--- product_id: 4117717 title: "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" price: "€ 92.62" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/4117717-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a-history store_origin: GR region: Greece --- # The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany **Price:** € 92.62 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany - **How much does it cost?** € 92.62 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/4117717-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a-history) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “One of the most important works of history of our time.” — The New York Times A modern classic and the definitive study of Adolf Hitler, the rise of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and World War II by the foreign correspondent who saw firsthand how the Nazi movement swept Europe. William B. Shirer presents nuanced profiles of major and minor figures as well as exacting details of the political movements, wartime strategy, and atrocities of the Third Reich. This epic work is required reading to understand modern history and how fascist dictators can captivate a population to wicked ends. No other powerful empire ever bequeathed such mountains of evidence about its birth and destruction as the Third Reich. When the bitter war was over, and before the Nazis could destroy their files, the Allied demand for unconditional surrender produced an almost hour-by-hour record of the nightmare empire built by Adolph Hitler. This record included the testimony of Nazi leaders and of concentration camp inmates, the diaries of officials, transcripts of secret conferences, army orders, private letters—all the vast paperwork behind Hitler's drive to conquer the world. The famed foreign correspondent and historian William L. Shirer, who had watched and reported on the Nazis since 1925, spent five and a half years sifting through this massive documentation. The result is a monumental study that has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of one of the most frightening chapters in the history of mankind. Here is the complete story of Hitler's empire, one of the most important stories ever told, written by one of the men best equipped to write it. This worldwide bestseller has been acclaimed as the definitive book on Nazi Germany; it is a classic work. Review: Must Read for WW2 enthusiasts - I’ve always wanted to get to this book in my studies on WW2. I mainly read about the American Civil War and the Roman Empire, but about a 3 years ago I decided to focus more on biographies. Discovered the Amazing Allison Weir, and Margaret George. Special shout to Margaret who’s Memoirs of Cleopatra had me read 4 straight books on Women of the Roman world. Sorry I digress, but the point was after all that I was wanting to get back to my typical type of historic read and felt it was time for Mr. Shirers detailed history of Nazi Germany. My one knock against this book is the Swastikas on cover and spine. I’m not offended by it because I look at it from the historical nature, plus know my book is in no way pro third Reich, but I got some looks on a few flights I took while reading this book. In this day and age I think it’s best to keep that symbol off reading material regardless of historical importance it’s not needed, and gives people the wrong impression. Outside of that this is truly the best book on the Third Reich I have ever read. Not only the amazing detail and information, but William Shrirer has the personal experience and journalistic background that make his take perfect for the source material. He covers the various takes on controversial military decisions made by Hitler. He knows when to display the atrocities and evil of the Nazi Regime, and when to tell the objective viewpoint. You can tell this man spent a lot of time and chose his words carefully to limit his personal bias when it was important to be objective. A true masterpiece of history, and amazing post war study combined with his own first hand accounts. Structured masterfully, told truthfully, and brings a lunchbox style work ethic to explain a dense two decades of history. Review: Sixty Years Later, This Book Remains Chilling and Foreboding - After visiting a reunified Germany, I began to wonder how such intelligent, organized, proper people could have fallen for the myth of Hitler. So I decided to read this book. And although the book doesn't specifically address this issue, even sixty years later, it provides insights into the ways a population (and the world) can be hoodwinked. As such, it also provides a stark warning to the 21st century about leadership, charisma, propaganda (the control of the media), courage, and critical thinking. Shirer, unlike so many of today's "journalistic" books, provides a narrative that is probably 90 percent objective. Throughout the book, Shirer bases his reporting on sources captured after the Nazi defeat. These include memoranda, entries from personal diaries, and even some one-on-one interviews with former Nazis. You can see the era's bias such as those against homosexuals (often referred to as "perverts") come into play, but given WHEN the book was written, this is not unexpected nor does it diminish the significance of the report. When Shirer expressed a personal opinion, like those from his diary, he made it blatantly clear that these were his impressions. So what I appreciated most about this book is that Shirer cited almost everything he wrote about (I wish they had used letters or numbers for the chapter endnotes instead of asterisks in the Kindle edition) and often included exact verbiage (translated from German, of course) from the documents he reviewed. While his coverage of the Fuhrer and his growing megalomania is frightening enough, I found that his reporting on Joseph Goebbels' role in creating an atmosphere of belief in the Nazis in Germany the most frightening--and foreboding--of all. Goebbels understood from the getgo that people believe what they want to believe, and he used this understanding effectively. Goebbels controlled ALL media, all messaging, all symbolism for the Reich. As a media professional myself, I was stunned at his ability, as early as the 1930s, to understand the power of popular media. Not only did he use thuggery to silence opposing views, but his media savvy in movie-making, radio broadcasts, timing, event-staging, and even bunting were used to inspire a demoralized population into believing or at least not contradicting the unthinkable. He successfully usurped music, philosophy, and even religion to create a mass delusion among the German people. In my opinion, this may have been one of the main reasons a decent population eventually was caught up in the whole hegemony of Hitler. Certainly, there are other important contributing factors--the economy, a weak government, the depression, etc.