Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The rise and fall of the Third Reich is the German title of the book The rise and fall of the Third Reich - a history of Nazi Germany by the American journalist and historian William Lawrence Shirer, first published in 1960 . In it he describes in detail the career of Adolf Hitler , the ideology of National Socialism , the conquest and consolidation of power, the road to war , the events of World War II , the crimes of National Socialism, the failed attempts of German resistance , the conquest of Germany by the Allies , the last days in the Führerbunker and the unconditional surrender .
content
The book is divided into different sections, which the author identifies as book. In the first book, Shirer reports on the origins of Adolf Hitler, the long-unexplained identity of his grandfather, the wandering life of his strict father and the life of Hitler's mother. Hitler's childhood, the frequent changes of residence, the death of his parents, his dream of being an artist, his reluctance to learn, his failure at school, his years in Vienna , his life in Munich , his experience of the First World War , the beginning of political activity and the Hitler coup as well his detention are described in great detail.
The book focuses on the first electoral successes of the German Workers' Party , in which Hitler was initially a simple member, and how he ousted the party founder and became chairman. This is followed by descriptions of Hitler's struggle for votes and the intrigues and rivalries within the organization that was ultimately called the National Socialist German Workers' Party . The details of the “ seizure of power ”, the consolidation and the Nazification of Germany are being worked up. Everyday life under the swastika, the “ Gleichschaltung ”, the “ church struggle ” and the education for National Socialism are also discussed.
The third book is devoted to Hitler's military ambitions. Party and internal government war plans that only became public after the war were discussed. The events of the “ Reichspogromnacht ” and the systematic persecution of the Jews are rolled out. The author reports on the " Anschluss of Austria ", the alleged uprisings of the German minority in the Sudetenland , the unsuccessful appeasement policies of France and Great Britain including the Munich Agreement , the "smashing of Czechoslovakia " and the annexation of the Memelland and Lithuania . Furthermore, one learns something about the Hitler-Stalin Pact with its secret agreements for the partition of Poland and the division of the Baltic States into German and Soviet "spheres of interest" and about Hitler's flimsy justification for the attack on Poland . It will be the war against Poland, the British-French intervention, the German violation of the neutrality of the Benelux countries , the expansion of the war to Northern Europe , the defeat of France, the French surrender , the unsuccessful Great Britain campaign (Operation Sea Lion ) and terror told behind the front. Hitler's war goals for Europe , his plans for extermination and “reorganization” are described. The campaign against the Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ), the war winter 1941 / 1942 , the German terror against Jews, alleged and actual partisans and Soviet civilians and the conquest of vast areas in the east are described. The turn in favor of the Allies followed with the first major defeat of the Wehrmacht in the Battle of Stalingrad and the subsequent Russian advance, the loss of North Africa to the Allies ( Operation Torch ), the Allied invasion of the South ( Operation Husky ) and the West Europe ( Operation Overlord ), Hitler's pointless halt orders and the Soviet conquest of Eastern Europe and Eastern Germany.
The topics of the fourth book are the increasing Allied land gains, the deposition of Mussolini in Italy , the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944 and further attempts to change power through the German resistance, the last German advance into the Ardennes , the last days in the Führerbunker and death or death . suicide high Nazi leaders. The unconditional surrender of Germany, the few days of the Dönitz government , the new beginning after the Second World War, the Nuremberg Trials and the post-war period are also mentioned.
criticism
Golo Mann writes in his foreword to the German edition that Shirer has not always successfully withstood prejudice. He sees this primarily in Shirer's assessment of Prussia and Prussian statesmen, but also in the abbreviated presentation of the connection between German philosophical traditions and the road to National Socialism. Mann also sees the men of the German resistance, especially the military resistance , as not being judged quite fairly by Shirer. Overall, however, according to Mann, Shirer's work is “a good, yes, a great book”, and among the comparable works of this type it is “the best successful”.
literature
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich . From the American by Wilhelm and Modeste Pferdekamp , Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 1961. Numerous other editions up to the year 2000.
filming
In the USA , the rise and fall of the Third Reich in 1968 was broadcast under the English-language title of the same name by the ABC broadcaster as a television documentary (3 episodes with a total length of 180 minutes). Directed by Jack Kaufmann , producers were Jack Kaufmann and Mel Stuart .
Web links
References
- ^ Golo Mann: Foreword to the German edition