Questions About The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

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Answered Questions (17)

How is this book compared to "The History of the Third Reich" series by Richard Evans? Which one shall I read as someone who only has limited knowledge of Nazi Germany from the classroom?

Alan Northcote For a starter, I'd recommend this one - I read it when I was 16 years old, and it got me interested in the subject for the next forty years, so far!

Ri…moreFor a starter, I'd recommend this one - I read it when I was 16 years old, and it got me interested in the subject for the next forty years, so far!

Richard Evans' series are excellent, and very detailed, but this may be better read first, and is written by someone who was close to the events at the time.(less)

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I want to start reading about the WWII and this was recommended as one of the first books I should read. Can someone tell me if this is where I should start? Any other recommendations are welcome as well. Thank you!

Anne Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is amazing and well worth the read or listen. Audible’s is a good listen. For insights into the mind and evolution of…moreRise and Fall of the Third Reich is amazing and well worth the read or listen. Audible’s is a good listen. For insights into the mind and evolution of totalitarianism, no one beats Hannah Arendt.
And Shirer’s Diaries give a first hand view of Germany before the war. He was kicked out once US was at war...of course.
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Is this book biased? Is it all emotional and tells you how evil Hitler was every second or does it simply deliver the facts?

Tim I just finished this book and while emotions are present and Hitler is labeled evil (kind of hard to discuss him without stating the truth) it does a …moreI just finished this book and while emotions are present and Hitler is labeled evil (kind of hard to discuss him without stating the truth) it does a very good job of presenting facts. It is also difficult to write on this topic without being biased, especially since the author lived through the events. There are positives of the Nazi government that are described in the pages and the negatives are not harped upon ad nauseum to the point of boredom. Is that what you mean by biased?

It seems daunting to get through the whole book, but it is worth it. One of the better Histories of WWII and Hitler I have read. (less)

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Have people here who've read Shirer's book, also read John Toland's book, "Adolf Hitler" ? Personally i find Toland's 900 page history, with another 100 pages of footnotes, references, etc, to be much better, well-detailed, plus well-documented, and very objective without unnecessarily inter-jecting his own opinions and/or biases.

P I agree with you. Toland demonstrates it is possible to write about historical people and events without interjecting loaded judgments about them. The…moreI agree with you. Toland demonstrates it is possible to write about historical people and events without interjecting loaded judgments about them. The appellation "evil" attached to Hitler by virtually everyone who writes about him and the Third Reich contributes nothing to the illumination and clarification of what happened. And to say these judgments can't be avoided is simply evidence that much of what's written is nothing more than propaganda.(less)

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How many pages is this book?