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The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler
Briefly describes Hitler's childhood, education, initial involvement in politics, rise to power, conduct of the war, plans to murder millions of innocent civilians, final military defeat, and suicide
188 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1961
About the author
William L. Shirer
153 books895 followersWilliam Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist and historian. He became known for his broadcasts on CBS from the German capital of Berlin through the first year of World War II.
Shirer first became famous through his account of those years in his Berlin Diary (published in 1941), but his greatest achievement was his 1960 book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, originally published by Simon & Schuster. This book of well over 1000 pages is still in print, and is a detailed examination of the Third Reich filled with historical information from German archives captured at the end of the war, along with impressions Shirer gained during his days as a correspondent in Berlin. Later, in 1969, his work The Collapse of the Third Republic drew on his experience spent living and working in France from 1925 to 1933. This work is filled with historical information about the Battle of France from the secret orders and reports of the French High Command and of the commanding generals of the field. Shirer also used the memoirs, journals, and diaries of the prominent British, Italian, Spanish, and French figures in government, Parliament, the Army, and diplomacy.
Shirer first became famous through his account of those years in his Berlin Diary (published in 1941), but his greatest achievement was his 1960 book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, originally published by Simon & Schuster. This book of well over 1000 pages is still in print, and is a detailed examination of the Third Reich filled with historical information from German archives captured at the end of the war, along with impressions Shirer gained during his days as a correspondent in Berlin. Later, in 1969, his work The Collapse of the Third Republic drew on his experience spent living and working in France from 1925 to 1933. This work is filled with historical information about the Battle of France from the secret orders and reports of the French High Command and of the commanding generals of the field. Shirer also used the memoirs, journals, and diaries of the prominent British, Italian, Spanish, and French figures in government, Parliament, the Army, and diplomacy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
September 13, 2023
What a fuckig loser.
I feel a bit uncomfortable with giving a book about hitler more then 3 stars, and therefore this is how it will stay.
I don't have much to say about this book. It's a history book which follows one of the worst tyrants to ever walk this earth from his birth to his death. When you read such a book, your perspective about the scenes happening in the book is very different then how your perspective would have been if you have read about a similar life, of another human being.
I enjoyed Hitler's suffering. I even laughed at it. I liked reading about him at his worst, and thought of those moment when he was at his best. It feels like a small action I can make against a man who took so much from my family, and many others.
I hope those last days of his were hell on earth.
I feel a bit uncomfortable with giving a book about hitler more then 3 stars, and therefore this is how it will stay.
I don't have much to say about this book. It's a history book which follows one of the worst tyrants to ever walk this earth from his birth to his death. When you read such a book, your perspective about the scenes happening in the book is very different then how your perspective would have been if you have read about a similar life, of another human being.
I enjoyed Hitler's suffering. I even laughed at it. I liked reading about him at his worst, and thought of those moment when he was at his best. It feels like a small action I can make against a man who took so much from my family, and many others.
I hope those last days of his were hell on earth.
May 7, 2018
Extremely well-written and informative. Shirer is a great authority on this subject (as a firsthand observer of Hitler!); he simply and clearly explains the nitty-gritty, complicated events of Hitler’s life, rule, and death. This book actually made me want to read others in the World Landmarks Series, even though I’ve never been very interested in the subject of History. This is the most I’ve learned about WWII since high school. An amazing, insightful read.
July 21, 2022
My favourite part was when Hitler shot himself
November 2, 2022
Wow. This was excellently written. I am so glad to have read this. He really was a lunatic and a monster. What is chilling is how easily he manipulated the masses to love him and follow him blindly into evil.
June 30, 2020
A very brief, short summary of the rise and fall of Hitler, (as the title suggests) a lot of the topics which were discussed were known to me but it still captivated me and I especially liked the moments the author recalled his time there.
March 5, 2012
The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William L. Shirer is an excellent biography about Hitler. It begins when Hitler has an argument with his father. Hitler wanted to be an artist. His father wanted him to become a government official. The plot takes off from here. The author creates a well-construceted plot. The plot follows Hitler and tells us what he thinks. The setting is easy to identify because of the attitude Hitler shows there. Hitler is happy in Germany. He is frustrated on the Russian front as he begins to fail. Hitler's journey from an Austrian scholar to German dictator is easily shown with a unique style. Showing all people's views helps the narrator explain what people thought of Hitler. Themes of not giving up or showing defeat are shown as he falls. Themes of pursuit are shown as he rises.The narrator point of view helps it so Hitler's accomplishments are not viewed kindly. People should read this book if they want to know why Hitler rose and fell.
July 26, 2013
(nb: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss)
In 1960, William L. Shirer published “The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich.” The tome was over 1200-pages long, and based on numerous sources, including Nazi officials’ journals, Nuremberg Trial records, various intelligence reports, and—perhaps most importantly—on the author’s firsthand observations as a CBS journalist covering these events. The book sold millions of copies in the U.S., and even more worldwide.
Owing to the important subject matter, as well as the world’s obvious curiosity about World War 2, Shirer was commissioned to write a version aimed at younger readers. “The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler” was originally published in 1961. Here it is published in e-book form for the Kindle Reader Age to access.
This book indeed uses language a younger reader can follow. It doesn’t skimp on facts, nor does it talk-down to its audience. Shirer’s book covers the basics of Hitler’s life, as well as his infamous rise to power and eventual death.
To condense this entire story into an easy-to-read text must have been daunting, but William Shirer does an excellent job. We see Hitler as an aimless child in Austria. We follow his rejection from the Arts University he wanted to attend, and subsequent life as essentially a tramp. We follow him into service during World War 1, where he served bravely and with valor, and his disgust with the weakened Germany dictated by the Treaty of Versailles. He found a small group who shared his views, and he quickly rose to lead it, eventually changing its name to what we know as The Nazi Party.
From there, the story covers events familiar to anyone who’s studied WW2 Germany: the Beer Hall Putsch, taking over of the Reichstag, assumption of absolute power. Next came the land grabs, as Hitler took over Austria, the Sudetenland, and formed his non-aggression pact with USSR Dictator, Josef Stalin. Hitler’s war went amazingly well in the beginning, and then it fell apart under his megalomaniacal leadership.
Shirer’s writing is matter-of-fact and clear; it is accessible to young readers as well as adults. The Nazis were notorious for their record-keeping and documentation. It is very easy for an author to dig deeply into this wellspring of inside information and pound the reader insensate with numbers and dates. William Shirer understood his mission with this brief history: present the basics in accessible language, and be done.
This is not a scholarly work, nor should it be. Shirer’s triumph is condensing a hugely complex, historically imperative story down to the basics. He does this admirably.
“The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler” works perfectly to introduce younger readers to this horrific yet relevant period in our world’s history, or to provide a primer for adults who feel daunted by the longer historical accounts.
Either way, Adolf Hitler and his notorious legacy are preserved here for anyone.
Recommended
In 1960, William L. Shirer published “The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich.” The tome was over 1200-pages long, and based on numerous sources, including Nazi officials’ journals, Nuremberg Trial records, various intelligence reports, and—perhaps most importantly—on the author’s firsthand observations as a CBS journalist covering these events. The book sold millions of copies in the U.S., and even more worldwide.