--but Goebbels leveraged all of this things to create the big lie that others, particularly the Jews and the Slavs--were responsible for the fate of Germany. To me, this insight has the most relevance for today when Hollywood creates its own version of history, where "journalists" have no problem slanting news (on both sides of the aisle) to their point of view, where politicians have no problems with telling people what they want to hear, and where both political parties have stooped to a level of name-calling and dehumanization of the other. These were tactics that were found in the political milieu of Nazi Germany. While we have not reached that level, it is important to understand just exactly what and how Goebbels created a societal belief that supported the war machine and extermination of so many innocent people. And part of that media message was always terror and intimidation. Besides this insight, Shirer provides us with personal glimpses into some of the key players of the Reich. He documents how "fateful" incidents impacted the decisions of the combatants' strategic decisions and the outcome of the war. The book is long and detailed but provides a good look at this unfortunate time in history. While most of the "greatest generation" have long since left this world, this book reminds us of the circumstances that created the twelve horrific years of the Third Reich. It is vital that we remember those years and the lessons learned from World War II. Unfortunately, I think many people will think the sheer volume of this book is overwhelming. But once into the book, I think readers will find it hard to put down. I know I did. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #21,849 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in German History (Books) #14 in World War II History (Books) #18 in Jewish Holocaust History | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 11,352 Reviews | ## Images ![The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71zKo4ZlG9L.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Must Read for WW2 enthusiasts *by B***R on July 14, 2024* I’ve always wanted to get to this book in my studies on WW2. I mainly read about the American Civil War and the Roman Empire, but about a 3 years ago I decided to focus more on biographies. Discovered the Amazing Allison Weir, and Margaret George. Special shout to Margaret who’s Memoirs of Cleopatra had me read 4 straight books on Women of the Roman world. Sorry I digress, but the point was after all that I was wanting to get back to my typical type of historic read and felt it was time for Mr. Shirers detailed history of Nazi Germany. My one knock against this book is the Swastikas on cover and spine. I’m not offended by it because I look at it from the historical nature, plus know my book is in no way pro third Reich, but I got some looks on a few flights I took while reading this book. In this day and age I think it’s best to keep that symbol off reading material regardless of historical importance it’s not needed, and gives people the wrong impression. Outside of that this is truly the best book on the Third Reich I have ever read. Not only the amazing detail and information, but William Shrirer has the personal experience and journalistic background that make his take perfect for the source material. He covers the various takes on controversial military decisions made by Hitler. He knows when to display the atrocities and evil of the Nazi Regime, and when to tell the objective viewpoint. You can tell this man spent a lot of time and chose his words carefully to limit his personal bias when it was important to be objective. A true masterpiece of history, and amazing post war study combined with his own first hand accounts. Structured masterfully, told truthfully, and brings a lunchbox style work ethic to explain a dense two decades of history. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sixty Years Later, This Book Remains Chilling and Foreboding *by M***. on January 15, 2019* After visiting a reunified Germany, I began to wonder how such intelligent, organized, proper people could have fallen for the myth of Hitler. So I decided to read this book. And although the book doesn't specifically address this issue, even sixty years later, it provides insights into the ways a population (and the world) can be hoodwinked. As such, it also provides a stark warning to the 21st century about leadership, charisma, propaganda (the control of the media), courage, and critical thinking. Shirer, unlike so many of today's "journalistic" books, provides a narrative that is probably 90 percent objective. Throughout the book, Shirer bases his reporting on sources captured after the Nazi defeat. These include memoranda, entries from personal diaries, and even some one-on-one interviews with former Nazis. You can see the era's bias such as those against homosexuals (often referred to as "perverts") come into play, but given WHEN the book was written, this is not unexpected nor does it diminish the significance of the report. When Shirer expressed a personal opinion, like those from his diary, he made it blatantly clear that these were his impressions. So what I appreciated most about this book is that Shirer cited almost everything he wrote about (I wish they had used letters or numbers for the chapter endnotes instead of asterisks in the Kindle edition) and often included exact verbiage (translated from German, of course) from the documents he reviewed. While his coverage of the Fuhrer and his growing megalomania is frightening enough, I found that his reporting on Joseph Goebbels' role in creating an atmosphere of belief in the Nazis in Germany the most frightening--and foreboding--of all. Goebbels understood from the getgo that people believe what they want to believe, and he used this understanding effectively. Goebbels controlled ALL media, all messaging, all symbolism for the Reich. As a media professional myself, I was stunned at his ability, as early as the 1930s, to understand the power of popular media. Not only did he use thuggery to silence opposing views, but his media savvy in movie-making, radio broadcasts, timing, event-staging, and even bunting were used to inspire a demoralized population into believing or at least not contradicting the unthinkable. He successfully usurped music, philosophy, and even religion to create a mass delusion among the German people. In my opinion, this may have been one of the main reasons a decent population eventually was caught up in the whole hegemony of Hitler. Certainly, there are other important contributing factors--the economy, a weak government, the depression, etc.