The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
Historical Nonfiction
4/5*
Formats Available: Book
The physicality of this book is an object of horrific curiosity. At over 1200 pages the volume comes adorned with the colors of the subject: Red, Black, and White, with a large swastika blatant and bold in its evil. The book, like the context of its pages, is a front to humanity and a heavy burden to its reader. The burden is one that I brought on myself, excitedly in fact.
As a self-appointed ‘student of the world,’ I devour non-fiction books. All in the quest to know perfunctory levels of knowledge about as many things as possible (you should see me at trivia). My understanding about the Second World War is far from nothing, but lacks basic information on certain topics, including about the details about the Nazi party itself. I understood the havoc they caused on humanity and the lasting effects of that nation’s treachery, however the first part of the story always seemed to elude me. And in the time we live in, with its post-truth and rise of a type of nationalistic pride that is frankly unsettling, I found it necessary to understand the history of our not-so-distant past. I wanted to know how the Nazis came to power, and how they so quickly and so easily disrupted the world and the cultures therein with such breathtaking speed and cruelty.
The first thing that there is to note about this work is that it, in many circumstances, is a primary source of information. The author, William L. Shirer, was working as a foreign correspondent in Europe both before and during the war. So in many cases you hear about events and actions from someone who was there to witness them (and from the one-of-a-kind perspective of a working journalist). Not only did this seal any questions one might have about the trustworthiness of the author, but also gives another perspective to this story that can be rather hard to follow sometimes.
And it is hard to read? I started out reading this book as an eBook. I made it about 20% through the book like this, and I knew I couldn’t make it much longer. Even a physical copy of the book was looming and difficult. I found my answer in an Audiobook, which I’m pretty sure is the only reason that I was able to finish this book. I’m a quick reader, but usually struggle when approaching a solid wall of text on page. I think that this book being so long (over 1100 pages) is the one and only downfall of the book itself. But even that one stumbling block is totally understandable when one looks at the depth of information that this book covers.
It’s not necessary of me to parse out this subject point by point, as I could never do it as well, nor can I remember even most of the points and topics touched on in this book. Instead I will simply say that yes: my curiosity was sated. The understanding about the early days and youth of Adolf Hitler, the National Socialist Party’s beginning, as well as how they came to power (or more accurately stole power), all knowledge that has been acquired. This book never tip-toes around the evil acts of the party, making it known from the first words that the acts done by this group monstrous.
The other thing that is said, again and again in this volume, is to how these people were held accountable for all this evil. The results of the Nuremburg Trials are stated and are listed alongside other basic characteristics, making their crimes and punishments (usually execution) said in the same breath as their names, a just descriptor for the men and women who caused all this cruelty.
In circling back around to the sources that Shirer utilizes, it is clear that this book is well documented, even from outside Shirer’s own documentation. Not only are the transcripts from the Nuremburg trails quoted frequently, but it’s clear that Shirer has an in-depth understanding of the tons of German documents that were discovered at the end of the war. These documents, while part of the public record, might be difficult to gain useful information from. This is an issue that never seems to slow Shirer. The information from said documents is put into context which makes it easy to understand and appreciate. I’ve yet to see another document that provides so much of this valuable information on this seemingly out of reach collection of Third Reich documents.
Which truly, leads us all to the same destination, or at least the one that I had hoped to arrive at: Understanding. The book is what I had hoped for, as well as what I felt I needed to feel fulfilled in my knowledge. The book was a slog to get through, and it is for that reason I only give it 4 starts. However the read, the knowledge and the feeling of having conquered such a thick book and complicated subject, more than makes up for the struggle I had with any reading.
The last line of the book is one that is common to hear when we learn about the atrocities of the Second World War, but one that will always be true and always be important to remember:
“Remembrance of the past helps us understand the future”.
The Kokomo Howard County Public Library is one of 50 U.S. libraries selected to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.
Jordan- KHCPL Information Services Assistant