Owing to the important subject matter, as well as the world’s obvious curiosity about World War 2, Shirer was commissioned to write a version aimed at younger readers. “The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler” was originally published in 1961. Here it is published in e-book form for the Kindle Reader Age to access.
This book indeed uses language a younger reader can follow. It doesn’t skimp on facts, nor does it talk-down to its audience. Shirer’s book covers the basics of Hitler’s life, as well as his infamous rise to power and eventual death.
To condense this entire story into an easy-to-read text must have been daunting, but William Shirer does an excellent job. We see Hitler as an aimless child in Austria. We follow his rejection from the Arts University he wanted to attend, and subsequent life as essentially a tramp. We follow him into service during World War 1, where he served bravely and with valor, and his disgust with the weakened Germany dictated by the Treaty of Versailles. He found a small group who shared his views, and he quickly rose to lead it, eventually changing its name to what we know as The Nazi Party.
From there, the story covers events familiar to anyone who’s studied WW2 Germany: the Beer Hall Putsch, taking over of the Reichstag, assumption of absolute power. Next came the land grabs, as Hitler took over Austria, the Sudetenland, and formed his non-aggression pact with USSR Dictator, Josef Stalin. Hitler’s war went amazingly well in the beginning, and then it fell apart under his megalomaniacal leadership.
Shirer’s writing is matter-of-fact and clear; it is accessible to young readers as well as adults. The Nazis were notorious for their record-keeping and documentation. It is very easy for an author to dig deeply into this wellspring of inside information and pound the reader insensate with numbers and dates. William Shirer understood his mission with this brief history: present the basics in accessible language, and be done.
This is not a scholarly work, nor should it be. Shirer’s triumph is condensing a hugely complex, historically imperative story down to the basics. He does this admirably.
“The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler” works perfectly to introduce younger readers to this horrific yet relevant period in our world’s history, or to provide a primer for adults who feel daunted by the longer historical accounts.
Either way, Adolf Hitler and his notorious legacy are preserved here for anyone.
Recommended
January 5, 2021
I do believe the author could have chosen a better use for words, but the life of Adolf Hitler was a sad one. The author focuses on Hitler's mental state throughout the book, which is a bit annoying based on the repetition.
There are a few things about Adolf Hitler I learned from this book that I didn't know before.
This is a quick read full of factual events based on Adolf Hitler's life.
It seems World War 11 was unnecessary. Hopefully, we will learn from history.
There are a few things about Adolf Hitler I learned from this book that I didn't know before.
This is a quick read full of factual events based on Adolf Hitler's life.
It seems World War 11 was unnecessary. Hopefully, we will learn from history.
May 31, 2023
Pretty much the YA version of Shirer's dense bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Provides a solid overview of Hitler's miserable life. Also an important historical text, as it shows us how Hitler was explained to young American readers in 1961, when this book was published.
April 29, 2022
هوالحکیم
حیات پر فراز و نشیب آدولف هیتلر
«ماجراهای سیاسی، نظامی و عاطفی رهبر آلمان نازی»
در واقع طی این ۲۴۸ صفحه، در چهار بخش با عناوین: «۱.ظهور آدولف هیتلر ۲. هیتلر آلمان را فتح میکند ۳.هیتلر اروپا را فتح میکند ۴. سقوط آدولف هیتلر» میتوان گفت به صورت مختصر و سریع و روان با تاریخ زندگی پنجاه و شش ساله ی پیشوای نازی آشنا میشویم.
متن کتاب روان و گیراست و میتوان با آن ارتباط گرفت و همانطور که در سخن آغازین مترجم میخوانیم: کتاب را روی زمین نمیگذارید و آنرا یک نفس میخوانید! که به شخصه برای خود من این چنین شد و کتاب را حدودا در چهار ساعت تمام کردم و این خود حاکی از گیرایی متن است که خواننده را ترغیب به مطالعه ی بیشتر میکند.
از خصوصیات مثبت کتاب میتوان به ذکر کلیات و برخی جزئیات تنها در حد ضرورت اشاره کرد؛ به نحوی که خواننده را درگیر جزئیات بی شمار و خسته کننده نمیکند، اما از طرفی میتوان همین نقطه قوت را نقطه ضعف نیز به شمار آورد، چرا که قطعا روایت دوازده ساله ی رهبری و نیز حیات پنجاه و شش ساله ی پیشوای حزب نازی را نمیتوان در دویست و پنجاه صفحه خلاصه کرد اما ویلیام شایرر توانسته به خوبی به اشاره ی نکات مهم و در حد آشنایی بسنده کند و باقی را بسپارد به پیگیری خواننده. (البته در توضیحات پشت کتاب آمده که این اثر، مکمل کتاب “ظهور و سقوط رایش سوم” از همین نویسنده است)
در نتیجه دور از منطق است بتوان گفت پس از این کتاب به صورت کامل و قطعی پرده از اسرار زندگی چنین شخصیتی برداشته میشود.
پس از مطالعه ی این اثر، سوالاتی برایم ایجاد شد که بی پاسخ ماند:
چرا هیتلر دست به چنین اقداماتی زد؟
چه شرایطی را در زندگی از سر گذرانیده بود که او را به چنین نقطه ای رساند؟
علت تنفر بیش از اندازه ی او از یهودی ها چه بود؟
اما نکاتی نیز درباره ویژگی های شخصیتی هیتلر توجهم را جلب کرد:
نکات مثبت:
اراده محکم و مصمم در پیشبرد اهداف
شخصی معتمد به نفس
استفاده موثر و قدرتمند از نیروی کلام
نکات منفی:
اعتماد کاذب به تمامی اندیشه هایش و درست مطلق دانستن آنها، به طوری که از تغییر ناپذیری اندیشه هایش طی سالها، با غرور و خرسندی یاد میکند، در واقع هیچ ضعفی در باورهایش وارد نمیدانست و این خود منجر به شکستش از نیروهای روس در اواخر دوره رهبریش شد.
هیجانی عمل کردن و تصمیم های غیرواقع گرایانه
افکار متعصبانه بدون پشتوانه محکم
و در نهایت:
هیتلر انسانی اهل کتاب هم بود و چهار سال از عمر خود (بیست الی بیست و چهار سالگی) را صرفا به مطالعه گذراند و همان مدت، بسیاری از افکار او را شکل داد و به بینشی پیرامون جهان رسید. هرچند، گویا به صورت انتخابی سهم خود از افکارش را از کتاب ها برمیداشت، در واقع مطالعات او، به کمکش نیامدند، بلکه باعث محکم تر کردن ریشه های نحیف افکار نژادپرستانه او شدند، چرا که هیتلر گرایش به مطالعات گزینشی شده در رابطه با تاریخ زندگی جهان گشایان پیشین نظیر ناپلئون داشت و این خود میتوانست به تثبیت نظر مثبت او درباره حیات پرابهت و قدرتمندانه آنان منجر شود، هیتلر صرفا به شناخت ابعاد قدرتمندانه ی زندگی آنان پرداخته بود، بدون آنکه به بررسی دیگر جنبه های زندگیشان بپردازد و این خود میتوانست باعث شکل گیری سوگیری های گوناگونی در ذهن و ناخودآگاه هیتلر جوان شود، به نحوی که چنین نگرشی تا سالیان متمادی در او ماند و ریشه دواند و در نهایت از او چنان شخصیت منفوری ساخت، تا آنجا که از ترس نیروهای روس و نیز تنفر شهروندان آلمانی تبار، در خاک خود، وصیت به سوزانده شدن جسد خود و نوعروسش کرد تا پس از خودکشی، جسدشان به سرنوشت موسولینی و کلارا پتاچی در ایتالیا، که مورد اهانت بسیار ��ز جانب هم وطن قرار گرفته بودند، نشود.
