The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

A The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a non-fiction book by William L. Shirer that chronicles the history of Nazi Germany from the birth of Adolf Hitler to the end of World War II in Europe.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) be seen as a comprehensive historical account based on primary sources such as captured Nazi documents, personal diaries, and testimonies from the Nuremberg trials.
  • It can (often) focus on the rise of totalitarianism, detailing how Hitler and the Nazi Party gained control of Germany.
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  • It can range from being a narrative of the early political developments in Germany to an analysis of the key military campaigns of World War II.
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  • It can explore the dynamics of power within the Nazi leadership, especially figures like Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler.
  • It can provide insight into the personal recollections of the author, who spent six years reporting on Nazi Germany for American media.
  • It can delve into the moral and political lessons learned from diplomacy's failure and fascism's rise.
  • It can serve as a historical reference and a cautionary tale about authoritarian regimes.
  • It can offer a detailed perspective on the planning and execution of Nazi policies such as Operation Barbarossa and the Holocaust.
  • It can be considered a seminal work in World War II historiography.
  • It can contribute to discussions about the causes and consequences of global conflict in the 20th century.
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• Example(s):
  • an early edition of the book published in 1960, focusing on the internal workings of the Nazi state.
  • a documentary series based on the book that aired on television, bringing historical events to a broader audience.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Mein Kampf, which reflects Adolf Hitler's ideology but is not a comprehensive historical account.
  • The Second World War by Winston Churchill, which offers a different perspective on the events of World War II, focusing on military strategy and Allied leadership.
• See: Nazi Germany, World War II.

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References

2023

• (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich Retrieved:2023-8-15.
  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany is a book by American journalist William L. Shirer in which the author chronicles the rise and fall of Nazi Germany from the birth of Adolf Hitler in 1889 to the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. It was first published in 1960 by Simon & Schuster in the United States. It was a bestseller in both the United States and Europe, and a critical success outside Germany; in Germany, criticism of the book stimulated sales. The book was feted by journalists, as reflected by its receipt of the National Book Award for non-fiction,

    but the reception from academic historians was mixed.

    The book is based upon captured Nazi documents, the available diaries of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, of General Franz Halder, and of the Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano, evidence and testimony from the Nuremberg trials, British Foreign Office reports, and the author's recollection of his six years in Germany (from 1934 to 1940) as a journalist, reporting on Nazi Germany for newspapers, the United Press International (UPI), and CBS Radio. The work was written and initially published in four parts, but a larger one-volume edition has become more common.

1960

• (Shirer, 1960) ⇒ William L. Shirer. (1960). "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany." New York: Simon & Schuster.
  • NOTE: It provides a detailed narrative of the Nazi regime's history, drawing from primary sources such as captured documents, diaries, and testimonies from key figures involved in the Nazi government and military.

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