything you ever needed to know about the third reich. However, such is the fascination of both the subject and the descriptions that you will find yourself drawn to further reading of this area. At the heart of this history is the exposition of human nature at its most base and cruel, allied with intense creativity, egotism and ambition which - fortunately - overreached itself. We're not a very pleasant species!
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- David
- 12-12-15
Highly interesting and informative.
This is one of those stories that you are keen to get back to. It explains a lot of what you thought you knew about the war.
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