پیشتر برخی ویژگی های مثبت شخصیتی او را نوشتم، چه بسا که اگر هیتلر کمی واقع گرایانه تر درباره زندگی می اندیشید و تمام حقایق را به دور از تعصب تحلیل میکرد، به پشتوانه آن نکات مثبتی که در شخصیت او وجود داشت، و با آن قدرت کلام خاص خود، میتوانست میراث خوبی از خود برای آیندگان به جا بگذارد، تا جایی که آیندگان از او به نیکی یاد کنند.
اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۱ - تبریز
حیات پر فراز و نشیب آدولف هیتلر
«ماجراهای سیاسی، نظامی و عاطفی رهبر آلمان نازی»
در واقع طی این ۲۴۸ صفحه، در چهار بخش با عناوین: «۱.ظهور آدولف هیتلر ۲. هیتلر آلمان را فتح میکند ۳.هیتلر اروپا را فتح میکند ۴. سقوط آدولف هیتلر» میتوان گفت به صورت مختصر و سریع و روان با تاریخ زندگی پنجاه و شش ساله ی پیشوای نازی آشنا میشویم.
متن کتاب روان و گیراست و میتوان با آن ارتباط گرفت و همانطور که در سخن آغازین مترجم میخوانیم: کتاب را روی زمین نمیگذارید و آنرا یک نفس میخوانید! که به شخصه برای خود من این چنین شد و کتاب را حدودا در چهار ساعت تمام کردم و این خود حاکی از گیرایی متن است که خواننده را ترغیب به مطالعه ی بیشتر میکند.
از خصوصیات مثبت کتاب میتوان به ذکر کلیات و برخی جزئیات تنها در حد ضرورت اشاره کرد؛ به نحوی که خواننده را درگیر جزئیات بی شمار و خسته کننده نمیکند، اما از طرفی میتوان همین نقطه قوت را نقطه ضعف نیز به شمار آورد، چرا که قطعا روایت دوازده ساله ی رهبری و نیز حیات پنجاه و شش ساله ی پیشوای حزب نازی را نمیتوان در دویست و پنجاه صفحه خلاصه کرد اما ویلیام شایرر توانسته به خوبی به اشاره ی نکات مهم و در حد آشنایی بسنده کند و باقی را بسپارد به پیگیری خواننده. (البته در توضیحات پشت کتاب آمده که این اثر، مکمل کتاب “ظهور و سقوط رایش سوم” از همین نویسنده است)
در نتیجه دور از منطق است بتوان گفت پس از این کتاب به صورت کامل و قطعی پرده از اسرار زندگی چنین شخصیتی برداشته میشود.
پس از مطالعه ی این اثر، سوالاتی برایم ایجاد شد که بی پاسخ ماند:
چرا هیتلر دست به چنین اقداماتی زد؟
چه شرایطی را در زندگی از سر گذرانیده بود که او را به چنین نقطه ای رساند؟
علت تنفر بیش از اندازه ی او از یهودی ها چه بود؟
اما نکاتی نیز درباره ویژگی های شخصیتی هیتلر توجهم را جلب کرد:
نکات مثبت:
اراده محکم و مصمم در پیشبرد اهداف
شخصی معتمد به نفس
استفاده موثر و قدرتمند از نیروی کلام
نکات منفی:
اعتماد کاذب به تمامی اندیشه هایش و درست مطلق دانستن آنها، به طوری که از تغییر ناپذیری اندیشه هایش طی سالها، با غرور و خرسندی یاد میکند، در واقع هیچ ضعفی در باورهایش وارد نمیدانست و این خود منجر به شکستش از نیروهای روس در اواخر دوره رهبریش شد.
هیجانی عمل کردن و تصمیم های غیرواقع گرایانه
افکار متعصبانه بدون پشتوانه محکم
و در نهایت:
هیتلر انسانی اهل کتاب هم بود و چهار سال از عمر خود (بیست الی بیست و چهار سالگی) را صرفا به مطالعه گذراند و همان مدت، بسیاری از افکار او را شکل داد و به بینشی پیرامون جهان رسید. هرچند، گویا به صورت انتخابی سهم خود از افکارش را از کتاب ها برمیداشت، در واقع مطالعات او، به کمکش نیامدند، بلکه باعث محکم تر کردن ریشه های نحیف افکار نژادپرستانه او شدند، چرا که هیتلر گرایش به مطالعات گزینشی شده در رابطه با تاریخ زندگی جهان گشایان پیشین نظیر ناپلئون داشت و این خود میتوانست به تثبیت نظر مثبت او درباره حیات پرابهت و قدرتمندانه آنان منجر شود، هیتلر صرفا به شناخت ابعاد قدرتمندانه ی زندگی آنان پرداخته بود، بدون آنکه به بررسی دیگر جنبه های زندگیشان بپردازد و این خود میتوانست باعث شکل گیری سوگیری های گوناگونی در ذهن و ناخودآگاه هیتلر جوان شود، به نحوی که چنین نگرشی تا سالیان متمادی در او ماند و ریشه دواند و در نهایت از او چنان شخصیت منفوری ساخت، تا آنجا که از ترس نیروهای روس و نیز تنفر شهروندان آلمانی تبار، در خاک خود، وصیت به سوزانده شدن جسد خود و نوعروسش کرد تا پس از خودکشی، جسدشان به سرنوشت موسولینی و کلارا پتاچی در ایتالیا، که مورد اهانت بسیار ��ز جانب هم وطن قرار گرفته بودند، نشود.
پیشتر برخی ویژگی های مثبت شخصیتی او را نوشتم، چه بسا که اگر هیتلر کمی واقع گرایانه تر درباره زندگی می اندیشید و تمام حقایق را به دور از تعصب تحلیل میکرد، به پشتوانه آن نکات مثبتی که در شخصیت او وجود داشت، و با آن قدرت کلام خاص خود، میتوانست میراث خوبی از خود برای آیندگان به جا بگذارد، تا جایی که آیندگان از او به نیکی یاد کنند.
اردیبهشت ۱۴۰۱ - تبریز
April 22, 2022
4.5.
I was looking for a refresher on Hitler's life, and this short book was a very good fit.
I would have liked a little more information on his formative years.
I was looking for a refresher on Hitler's life, and this short book was a very good fit.
