Shirer, William. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Simon and Schuster, 1960.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Third-Reich-History/dp/0671728687/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311761044&sr=8-1
This remains one of the 'classic' WW2 books for many people. Although written just 15 years after the end of the war the author, a journalist rather than a historian, uses extensive declassified Nazi documents to show the Third Reich for what it really was. Shirer pulls no punches by declaring the German people, and thier 'gangster' leader to be a bunch of thugs and bullies. His argument follows the progression of the German people from their days of anti-semitism and Martin Luther to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. He argues Hitler was a natural culmination of all the faults of the German people - especially their blind obedience to authority. Shirer's writing is very readable and it is downright refreshing to see a writer taking a personal stand and referring to people as he saw them. Goering, Himmler, Hitler, and the host of other Nazi leaders are deemed 'quacks,' 'murderers,' and 'deviants.' No politicially correct writing here!
The book focuses on the political rise of Hitler and his manipulation of the Weimar Republic to gain his Chancellory/Presidency over Germany. Hitler was elected to power but only through the terrorist actions of his SS henchmen and by exploiting the weaknesses of his enemies. The author spent the pre-WW2 years as a Berlin correspondent and thus knew Hitler and his associates as a member of the American press. His first-hand accounts add a great deal to the book as it is interesting to read his impressions of these men as events unfolded - often by quoting his diary from those days. Hitler's mobilization of Germany towards war in 1939 is covered in the greatest detail as Hitler continued to grab as much land and power as the weakened allies would tolerate.
Hitler's non-aggression agreement with Stalin allowed him to invade Poland and not fear a two-front war as had occurred in WW1. The entry of France and Britain into the war concerned him little as he felt certain he could crush them if he could concentrate his armies against one enemy at a time. France proved to be totally unprepared for War and the Wehrmacht quickly overran France in 1940. Hitler's failure to build his Navy and Luftwaffe up more made the invasion of Britain an impossibility. With no room to the West for Germany to grow Hitler looked to the East and the lands teeming with agriculture and oil that belonged to the Soviets.
The author pinpoints the biggest mistake Hitler made was underestimating the Soviets and the Americans. He invaded Russia and quickly gained hundreds of miles of territory but could not crush the Russian armies before the winter of 1941. When Japan attacked America in 1941 Hitler quickly joined his ally and declared war on America as well. He felt certain that America would not play an important role in Europe except with their Navy supplying Britain - which his submarines could attack and destroy.
The author then quickly covers the campaign of WW2 in only passing details. He continues to focus on the Nazi Party and Hitler through the war. He spends a chapter discussing the "Final Solution" and the desire of Hitler to liquidate all those who 'knew too much.' By the end of the war we follow Hitler into his Berlin bunker for his final days. From there he continues to blame everyone around him for the failure of Germany to defeat the allies in 1942 - 1945. In actuality, Hitler was the greatest enemy Germany had as he squandered men and supplies on useless objectives and orders.
Overall the book is a great read and I highly recommend it. There is a trilogy of books by Richard Evens called the Third Reich Trilogy (2003 - 2008 published) which is supposed to be a more modern interpretation of the Third Reich. I look forward to reading it soon.
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