--but Goebbels leveraged all of this things to create the big lie that others, particularly the Jews and the Slavs--were responsible for the fate of Germany. To me, this insight has the most relevance for today when Hollywood creates its own version of history, where "journalists" have no problem slanting news (on both sides of the aisle) to their point of view, where politicians have no problems with telling people what they want to hear, and where both political parties have stooped to a level of name-calling and dehumanization of the other. These were tactics that were found in the political milieu of Nazi Germany. While we have not reached that level, it is important to understand just exactly what and how Goebbels created a societal belief that supported the war machine and extermination of so many innocent people. And part of that media message was always terror and intimidation. Besides this insight, Shirer provides us with personal glimpses into some of the key players of the Reich. He documents how "fateful" incidents impacted the decisions of the combatants' strategic decisions and the outcome of the war. The book is long and detailed but provides a good look at this unfortunate time in history. While most of the "greatest generation" have long since left this world, this book reminds us of the circumstances that created the twelve horrific years of the Third Reich. It is vital that we remember those years and the lessons learned from World War II. Unfortunately, I think many people will think the sheer volume of this book is overwhelming. But once into the book, I think readers will find it hard to put down. I know I did. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Monumental History of Nazi Germany *by G***A on August 26, 2006* This is a brilliant book - tremendously well researched, incredibly well written, and packed full of unparalleled insights. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in Adolph Hitler, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany, and the Third Reich at war. Written soon after the end of the Second World War and first published in 1959, William L. Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" remains the monumental history of Adolph Hitler and the Germany he created. The author, William L. Shirer, served as a newspaper correspondent and CBS radio reporter in Europe and Nazi Germany during the war and witnessed first-hand many of the events that led to the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. More importantly, Shirer, the correspondent turned historian, was among the first individuals to avail himself of the confidential archives of the Third Reich and all its branches seized and held by the U.S. government after the war in Alexandria, Virginia. These documents included the official diaries of the German Armed Forces High Command, the German Navy High Command, the Chief of the German General Staff (General Franz Halder), and those of the Minister of Propaganda (Dr. Joseph Goebbels). Shirer also made good use of the stenographic records of Hitler's conferences on the daily military situation, as seen and discussed at the Fuehrer's headquarters, and the texts of the Nazi leader's table talk. The result is an extremely well documented and detailed history of every aspect of Hitler's Germany. Shirer makes it clear early in his book that although he detested Adolph Hitler and the Nazis, he sought to write an objective history of events. Certainly his observations on the leader of the Third Reich are of special interest to readers and historians alike. Shirer calls Hitler: "The man with the Charlie Chaplin mustache, who had been a down-and-out tramp in Vienna in his youth, an unknown soldier of World War I, a derelict in Munich in the first grim postwar days, the somewhat comical leader of the Beer Hall Putsch, this spellbinder who was not even German but Austrian..." Writing about the rise of the Third Reich, Shirer shows conclusively that many of Hitler's beliefs as well as the basic tenets of the Nazi Party, including its' highly centralized, authoritarian and violently anti-Semitic nature, were deeply embedded in German history. It is for this reason that most of the German population and military so willingly followed their Fuehrer into another destructive two-front world war and continued to believe in him and victory until the very end. There is very little about the German leader and the Third Reich that is not in this book. Shirer was able to detect early on, for example, the Nazi program to murder its own citizens, who were mentally retarded or otherwise physically incapacitated, and the resistance by the German population and the Catholic Church to that program. He also shows that, contrary to the view still held by some historians to this day, the vast bulk of Hitler's generals fully supported the German leader and his Nazi party. At the same time, Shirer was among the first historians who attempted to record the civilian and military resistance to the Fuehrer. All of this makes Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" wonderful and compelling reading. It remains the monumental history of Hitler's Germany and one of the most important historial works of our time. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany - On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - A People's History of the United States --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.gr/products/4117717-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a-history](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/4117717-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a-history) --- *Product available on Desertcart Greece* *Store origin: GR* *Last updated: 2026-08-10*