I would have liked a little more information on his formative years.
July 19, 2023
The most astonishing aspect of this volume, which, as an entry in the World Landmark series, was meant for a primarily a young adult audience, is that it was written by an eyewitness to history, who actually met the subject and saw much of what he writes about. This has been the case for several of the last few in this series I have read, and it makes all the difference. Not only does it cover the material in a detailed and engaging manner, it also humanizes the often-tragic events on a personal level in a way that is difficult for someone who didn't experience them firsthand.
Speaking of human: the subject of this very capable history/biography lacked pretty much everything that makes one human; think on the order of clinical psychopathy. I'm not even going to use his name herein, opting instead to refer to him as H. The story of his degenerate life illustrates a case where everything that could go wrong with someone did go wrong. Unfortunately, whether the cause of his malevolence was genetics, environment, abuse, disease, or something else entirely will never be known.
Somewhat surprisingly, the book doesn't talk too much about his early life. His father Alois H. was the illegitimate child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber, so H.'s father initially bore her surname, but later took on the name of his stepfather, surname HEIDLER, but throughout his life used alternate spellings, including Hiedler, Huttler, or Huettler, which is based on the German term Hutte, meaning "one who lives in a hut." The identity of Alois's father is entirely unknown. Some have theorized that Alois's mother was employed by a wealthy Jewish family in Graz, and that their nineteen year old son fathered him, but for a variety of reasons, historians discount this theory. No one knows what his ancestry was, so claims that H. was of Jewish ancestry are unfounded.
H. was born into a fairly large family, in 1889; he was the fourth child of Alois and his third wife Klara. Three of the six siblings died in infancy, but Alois also had two children from his previous marriage living with them. The family moved around quite a lot, eventually settling in Austria, where H. attended the local public primary school. Famously a poor student and a discipline problem from early childhood, H.'s constant misbehavior led to serious conflict with his father, who reportedly beat him on account of his refusal to conform to the school's rigid discipline standards. H. reportedly also fell into an even deeper depression after the death of a younger brother, when he became even more withdrawn and quarrelsome, with both his teachers and his father.
Another bone of contention, as the author notes, was H.'s desire to become an artist, which his father vehemently opposed. H. self-reported that he intentionally did poorly in school (which is questionable, as it may just be an attempt to account for his longstanding poor academic performance) hoping that his father would give up on aspirations for his son to follow in his footsteps and become a civil servant, as Alois had made a fairly decent living working in the customs bureau. Alois died in 1903, when H. was only thirteen. Now there was no one to keep him in check, and his mother allowed him to drop out of his long-hated public school, but he later enrolled in another. He did actually pass the final exam in 1905, but had to repeat it, so he wasn't technically a dropout.
What his early life clearly demonstrates is that H. displayed at an early age psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies which would lead to one of the greatest travesties in human history. H. chose to drop out of school, but blamed many of his teachers for his failings even then, calling them mad and claiming that many "ended their lives as lunatics." As the eyewitness author notes, correctly as far as history can determine, H. was "always looking for a scapegoat," even in childhood, which is a trait highly indicative of narcissism, quite possibly narcissistic personality disorder, which prodigiously manifested in his early childhood. Whatever the cause, it set the stage for what was to come.
Another clearly narcissistic trait was that H. believed himself to be superior to everyone else, and in particular, that he was too good for work, never wanting to start at the bottom where others would be in a superior position: he never held a steady job, as he was unwilling to start at the bottom and work his way up. As a result, which is all too common in the present-day, he lived off his mother for three years after leaving school, choosing to spend evenings at the opera, roaming the streets, and developing a deep resentment for those around him.
Despite his abject laziness, it is clear that he was NOT stupid: quite the opposite, he was self-taught in those areas in which he excelled and didn't have to work very hard, especially history, classical mythology, and, in particular, politics, especially the writings of those who saw Germans as some kind of master race who should rule the world. This was not H.'s own invention, as many often assume; it was a commonly-held belief at the time, propagated by the humiliating Treaty of Versailles which wrought harsh punishments on Germany at the close of WWI. H. read numerous books about ancient history and political thought, which heavily influenced him, as he modeled much of his visual propaganda on ancient Roman precedents.
His probable personality disorder and psychopathology manifested to a greater extent in his mid-teens, according to acquaintances: they often reported that he was singularly intense, and never took anything "lightly." He reportedly often flew into "sudden bursts of hysterical anger" when anyone dared to disagree with him or point out errors or flaws in his arguments. At odds with the world, resentful and envious of anyone doing better than him, H. resembled a psychologically unstable "emo kid" who bore all the hallmarks we see in school shooters in the present-day: he was a loner, not unintelligent, but clearly thought even in his formative years that he was being wronged by the world, and everyone in it. As he could never take responsibility for his own actions or failures, he always needed a scapegoat: someone else needed to be blamed.
Two terrible blows seemed to be a turning point in his young life: first and foremost, which probably shaped the course of history, H. flunked the entrance exam at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, TWICE, ending his aspirations of becoming a professional artist: his sub-par drawings apparently didn't pass muster and he was rejected... which essentially proved his father right. That almost certainly inflicted a devastating narcissistic injury, which was shortly followed by the second, a personal tragedy, the death of his mother from cancer. It's unclear how much he actually cared about her death, but she was the person on whom he had been living his parasitic lifestyle for years, which meant that for the first time in his life, he was on his own and was going to have to fend for himself. He wrote: "her death meant an end to all my high-flown plans." This pretty much illustrates how little he thought of her as a person - blames the death of his mother for derailing his life's ambitions. Dead mom's to blame... it's her fault. Just... wow.
This dude was a ticking time bomb, and it was thermonuclear.
For some reason he decided to move to Vienna, a stunning, picturesque capital of empire, the jewel of the Hapsburg dynasty... which he hated and where he was miserable, although it offered decent citizens willing to work for an honest day's wage an astounding quality of life attainable in few other places in Europe, replete with music, great food, good fellowship, often at coffee houses, and ample economic opportunity. But for a slacker who preferred to subsist on odd jobs to avoid a real job with responsibility where he would have someone telling him what to do, H. lived like a vagabond, in and out of flophouses, becoming ever more despondent... and envious.
Still without a steady job or routine to take his mind off his machinations, H. continued to read extensively. And what did he learn from all the books he was admittedly devouring? A warped and twisted world view that idolized conquest and conquerors. War was good, not something to be avoided, because peace made men weak and "soft." To the victor go the spoils, so, mass slaughter was preferable to peace and prosperity. Great. He also further solidified the idea that Germans were superior to all other people, although most Germans would have crossed the street to avoid the likes of him, shabbily dressed, hair long, unkempt and unwashed, a man no doubt seriously lacking in personal hygiene, living in and out of flophouses, who probably resembled nothing more than a bum.
