National Book Award Non Fiction Winner

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

by William L. Shirer

Summary

A sweeping single-volume history of Nazi Germany, from the ideological roots of the movement through the Weimar collapse, the consolidation of Hitler's power, the war, and the destruction of the regime. Shirer combines captured German state papers and Nuremberg testimony with his own firsthand reporting from 1930s Berlin to produce a narrative that is both archival and eyewitness. Despite its 1,200 pages, it became a popular bestseller and remains a standard introduction to the period.

Historical Context & Significance

One of the first major histories to utilize the "captured" Nazi archives; it became a massive bestseller despite its 1,200-page length.