William Shirer (1904-1993) was an American foreign correspondent in the Third Reich and his magnum opus 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' is considered as the most authoritative and accurate work on Nazi Germany, its rise and its eventual decline. He had access to the secret Nazi diaries, communications, archives etc and he quotes those in great detail in this classic. It was first published in 1960 and since then it has maintained both its best seller as well as its classic status. The only issue with this book is its bulkiness, it is more than 1000 pages strong.
Third Reich (1933-45) was the period of wars, genocides, Holocaust, mass executions, political assassinations, treason, war crimes and everything that Human civilization has achieved in all its lifetime. It was the period when almost all Western countries, Japan, China, India (to a certain extent) etc lost "Flowers of their nations". It was the period when one single person destroyed the Europe and killed close to 6 mn non-combatant Jews (Jews lost 50% of their total population in those 5 years 1940-1945) and millions others. It was the period that should never ever repeat in the course of human civilization and its a correct prophecy that if its repeated then the world would end by this. It also gives a very important lessons that victories and defeats are not permanent and one should not treat his/her opponents by imposing unfair and grossly humiliating treaties like "The Treaty of Versailles (June 1919)". Treaties like these make impossible wars possible.
This book talks in great detail about the rise of Hitler from his birth in the Austrian border town in April 1889 to his misadventures in Vienna, his coming to Bavaria when he volunteered to fight in WW-1, his winning of Iron cross for his service in WW-1, his joining of German Worker's party in 1919 and renaming of it to National Socialist German Worker's Party in 1920, his failed Beer Hall Putsch of Nov 1923, his confinement in prison where he wrote 'Mein Kampf', his return and his coming to power after a large number of political maneuvers, his political opportunism, burning of Reichstag in 1933 to taking the absolute power in his hand by the end of 1933. He started aggressive armament of Germany, occupation of Rhineland in 1936 (this dismantling the treaty of Versailles), occupation of Austria in 1938, annexation of Sudetenland and later Czechoslovakia in 1939 and triggered the WW-2 by invading Poland on the subject of Danzing and Polish corridor on 1st Sept 1939, and his mass executions of Jews in the concentration camps of Dachau, Auschwitz etc, battle of Stalingrad and final humiliation of the Reich on 7 May 1945. This book tells everything in great detail and must be read with an open mind. Third Reich gives us great lessons and they should not be ignored at any cost.
Highly recommended book (10/10)