He also realized from his reading the power of oratory. He wrote, in fact that "the power that has always started the great religions and political avalanches... has been the magic of the spoken word, and that alone." He also saw the power of propaganda, specifically that the bigger the lie, the more readily people believe it, and how the use of terror was effective in keeping sheeple in line. It was during this time that he also reportedly developed an ardent hatred of Jews, probably because they were wealthy and he was dirt poor. He had also long displayed another narcissistic trait, entitlement: he thought he was better than they were and by virtue of his "superior" birth, he deserved to just take whatever he wanted from those he considered inferior, which was everyone. He moved to Munich at age 24, he claimed, because he couldn't stand what we would term miscegenation, race-mixing, in cosmopolitan Vienna, preferring instead conservative Germans in Bavaria. In truth, he probably couldn't stand to see those he considered inferior doing better than him.
Enter the Great War: H. was a decent soldier, but even here there are notable problems. It's significant that his path to promotion in the army was slow, as the author notes: in four years he was only promoted from private to corporal. Something was clearly off, like cops who can't get promoted - either his temper, the fact that everyone hated him, his probable insubordination, or that his superiors realized that he was a loose cannon who couldn't be trusted with authority led to his being denied promotion for much of the time he served in the army. Of course, he blamed his superiors for not acknowledging his military genius.
Nor was it Germany's fault that they lost the war, which they didn't really lose: Germany was sabotaged by Jews and Communist slackers. H.'s incessant finger-pointing and deflection of blame (after all, he was a soldier on the losing side) is an early signpost as to why HE eventually lost: he was utterly delusional, to the point of his own destruction. Acknowledging the mistakes of the past would have stood him in better stead in terms of not repeating them, but a classic narcissist will never admit their own failings. This set H. on a collision course with the powers that be: he decided to go into politics to fix things. He still had a problem, however - he was a lazy, unskilled, ill-educated vagrant with no training, skills, education, family connections, or probable prospects. Not a fitting start to entering the shark tank that is politics.
His unlikely success does speak to his resolve to get what he wanted, by whatever means possible, legitimate or otherwise. To everyone's astonishment, H. proved that he could actually rally support, particularly by means of his electric oratory, which he essentially learned of by accident. The author reports that he heard some of these speeches firsthand, which took on the tenor of a religious revival (but not in a good way: think Jim Jones or David Koresh).
Not all was wine and roses, however: it seemed that, at least initially, all H. could attract were what many considered to be a rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells, including some of those whom Walter Cronkite, famous American news anchor and war correspondent present at the Nuremberg trials, would go on to describe as "the architects of the Holocaust." Even back in the early 20s, well before his rise to power, these early supporters included Hermann Goering, a fairly accomplished fighter pilot during WWI, but also a notorious drug addict; Dietrich Eckart, another drunk, a sometimes-poet who had once been confined to a mental institution; Alfred Rosenberg, a former student at the University of Moscow, whose ostensible coin toss led him to become a Nazi rather than a Bolshevik (for obvious reason, he didn't last long in H.'s movement); and "bespectacled chicken farmer" Heinrich Himmler.
There were certainly others. The author knew some of them personally, which lends tremendous value to this volume in particular. For example, the infamous Julius Streicher, a former school teacher, became known as the Jew-Baiter of Nuremberg, where he was famously put on trial along with other war criminals after the war. The author notes, "I used to see him striding the streets of that ancient town brandishing a whip, which he used freely on Jews." Probably a riding crop, with which some of them are seen in photos. Modern-day fasces? Pretty weird.
Some additional events include the famous Beer Hall Putsch, where H. cornered three opposition leaders and forced them at gunpoint to join his "revolution," which led to a failed attempt to overthrow the government and his speedy retreat from the actual fighting. His involvement, which entailed jumping on top of a table at a beer hall and firing his pistol in the air was sufficient to earn him imprisonment for treason. It was widely whispered that many did agree with his views, however, which is the only reason he escaped execution, and was only issued a five-year prison sentence, of which he actually served only a year. It was during this time that he wrote his famous Mein Kampf (meaning My Struggle - ever the braggart) while in prison, which solidified his views and served as a self-aggrandizing propaganda piece, bringing his warped ideology to a much larger audience, as well as making him a millionaire.
Another seriously twisted episode in his demonic life was when his half-sister brought her two daughters to Munich, where they lived at his residence after she became his housekeeper in 1925. Then-39-year-old H. fell in love with his niece, Geli, nineteen years his junior. HIS NIECE. What's also significant here is that at nearly forty years old, H. had quite possibly never had a relationship with a woman. The one with his niece, which was apparently mutually affectionate at the outset, was widely criticized by even his closest advisors and confidants. The exact nature of their relationship is uncertain, but it has been the topic of much debate. It's often implied that he was intimate with her, which may have been, but it's never been substantiated.
It has been noted that H. created a public image of celibacy, to bolster his persona as one completely devoted to his political mission, but that almost certainly wasn't entirely the case. His relationship with Eva Braun lasted 14 years, but there's also evidence that he had other relationships as well. It's perhaps not surprising that things didn't typically end well, as at least two ended in suicide, with a third reportedly dying of complications eight years after a suicide attempt, and a fourth also attempting suicide. Damn.
Perhaps it's a good thing that for most of his young life, at least, H. reportedly eschewed any physical contact with women as a young man, especially while living in Vienna, as he was fearful of contracting an STD. Even when he was a soldier during the war, when the frequent topic of sex came up among his comrades, he reportedly stated when asked if he had ever "loved" a girl, he replied that he "never had time for anything like that, and I'll never get around to it." Even later in life, he avoided female company, to the degree that the wife of his propaganda chief, Gobbles, invited him to parties so that he could meet women, but he reportedly showed no interest.
It was later claimed by associates that when he DID get around to it, he preferred dumb bimbos, essentially, who didn't have the mental capacity to challenge or question him, or have the courage to prevent him from doing basically whatever he wanted, in or outside the relationship. When asked by his secretary why he had never married, he reportedly stated, as to his wartime comrades, "I wouldn't have been able to give enough time to a wife." When asked why he never wanted children, he told her that they would have had a very difficult time, being the children of a figure as grandiose as he, as they would have been expected to "possess the same gifts as their famous parents, and they can't be forgiven for being mediocre."
Well, then.
Back to poor Geli: not surprisingly, on account of all his psychopathology, things started to go south pretty quickly. H. was insanely jealous, controlling, and suspicious of his 20-year-old niece, and his behavior quickly escalated to physical violence. When she had had enough of the abuse, and wanted to return to Vienna to resume her vocal instruction, as she had aspirations of becoming an opera singer, H. refused to let her go, essentially imprisoning her in his Munich apartment. A day after they were seen shouting from the street, she was found dead in the apartment, shot through the heart with his pistol.
It's generally accepted by most that she committed suicide, but not all: some claim that he had her killed because she had defied him, and he knew that there was no way to keep her imprisoned and under his control forever. Thus, he preferred her dead to the thought that he could not possess her, or that someone else eventually would. It kind of makes sense, but his surprising behavior after the fact casts doubt that he ordered it: he was utterly despondent, reportedly beyond consoling, and went into deep mourning after her death, which remained a source of pain throughout his life.
