Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

A History of Nazi Germany

By William L. Shirer

Historical Significance and Shirer’s Unique Style

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960) by William L. Shirer is a foundational work for understanding Nazism. Combining meticulous historical analysis with a first-hand account, Shirer, a journalist who lived in Germany from 1934 to 1940, produced a compelling narrative of the Third Reich’s ascent and collapse.

Relying on over one million seized Nazi documents—including the diaries of Joseph Goebbels and Franz Halder, Hitler’s secret meeting records, and the Nuremberg Trials archives—the book is written in a novelistic style despite its 1,200+ pages. It became a global bestseller and won the 1961 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

About the author: William L. Shirer (1904–1993) was an American reporter who personally met Hitler, attended his rallies, and witnessed Germany’s descent into dictatorship. He fled in 1940 under threat of arrest.

Intellectual Roots and Historical Context

Shirer’s Central Thesis: “From Luther to Hitler”

Shirer introduces the controversial Sonderweg ("special path") theory, asserting that Nazism was not an aberration but the product of:

Cultural heritage: From Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic rhetoric to Frederick the Great’s authoritarianism, Hegel’s state-worship, and Nietzsche’s Übermensch ideal.
Post-WWI humiliation: The Treaty of Versailles (1919) imposed ruinous reparations; occupation of the Ruhr and the hyperinflation of 1923 devastated the middle class.
The Great Depression: With 6 million unemployed in 1932, German society was fertile ground for populist rhetoric.

Hitler’s Rise: Failure Turned into Fuel for Hate

Early life: A failed artist and drifter in Vienna, Hitler absorbed anti-Semitic ideas from Mayor Karl Lueger.
WWI experience: As a soldier in the Bavarian army, he was wounded in 1916 and awarded the Iron Cross, though he never rose above the rank of Gefreiter (corporal).
Nazi beginnings: Joined the German Workers' Party (DAP) in 1919, transformed it into the NSDAP, and led the failed Beer Hall Putsch (1923). During prison time, he wrote Mein Kampf.

Mechanisms of Power: From Democracy to Dictatorship

Dual Strategy: Violence and Ballots

Political thuggery:
- The Brownshirts (SA) under Ernst Röhm terrorized opposition and disrupted rival rallies.
- The Reichstag fire (Feb 1933), blamed on a Dutch communist, justified emergency decrees that suspended civil liberties.
Exploiting the system:
- Nazis became the largest party with 37% of votes in July 1932.
- The Enabling Act (March 1933) granted Hitler legislative powers after intimidating the parliament.

Consolidating Rule

Night of the Long Knives (June 1934): Purged SA leaders, including Röhm, appeasing the military, which soon swore loyalty to Hitler.
Goebbels’ Propaganda Machine: Turned Hitler into a mythical figure via radio, film, and mass rallies (e.g., Nuremberg).
Nuremberg Laws (1935): Stripped Jews of citizenship, banned intermarriage, and laid the groundwork for genocide.

From Republic to Totalitarian State (1933–1939)

Year	Event	Impact
1933	Hitler becomes Chancellor	Beginning of democratic dismantling
1934	Hindenburg dies, Hitler becomes Führer	Merger of presidency and chancellorship
1935	Nuremberg Laws enacted	Legalized racial discrimination
1938	Kristallnacht	Widespread destruction of Jewish properties; mass arrests

Foreign Policy: Expansion Through Deception

Pre-War Aggression

Rhineland rearmament (1936): Violated Versailles; Western powers did not intervene.
Anschluss with Austria (1938): 99% voted “yes” under threat of force.
Munich Agreement (1938): Britain and France appeased Hitler by surrendering Czechoslovakia.

Tactical Alliances and War Outbreak

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Aug 1939): Non-aggression pact with USSR, included secret clause to split Poland.
Invasion of Poland (Sept 1939): False-flag attack on a German radio station (Operation Himmler) provided a pretext.

Shirer’s verdict: “Hitler was a master manipulator of others’ weaknesses—Western fear, Stalin’s ambition, and the German public’s indifference to crimes as long as they prospered.”

War and Genocide: The Inner Machinery of the Reich

Military Triumphs and Turning Points

Blitzkrieg: Rapid fall of France in six weeks (1940) through coordinated tank and air assaults.
Battle of Britain (1940): Germany’s first defeat; Britain’s air force held firm.
Operation Barbarossa (1941): Invasion of USSR—fatal miscalculation. 300,000 Germans trapped at Stalingrad.

The Holocaust: Industrialized Death

Wannsee Conference (Jan 1942): Planned the “Final Solution” for 11 million Jews.
Death Camps: Auschwitz, Treblinka—6 million Jews and 5 million others (Roma, disabled, LGBTQ+ individuals) were murdered.
Public Complicity: Many Germans knew; few resisted—either out of fear or benefit.

The Collapse: Madness, Isolation, and Defeat

Internal Resistance and Military Failures

July 1944 plot: Led by Claus von Stauffenberg—failed due to thick oak table; 5,000 executed afterward.
Battle of the Bulge (Dec 1944): Last Nazi offensive in the Ardennes; depleted resources.

The Final Days in the Bunker

Battle of Berlin (April 1945): Soviet advance; Goebbels kills himself and his six children.
Hitler’s suicide (April 30, 1945): Married Eva Braun, then both died by suicide; bodies burned.
Unconditional surrender (May 8, 1945): The thousand-year Reich ended in twelve.

Why Is This Book a Cornerstone of Holocaust Literature?

Academic Criticisms of Shirer’s Thesis

Rejection of Sonderweg: German scholars like Klaus Epstein argue Nazism was a pan-European totalitarian phenomenon.
Neglect of social history: Overlooks internal German resistance, LGBTQ+ persecution, and the role of women.
Questionable claims: Some, like Gestapo head Heinrich Müller joining Soviet NKVD, are unverified.

Unmatched Achievements

Documentary value: First major work to synthesize Nazi documents into a coherent narrative.
Moral warning: Links Nazism to economic fear and hatred—universal dangers.
Enduring relevance: Still taught as an essential introduction to the Nazi era.

Shirer’s final words: “Nazism was not a purely German affliction. It is a warning to all mankind: when truth is crushed, ethics are erased, and the leader is deified—the beast is born.”