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Brad Lyerla's Reviews > The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
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“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” ― Voltaire (1694 – 1778)
Hitler was the master of the “big lie”. His big lie was that Germany won the First World War, but that the Weimar elites negotiated a bad peace for Germany at Versailles. (“They stabbed us in the back,” Hitler claimed.) This was nonsense, of course, but Hitler convinced more than a third of German voters that it was true.
One cannot help but wonder at the parallels to Trump’s “stop the steal” scam. Ivana, mother of Donald’s first three children, reportedly has said that Donald admired Hitler and kept a collection of Hitler’s speeches entitled MY NEW ORDER on his nightstand during their marriage. That’s a bad thing if it’s true. Trump’s black heart and mental health may be debated, I suppose. But one thing that is beyond debate is that Hitler was a monster, a lunatic and the ruin of Germany. RISE AND FALL documents all of it and in painstaking detail.
While not a flawless book, it is nonetheless a must read if you wonder how authoritarianism can arise among a sophisticated, western people. Wickedness lurks just beneath the surface of human society like a poisonous disease. It is always there, despite appearances to the contrary. And it takes only a charismatic liar to catalyze the brooding elements of society with the wickedly greedy who are only too happy to exploit the anger as a means of grabbing power. In Germany, the conservative oligopoly thought it could control Hitler and his brown shirts. No such luck and soon Hitler controlled the (formerly) influential and rich Herren and Damen.
Fortunately for the world, after an initial period of success when he caught the rest of Europe by surprise, Hitler’s fanaticism led him into a series of mistakes that assured Germany’s ultimate defeat by the Allies.
It is fascinating history and scrupulously researched. Shirer took full advantage of the documents gathered by the Nuremberg prosecutors to detail his long and inclusive description of the Nazi years, including the Holocaust. I recommend RISE AND FALL highly.
Hitler was the master of the “big lie”. His big lie was that Germany won the First World War, but that the Weimar elites negotiated a bad peace for Germany at Versailles. (“They stabbed us in the back,” Hitler claimed.) This was nonsense, of course, but Hitler convinced more than a third of German voters that it was true.
One cannot help but wonder at the parallels to Trump’s “stop the steal” scam. Ivana, mother of Donald’s first three children, reportedly has said that Donald admired Hitler and kept a collection of Hitler’s speeches entitled MY NEW ORDER on his nightstand during their marriage. That’s a bad thing if it’s true. Trump’s black heart and mental health may be debated, I suppose. But one thing that is beyond debate is that Hitler was a monster, a lunatic and the ruin of Germany. RISE AND FALL documents all of it and in painstaking detail.
While not a flawless book, it is nonetheless a must read if you wonder how authoritarianism can arise among a sophisticated, western people. Wickedness lurks just beneath the surface of human society like a poisonous disease. It is always there, despite appearances to the contrary. And it takes only a charismatic liar to catalyze the brooding elements of society with the wickedly greedy who are only too happy to exploit the anger as a means of grabbing power. In Germany, the conservative oligopoly thought it could control Hitler and his brown shirts. No such luck and soon Hitler controlled the (formerly) influential and rich Herren and Damen.
Fortunately for the world, after an initial period of success when he caught the rest of Europe by surprise, Hitler’s fanaticism led him into a series of mistakes that assured Germany’s ultimate defeat by the Allies.
It is fascinating history and scrupulously researched. Shirer took full advantage of the documents gathered by the Nuremberg prosecutors to detail his long and inclusive description of the Nazi years, including the Holocaust. I recommend RISE AND FALL highly.
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Reading Progress
June 29, 2019
– Shelved
June 29, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
March 2, 2021
–
Started Reading
March 24, 2021
–
25.0%
March 28, 2021
–
25.0%
"Everything about the rise of Nazism is disturbing and reminiscent of Trumpism. The early 21st century is very like the early 20th century. So far the USA has skirted disaster, but only very narrowly.
Will our Republicans return to sanity seems to be the key to our future. In the final days of the Weimar Republic, their “Republicans “ cut a deal with Hitler in the mistaken belief that they could control him!!"
Will our Republicans return to sanity seems to be the key to our future. In the final days of the Weimar Republic, their “Republicans “ cut a deal with Hitler in the mistaken belief that they could control him!!"
April 14, 2021
–
50.0%
"I am wondering if the most significant difference between Hitler and Trump is that the former was physically and politically courageous. The latter is neither.
This book is long and very detailed. And extremely interesting."
This book is long and very detailed. And extremely interesting."
May 16, 2021
–
75.0%
"Lying was second nature to Hitler. The western leaders never fully appreciated this and paid the price."
May 30, 2021
–
Finished Reading
May 25, 2022
– Shelved as:
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Jill
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 04, 2021 08:32AM
Your review is excellent. I consider this book, which I have read twice, to be the book on the Third Reich..
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Jill wrote: "Your review is excellent. I consider this book, which I have read twice, to be the book on the Third Reich.."I do not disagree. It really is mandatory reading for anyone interested in 20th Century history and politics.