I don't want to rehash this guy's whole life story, as I think his rise to power is the most interesting and revealing aspect of his deviant life. What makes this volume unique, and definitely worth reading, are the eyewitness accounts of the author, who was a reporter and was on hand for many of the events he describes. WWII is without doubt one of the most tragic episodes in human history, and, as despicable as the various figures are who were responsible, it's important to know about them to avoid such events happening again, including the rise of another charismatic but thoroughly evil figurehead bent on world domination.
Speaking of human: the subject of this very capable history/biography lacked pretty much everything that makes one human; think on the order of clinical psychopathy. I'm not even going to use his name herein, opting instead to refer to him as H. The story of his degenerate life illustrates a case where everything that could go wrong with someone did go wrong. Unfortunately, whether the cause of his malevolence was genetics, environment, abuse, disease, or something else entirely will never be known.
Somewhat surprisingly, the book doesn't talk too much about his early life. His father Alois H. was the illegitimate child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber, so H.'s father initially bore her surname, but later took on the name of his stepfather, surname HEIDLER, but throughout his life used alternate spellings, including Hiedler, Huttler, or Huettler, which is based on the German term Hutte, meaning "one who lives in a hut." The identity of Alois's father is entirely unknown. Some have theorized that Alois's mother was employed by a wealthy Jewish family in Graz, and that their nineteen year old son fathered him, but for a variety of reasons, historians discount this theory. No one knows what his ancestry was, so claims that H. was of Jewish ancestry are unfounded.
H. was born into a fairly large family, in 1889; he was the fourth child of Alois and his third wife Klara. Three of the six siblings died in infancy, but Alois also had two children from his previous marriage living with them. The family moved around quite a lot, eventually settling in Austria, where H. attended the local public primary school. Famously a poor student and a discipline problem from early childhood, H.'s constant misbehavior led to serious conflict with his father, who reportedly beat him on account of his refusal to conform to the school's rigid discipline standards. H. reportedly also fell into an even deeper depression after the death of a younger brother, when he became even more withdrawn and quarrelsome, with both his teachers and his father.
Another bone of contention, as the author notes, was H.'s desire to become an artist, which his father vehemently opposed. H. self-reported that he intentionally did poorly in school (which is questionable, as it may just be an attempt to account for his longstanding poor academic performance) hoping that his father would give up on aspirations for his son to follow in his footsteps and become a civil servant, as Alois had made a fairly decent living working in the customs bureau. Alois died in 1903, when H. was only thirteen. Now there was no one to keep him in check, and his mother allowed him to drop out of his long-hated public school, but he later enrolled in another. He did actually pass the final exam in 1905, but had to repeat it, so he wasn't technically a dropout.
What his early life clearly demonstrates is that H. displayed at an early age psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies which would lead to one of the greatest travesties in human history. H. chose to drop out of school, but blamed many of his teachers for his failings even then, calling them mad and claiming that many "ended their lives as lunatics." As the eyewitness author notes, correctly as far as history can determine, H. was "always looking for a scapegoat," even in childhood, which is a trait highly indicative of narcissism, quite possibly narcissistic personality disorder, which prodigiously manifested in his early childhood. Whatever the cause, it set the stage for what was to come.
Another clearly narcissistic trait was that H. believed himself to be superior to everyone else, and in particular, that he was too good for work, never wanting to start at the bottom where others would be in a superior position: he never held a steady job, as he was unwilling to start at the bottom and work his way up. As a result, which is all too common in the present-day, he lived off his mother for three years after leaving school, choosing to spend evenings at the opera, roaming the streets, and developing a deep resentment for those around him.
Despite his abject laziness, it is clear that he was NOT stupid: quite the opposite, he was self-taught in those areas in which he excelled and didn't have to work very hard, especially history, classical mythology, and, in particular, politics, especially the writings of those who saw Germans as some kind of master race who should rule the world. This was not H.'s own invention, as many often assume; it was a commonly-held belief at the time, propagated by the humiliating Treaty of Versailles which wrought harsh punishments on Germany at the close of WWI. H. read numerous books about ancient history and political thought, which heavily influenced him, as he modeled much of his visual propaganda on ancient Roman precedents.
His probable personality disorder and psychopathology manifested to a greater extent in his mid-teens, according to acquaintances: they often reported that he was singularly intense, and never took anything "lightly." He reportedly often flew into "sudden bursts of hysterical anger" when anyone dared to disagree with him or point out errors or flaws in his arguments. At odds with the world, resentful and envious of anyone doing better than him, H. resembled a psychologically unstable "emo kid" who bore all the hallmarks we see in school shooters in the present-day: he was a loner, not unintelligent, but clearly thought even in his formative years that he was being wronged by the world, and everyone in it. As he could never take responsibility for his own actions or failures, he always needed a scapegoat: someone else needed to be blamed.
Two terrible blows seemed to be a turning point in his young life: first and foremost, which probably shaped the course of history, H. flunked the entrance exam at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, TWICE, ending his aspirations of becoming a professional artist: his sub-par drawings apparently didn't pass muster and he was rejected... which essentially proved his father right. That almost certainly inflicted a devastating narcissistic injury, which was shortly followed by the second, a personal tragedy, the death of his mother from cancer. It's unclear how much he actually cared about her death, but she was the person on whom he had been living his parasitic lifestyle for years, which meant that for the first time in his life, he was on his own and was going to have to fend for himself. He wrote: "her death meant an end to all my high-flown plans." This pretty much illustrates how little he thought of her as a person - blames the death of his mother for derailing his life's ambitions. Dead mom's to blame... it's her fault. Just... wow.
This dude was a ticking time bomb, and it was thermonuclear.
For some reason he decided to move to Vienna, a stunning, picturesque capital of empire, the jewel of the Hapsburg dynasty... which he hated and where he was miserable, although it offered decent citizens willing to work for an honest day's wage an astounding quality of life attainable in few other places in Europe, replete with music, great food, good fellowship, often at coffee houses, and ample economic opportunity. But for a slacker who preferred to subsist on odd jobs to avoid a real job with responsibility where he would have someone telling him what to do, H. lived like a vagabond, in and out of flophouses, becoming ever more despondent... and envious.
Still without a steady job or routine to take his mind off his machinations, H. continued to read extensively. And what did he learn from all the books he was admittedly devouring? A warped and twisted world view that idolized conquest and conquerors. War was good, not something to be avoided, because peace made men weak and "soft." To the victor go the spoils, so, mass slaughter was preferable to peace and prosperity. Great. He also further solidified the idea that Germans were superior to all other people, although most Germans would have crossed the street to avoid the likes of him, shabbily dressed, hair long, unkempt and unwashed, a man no doubt seriously lacking in personal hygiene, living in and out of flophouses, who probably resembled nothing more than a bum.
He also realized from his reading the power of oratory. He wrote, in fact that "the power that has always started the great religions and political avalanches... has been the magic of the spoken word, and that alone." He also saw the power of propaganda, specifically that the bigger the lie, the more readily people believe it, and how the use of terror was effective in keeping sheeple in line. It was during this time that he also reportedly developed an ardent hatred of Jews, probably because they were wealthy and he was dirt poor. He had also long displayed another narcissistic trait, entitlement: he thought he was better than they were and by virtue of his "superior" birth, he deserved to just take whatever he wanted from those he considered inferior, which was everyone. He moved to Munich at age 24, he claimed, because he couldn't stand what we would term miscegenation, race-mixing, in cosmopolitan Vienna, preferring instead conservative Germans in Bavaria. In truth, he probably couldn't stand to see those he considered inferior doing better than him.
