The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
A monumental history of Nazi Germany from its origins through its destruction, written by a journalist who.
The Verdict
The monumental one-volume history that introduced the English-speaking world to the Third Reich, and still one of the most readable. William Shirer was a CBS correspondent in Berlin through the 1930s, and he wrote the Reich's history with the immediacy of a man who had watched much of it happen, fused with the trove of captured German documents that opened after the war. Later scholarship has refined it, but for narrative sweep and eyewitness authority it has never quite been surpassed.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The classic single-volume history of Nazi Germany
- An eyewitness's narrative authority
- Readers who want one comprehensive book
- The full arc from Hitler's rise to the fall of Berlin
Look elsewhere if you want
- The latest scholarly interpretations
- A short read — it is very long
- Readers wanting analytical over narrative history
Why We Rated It 4.7
Historical Context
Shirer reported from Berlin from 1934 to 1940. His 1960 history draws on that experience and on captured German records, covering the regime from its origins to its collapse in 1945. It was a massive bestseller and won the National Book Award.
Criticisms & Debates
Hugely influential but not without critics: some historians fault Shirer's 'Luther-to-Hitler' view of German history as too deterministic, and note his reliance on a journalist's perspective over the academic methods that later developed. Its narrative power and eyewitness value remain undisputed.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0671728687
Other Books About the Same Events
More by William Shirer
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich still accurate?
- Its narrative remains valuable and largely sound, though later scholarship has revised some interpretations, particularly its view of German history as leading inevitably to Hitler.
- What is Berlin Diary?
- Shirer's actual day-by-day journal from 1930s Berlin, published in 1941 — the eyewitness raw material behind this later history.