The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
by William L. Shirer
Normally I try to recommend books that I hope will enhance a travel experience with the goal of motivating, inspiring, entertaining, and/or informing you and your family about a destination. This might include art, culture, history, science, or just a ripping good yarn (e.g., spies in Prague. Always in Prague.) These recommendations are traditional books-for-travel books.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich could play this part but this is an example of what I think of as a travel-for-books read. Books that are travel-worthy in and of themselves. Books that you read and think “I would fly there just to learn more about this story.” Books that could be the theme of your trip.
The books themselves don’t have to be huge like this one, just epic in substance. The Iliad for history buffs or a Bourdain book for foodies. Maybe Wild or Under the Tuscan Sun for those ready to make bold life decisions. Movies can work too, of course. Tolkien fans might not find those characters in New Zealand but it would be a neat way to connect the kids to some truly amazing outdoor adventures.
The idea of reading a book (or a series) and spending $1000s to take your family overseas just to learn more or experience firsthand might at best seem overly specific, and at worst overkill and possibly kind of bananas. Fair enough. Perhaps not for a first trip, but what about a second or third? Retracing history via Greek Islands wouldn’t be that bad would it? You’d just have to have a genuine, deep interest in the story and decide how it might become a theme of your future travel.
Overview
Coming off of a middle volume of a Churchill biography I thought I would finally give this book a shot. It’s been on my to-read list for years and I happen to find an audio version of it at the library.
I’ll take some time in the future to share my book vs Kindle vs audiobook strategies but I mention audiobook here because the book is over 1200 pages. It took me almost 3 weeks to read (listen to), but it was in no wa a struggle. Running errands, walking the dogs, cooking, doing dishes. Just me, the voiceover guy, and one of humanity’s worst mistakes.
The book is exhaustively researched from primary sources (diaries, court proceedings, etc.) as well as from the author’s own experiences as a US news correspondent in Germany. To me this was fascinating. He was there. Reporting. He was in Vienna when it was annexed by Hitler (“Anschluss”) and reported firsthand on the German blitzkrieg.
I thought this book would be quite dense and worried I might need to look up who the people were but it was actually very clear and easy to follow. One convention that was helpful was when the author would often transition out of a certain narrative by mentioning how and where the person(s) will come back into the narrative (or when they don’t…).
The story starts with the birth of Adolf Hitler and his stumbling into politics in the 20s and his rocketing to power in the 1930s. It follows the party as it maneuvers a highly educated, sophisticated, albeit damaged, country into a place of control, deceit, and hatred. The author puts forward some ideas on the hows and whys as it occurs.
The book is a monumental work but is not without controversy. Historians have taken issue with some of the context of German culture both before and during the rise of the Third Reich as well as the use of primary sources (rather than focusing on more established historical works). The book was also writer shortly after the war which is not always the common practice (10-15 years later).
“No class or group or party in Germany could escape its share of responsibility for the abandonment of the democratic Republic and the advent of Adolf Hitler. The cardinal error of the Germans who opposed Nazism was their failure to unite against it. ”
― William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
Additionally, while it’s limited to only a few instances in the parts of the early Nazi party (1920s), the author does mention homosexuality in a list of other “perverse” behaviors of early members of the party. A reflection of the times, perhaps, but obviously unacceptable and disturbing so be prepared.
Despite these issues it was a fascinating read that made me think about the war, especially the stories of Mussolini, the Tripartite Pact, the Battle of Stalingrad, and so many things you might already be familiar with in a much different way. Just seeing Hitler’s utter lack of understanding of the British and American mindsets, culture, and capabilities was amazing. The total disregard of Hitler towards his troops in the east was all the more real when hearing his exact orders and statements and memoranda.
I still find it shocking this happens less than a century ago. My grandparents were WWII vets (dentist, nurse) and they lived well into the 2000s. In 2006 I was able to learn a little first hand when spending a week in Berlin. I saw the Reichstag, Motlke Bridge, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. I also came across the Führerbunker (Hitler’s Bunker). Just a parking lot today but still quite a heavy experience. I could see where the Russians were only a few hundred yards away at the end.
Recommended for
- Travel to Germany, especially Munich and Berlin (maybe Normandy beaches, Austria too)
- Anyone interested in better understanding Nazi rise to power
- Deeper understanding of Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels and a host of other Nazi leaders
- How Hitler pushed a hesitant Europe (not just Chamberlain) into allowing him to break the Versailles Treaty and annex so much land just with lies and the threat of war.
- How powerful something as seemingly simple as propaganda can be. I’m still thinking about it days later.
Considerations
- Obviously this is dark material; I think one could read this with a focus on learning and reflection and potentially skim or skip over some of the more disturbing parts
- The narrative certainly covers terrorizing Jewish populations, the concentration camps, and much violence and murder but I didn’t feel like it was gratuitous. It was always discussed in the context of the political party and it’s execution of power. Of course, it’s still horrifying so take caution before reading.
- Not at all a history of the battles. Similar to above, context of each is covered masterfully but battle strategy not really present here. War strategy, or tremendous lack thereof, yes.
Other Options
- Read – I’ve read many good things about this more recent trilogy
- Watch – History Channel made a documentary based on book (3 one hour episodes)
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