Enter the Great War: H. was a decent soldier, but even here there are notable problems. It's significant that his path to promotion in the army was slow, as the author notes: in four years he was only promoted from private to corporal. Something was clearly off, like cops who can't get promoted - either his temper, the fact that everyone hated him, his probable insubordination, or that his superiors realized that he was a loose cannon who couldn't be trusted with authority led to his being denied promotion for much of the time he served in the army. Of course, he blamed his superiors for not acknowledging his military genius.
Nor was it Germany's fault that they lost the war, which they didn't really lose: Germany was sabotaged by Jews and Communist slackers. H.'s incessant finger-pointing and deflection of blame (after all, he was a soldier on the losing side) is an early signpost as to why HE eventually lost: he was utterly delusional, to the point of his own destruction. Acknowledging the mistakes of the past would have stood him in better stead in terms of not repeating them, but a classic narcissist will never admit their own failings. This set H. on a collision course with the powers that be: he decided to go into politics to fix things. He still had a problem, however - he was a lazy, unskilled, ill-educated vagrant with no training, skills, education, family connections, or probable prospects. Not a fitting start to entering the shark tank that is politics.
His unlikely success does speak to his resolve to get what he wanted, by whatever means possible, legitimate or otherwise. To everyone's astonishment, H. proved that he could actually rally support, particularly by means of his electric oratory, which he essentially learned of by accident. The author reports that he heard some of these speeches firsthand, which took on the tenor of a religious revival (but not in a good way: think Jim Jones or David Koresh).
Not all was wine and roses, however: it seemed that, at least initially, all H. could attract were what many considered to be a rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells, including some of those whom Walter Cronkite, famous American news anchor and war correspondent present at the Nuremberg trials, would go on to describe as "the architects of the Holocaust." Even back in the early 20s, well before his rise to power, these early supporters included Hermann Goering, a fairly accomplished fighter pilot during WWI, but also a notorious drug addict; Dietrich Eckart, another drunk, a sometimes-poet who had once been confined to a mental institution; Alfred Rosenberg, a former student at the University of Moscow, whose ostensible coin toss led him to become a Nazi rather than a Bolshevik (for obvious reason, he didn't last long in H.'s movement); and "bespectacled chicken farmer" Heinrich Himmler.
There were certainly others. The author knew some of them personally, which lends tremendous value to this volume in particular. For example, the infamous Julius Streicher, a former school teacher, became known as the Jew-Baiter of Nuremberg, where he was famously put on trial along with other war criminals after the war. The author notes, "I used to see him striding the streets of that ancient town brandishing a whip, which he used freely on Jews." Probably a riding crop, with which some of them are seen in photos. Modern-day fasces? Pretty weird.
Some additional events include the famous Beer Hall Putsch, where H. cornered three opposition leaders and forced them at gunpoint to join his "revolution," which led to a failed attempt to overthrow the government and his speedy retreat from the actual fighting. His involvement, which entailed jumping on top of a table at a beer hall and firing his pistol in the air was sufficient to earn him imprisonment for treason. It was widely whispered that many did agree with his views, however, which is the only reason he escaped execution, and was only issued a five-year prison sentence, of which he actually served only a year. It was during this time that he wrote his famous Mein Kampf (meaning My Struggle - ever the braggart) while in prison, which solidified his views and served as a self-aggrandizing propaganda piece, bringing his warped ideology to a much larger audience, as well as making him a millionaire.
Another seriously twisted episode in his demonic life was when his half-sister brought her two daughters to Munich, where they lived at his residence after she became his housekeeper in 1925. Then-39-year-old H. fell in love with his niece, Geli, nineteen years his junior. HIS NIECE. What's also significant here is that at nearly forty years old, H. had quite possibly never had a relationship with a woman. The one with his niece, which was apparently mutually affectionate at the outset, was widely criticized by even his closest advisors and confidants. The exact nature of their relationship is uncertain, but it has been the topic of much debate. It's often implied that he was intimate with her, which may have been, but it's never been substantiated.
It has been noted that H. created a public image of celibacy, to bolster his persona as one completely devoted to his political mission, but that almost certainly wasn't entirely the case. His relationship with Eva Braun lasted 14 years, but there's also evidence that he had other relationships as well. It's perhaps not surprising that things didn't typically end well, as at least two ended in suicide, with a third reportedly dying of complications eight years after a suicide attempt, and a fourth also attempting suicide. Damn.
Perhaps it's a good thing that for most of his young life, at least, H. reportedly eschewed any physical contact with women as a young man, especially while living in Vienna, as he was fearful of contracting an STD. Even when he was a soldier during the war, when the frequent topic of sex came up among his comrades, he reportedly stated when asked if he had ever "loved" a girl, he replied that he "never had time for anything like that, and I'll never get around to it." Even later in life, he avoided female company, to the degree that the wife of his propaganda chief, Gobbles, invited him to parties so that he could meet women, but he reportedly showed no interest.
It was later claimed by associates that when he DID get around to it, he preferred dumb bimbos, essentially, who didn't have the mental capacity to challenge or question him, or have the courage to prevent him from doing basically whatever he wanted, in or outside the relationship. When asked by his secretary why he had never married, he reportedly stated, as to his wartime comrades, "I wouldn't have been able to give enough time to a wife." When asked why he never wanted children, he told her that they would have had a very difficult time, being the children of a figure as grandiose as he, as they would have been expected to "possess the same gifts as their famous parents, and they can't be forgiven for being mediocre."
Well, then.
Back to poor Geli: not surprisingly, on account of all his psychopathology, things started to go south pretty quickly. H. was insanely jealous, controlling, and suspicious of his 20-year-old niece, and his behavior quickly escalated to physical violence. When she had had enough of the abuse, and wanted to return to Vienna to resume her vocal instruction, as she had aspirations of becoming an opera singer, H. refused to let her go, essentially imprisoning her in his Munich apartment. A day after they were seen shouting from the street, she was found dead in the apartment, shot through the heart with his pistol.
It's generally accepted by most that she committed suicide, but not all: some claim that he had her killed because she had defied him, and he knew that there was no way to keep her imprisoned and under his control forever. Thus, he preferred her dead to the thought that he could not possess her, or that someone else eventually would. It kind of makes sense, but his surprising behavior after the fact casts doubt that he ordered it: he was utterly despondent, reportedly beyond consoling, and went into deep mourning after her death, which remained a source of pain throughout his life.
I don't want to rehash this guy's whole life story, as I think his rise to power is the most interesting and revealing aspect of his deviant life. What makes this volume unique, and definitely worth reading, are the eyewitness accounts of the author, who was a reporter and was on hand for many of the events he describes. WWII is without doubt one of the most tragic episodes in human history, and, as despicable as the various figures are who were responsible, it's important to know about them to avoid such events happening again, including the rise of another charismatic but thoroughly evil figurehead bent on world domination.
