Week of 3/24/19 – The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, by William Shirer
Continuing the nonfiction theme for these recent book reviews, my recommendation this week will tackle one of the darkest times in the history of our world. The period from 1933-1945 when more than 70-80 million people died as a result of the bloodiest war in modern history. In the ’30s, Europe was a powder keg ready to blow. The rise of far-right fascism, the brutal persecution of Jews and other minorities, the initiation of wars of aggression, the violations of human rights, the abandonment of treaties, and countless war crimes led to the mass bloodshed that changed the course of human history. While the Soviets, Italians, and Japanese all carried out countless unthinkable acts in the name of their regimes, there can be no doubt that the face of these atrocities is the Nazi Party.
Shirer composed a comprehensive and detailed description of the Nazi Regime, from the period when darkness fell upon Europe (1938-1941), to the liberation of it in 1945. William Shirer dives deep into the success of the Nazis in their ideological struggle to indoctrinate all people, transforming Germany into a one-party state. He offers commentary suggesting that the pride of the German Empire, combined with Hitler and the failures of WWI created the perfect storm of evil that almost dominated the Western world. Totalitarianism was a major driving force throughout Europe in the ’30s, and Shirer believes this to be a key factor in Hitler’s seizure of power. The book examines the question, “why?” Why did Nazism almost prevail? Why was it so destructive and powerful?
In my opinion, this book is a must-read, whether or not you like to read about history. It is very long, but one feels a deep sense of the importance of compassion and inward reflection after reading about how the German people were swept up by a doctrine of hate and aggression. By studying the Third Reich, we can form a theory about the nature of evil and reflect upon it to protect the future from any more of such tragedies.
If you are interested by Shirer’s writing, I also recommend that you watch the movie, Downfall (GER: Der Undertang) (2004). The film is an accurate representation of the last days of Nazi Germany in 1945. Viewers observe the mental deterioration of Hitler, the barbarity of the Nazi ideology, the fall of the Wehrmacht, and the Soviet takeover. The film takes place in Berlin; Mostly in the Fuhrerbunker. It is brutally honest in its presentation, and a shocking story.
I don’t know if you will be able to enjoy this read, but I believe we can learn a lot from Shirer’s perception of the Nazis. Their extreme acts of evil ought to be understood and prevented from ever happening again.