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  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

  • A History of Nazi Germany
  • Written by: William L. Shirer
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 57 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (720 ratings)

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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

Written by: William L. Shirer
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's 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.

©1990 William L. Shirer (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What the critics say

“One of the most important works of history of our time.” ( The New York Times)
”A splendid work of scholarship, objective in method, sound in judgment, inescapable in its conclusions.” ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

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    5 out of 5 stars

The most extensive book I have ever listened too!

I have always been a huge War Movie fan from WW1, WW2, Vietnam, etc etc. Being a History buff for as long as I can remember I thought I knew a lot about the Second World War and everything the Nazi did! Well not so much.

This book is a piece of history and should be placed in the Library of every country on earth. The author Willian L Shirer has the background that maybe he is the only person eligible to write the piece of history. Google him and you will see what I mean.

The narrator, Grover Gardner is truly amazing and keeps you listening. I have searched other books that this narrator has performed just because how well he tells a story and the sound of his voice. The narrator can totally screw up the best book in the world and I have returned many a book because of it. I listen to every sample before I buy a book, but sometimes it takes a chapter or two to discover the hum drum or annoying narrator!

I believe I have listened to the book at least 4 times now and every time I learn something new.

I would actually put time aside everyday just so I could listen more. I use a sleep timer every time I listen to audible books and I would extend the timer at least an hour each time.

The book does have some sections that I could not listen to because of how graphic the storyline was. I could see the event that was being told and it was just to much.

It’s a long book but that is a good thing, because the story is a long one as well and must cover all areas of the time from 1900 to 1950!

Everyone in High Schools should have this book as a mandatory read as I am sure that the world would be a better place because of it. It truly is amazing how 1 person can wield so much power and change so many people lives for the worst!

The best book I have bought from audible and I have over 125 books in my library!

- Safety Michael, April 2019

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17 people found this helpful

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Exactly what I was looking for.

The book was well written with a substantial amount details into each specific event. There wasn't very much repeating of information and the sequence of events or well-thought-out when written. For those looking for a good introduction into the topic, or a detailed account of the events. this book satisfies both requirements in an excellent manner. the level of detail in the beginning was a little too much as I wanted more excitement. but within a short. Of time, I grew to love the detail into every part and felt fully immersed in the events. very quickly it proved to be an excellent writing style for my taste.

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8 people found this helpful

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A couple of flat spots but otherwise great..

I was skeptical of buying such a long title. Sometimes they are hard to stay focused. This book does an awesome job building up the Nazi party at the start. There is a couple of flat spots leading up to the war but once the war starts, its hard to put down again. As the other reviews note, there is something about it that makes this book stand out from other long forms.

The way the author places himself in the book is good too.

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8 people found this helpful

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Read the reviews

As much as I’d like to add some words of wisdom on this book, I’ll simply say “read the reviews”. There are a lot of exceptionally written pieces here that cover the content far better than I could here.

Let me share my personal opinions:

- know what you’re getting in to. If you’re this far in to consideration, then you’re probably the target audience. But this is a thorough review of history and personally I think it’s OK to skip parts that you aren’t interested in.
- it can be tough to follow the names of the generals, politicians, war industrialists, attaches, and diplomats across all of the major countries.
- *Grover Gardner* is an absolute master of narration and he doesn’t disappoint here. Anything narrated by him is a treat.
- The author, Shrier, injects much of his own opinions in to the saga here. Especially with respect to giving his opinion of specific individuals, and usually not in a positive light. He has no issue with his antisemism, racism, misogynism, homophobism, and ableism in his writings. You should be prepared as well.

The facts are all here, but be critical of who is presenting it and understand that this is a historical story wrapped in personal perspective.

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5 people found this helpful

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Grover Gardner is audible's best narrator

Grover manages to deliver Shirer's dense, fact laden work in a truly compelling way that makes it hard to stop listening.

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Captivating history of the Third Reich

A captivating story, easy to listen to and follow. the offer, William L. Shirer confidently writes with good compression of history, and a narrative flow. Well worth the time to read considering it's great length.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A warning from history

This is an essential look back at one of history darkest time. We should take heed of the warning this book provides against demagoguery and populism.

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2 people found this helpful

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Stunning

Amazing narration and capture of events, a must read for history buffs, hard to put down!

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My memories

I only remember the years from 1943-45.
Members of the family in axis uniforms.
The memories of the daily bombing raids on the road and railway almost daily in 1944 and 45. The cruelty of the Nazi regime was recognized by all, after Stalingrad all recognized the defeat.

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Just fantastic

Absolutely fantastic. The performance and narrative are both really well done. Well detailed without dragging

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