November 15, 2013
It may strike people as a misnomer, but I study a considerable amount of war history, especially that which pertains to Hitler. I say this because I am a disabled combat veteran of the Vietnam War.
Mr Shirer was a correspondent stationed in Berlin for the entire rise of Hitler and most of his decline, he must have been asked to leave in 1944 or early 1945 because he covers most of the action until then as an insider. This man writes as his profession dictates, precisely! He stays focused on the facts as they present themselves and on time. Having read a large number of books concerning Hitler over the years, I found this to be an excellent " primer " for someone that needs to know the factual details quickly, and blow by blow. The author walks through Hitlers life at a brisk pace, never stopping very long to examine items that do not stress the subject at hand. All of the basic details are there, including a few morsels that I found to be very much inside information. I would save this for a train ride, two hours, maybe three, and a book that you would want to keep if you are building a library for this particular information. Cut and dried and to the point!
Mr Shirer was a correspondent stationed in Berlin for the entire rise of Hitler and most of his decline, he must have been asked to leave in 1944 or early 1945 because he covers most of the action until then as an insider. This man writes as his profession dictates, precisely! He stays focused on the facts as they present themselves and on time. Having read a large number of books concerning Hitler over the years, I found this to be an excellent " primer " for someone that needs to know the factual details quickly, and blow by blow. The author walks through Hitlers life at a brisk pace, never stopping very long to examine items that do not stress the subject at hand. All of the basic details are there, including a few morsels that I found to be very much inside information. I would save this for a train ride, two hours, maybe three, and a book that you would want to keep if you are building a library for this particular information. Cut and dried and to the point!
April 13, 2022
I read this book just to know what I may not have otherwise learned along the way. I’m glad I did. It was an easy book to read, but was difficult to read because of the horror of war, the driven insanity of Adolf Hitler, the unspeakable cruelty he promoted and insisted upon toward anyone in his way. It was revolting to me to learn more of the seeming stupidity of those around him to allow him to carry on the way he did. He was terrifying. He was insane.
My father is a WWII veteran, and I deeply respect all WWII soldiers who put their lives on the line to stop the attempted overtaking of the world, a little at a time. It was a long horrific war that could have been stopped many different times – but it wasn’t seen at first as a realistic threat. As it progressed it became very hard to stop, including several attempts on Hitler’s life which were unsuccessful. I had an uncle who was a young German soldier in WWII, one of countless who didn’t want to fight in Hitler’s armies but had no choice. How very sad and tragic it all was.
This is a small book worth reading. Lest we forget.
My father is a WWII veteran, and I deeply respect all WWII soldiers who put their lives on the line to stop the attempted overtaking of the world, a little at a time. It was a long horrific war that could have been stopped many different times – but it wasn’t seen at first as a realistic threat. As it progressed it became very hard to stop, including several attempts on Hitler’s life which were unsuccessful. I had an uncle who was a young German soldier in WWII, one of countless who didn’t want to fight in Hitler’s armies but had no choice. How very sad and tragic it all was.
This is a small book worth reading. Lest we forget.
October 4, 2009
At daybreak on September 1, 1939, the German army poured across the Polish border while German bombers rained destruction from the skies, WW II had begun--"Hitler's
war," as the British say.
As an American correspondent in Berlin, William Shirer had met Hitler, listened to his fiery speeches, and observed him firsthand. THE RISE AND FALL OF
ADOLF HITLER is based on what Shirer saw and on his later research of the massive files captured by the Allies.
"Hitler's conquest was classic. He double-crossed his friends, massacred millions, plunged the world into its bloodiest war...and buried his own nation
in the process.
I read this book and it was OK. However, the author uses words like "crazy" "demented", etc. And I would agree that Hitler was that. but I think the author could have let the facts speak for themselves. However if you need a short history of Hitler, this is a good one.
war," as the British say.
As an American correspondent in Berlin, William Shirer had met Hitler, listened to his fiery speeches, and observed him firsthand. THE RISE AND FALL OF
ADOLF HITLER is based on what Shirer saw and on his later research of the massive files captured by the Allies.
"Hitler's conquest was classic. He double-crossed his friends, massacred millions, plunged the world into its bloodiest war...and buried his own nation
in the process.
I read this book and it was OK. However, the author uses words like "crazy" "demented", etc. And I would agree that Hitler was that. but I think the author could have let the facts speak for themselves. However if you need a short history of Hitler, this is a good one.
September 2, 2015
While this book is extremely informative, it explains everything in a clear manner that is easy and fun to read. This book has me wanting for more! While Adolf Hitler was a horrible man, his life and his trail to leadership was fascinating. Hitler was not an extremely good leader; he lied and gave extremely long speeches that made people believe!
February 1, 2011
The best history that I've read of Hitler and his brutal reign of tyranny.
January 16, 2013
I read this one in Junior High or High School. Taught me alot about Hitler, The Treaty of Versailles and WWII. Shirer is a master historian.
July 20, 2018
In his 1961 biography, author William L. Shirer recounts the life story of history’s most infamous villain in The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler. Taking care not to leave out any important chunks of the man’s life, Shirer begins the tale in 1889 with Hitler’s birth, following him through his rough father-son relationship, his days spent loafing and attempting to get an education in art, his years as a tramp in Vienna and his discovery of the National Socialist German Workers' Party- the very ragtag group that Hitler eventually led in one of the most and least successful conquests to ever spread across the face of Europe. Hitler was not able to do it without difficulty. Trials and tribulations blocked him at every turn, and only through backstabbing, treachery, propaganda, brutality and the cruel hand of luck did Hitler both come to be the most powerful man on the planet as well as the most egotistical, delusional and anemic leaders to ever do so. Despite his unthinkable feats of political and military cunning, Hitler was eventually his own undoing, going on a downward mental spiral that was the death of him, his wife, his armies, and his nation’s pride and power. In the end, it was not the attempts on his life from within and without his own Nazi party, nor the sicknesses and heartbreak that killed Hitler. It was the very same character, confidence, and charisma that had enabled him in the first place.
In a lot of ways, William L. Shirer seems to be the perfect person to write an interesting and evocative biography about one of the most influential figures in all of history, seeing as he himself was the American correspondent in Berlin during the 1940s. Shirer also makes it clear that he aims to include Hitler’s own words and writing when appropriate - and both of these things do validate The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler as a historically accurate biography. The structure is befitting of a biography-style nonfiction book as well, being ordered chronologically and split into sections that align neatly with the different periods of Hitler’s life. As can be expected of most historical biographies, Shirer does do a deeper dive than most other books that recount something of Hitler’s story, and aided by his own firsthand knowledge of the war’s events, Shirer can, now and then, offer input and lightly theorize as to why Hitler acted in some of the ways he did. Shirer does not preach, though, and does a good job maintaining a professional and informative prose style even when his own opinion bubbles up throughout his retelling. Structurally and with regards its conventions, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler is entirely solid and isn’t ever dry - it moves things along with the information and curiosities that are crucial in both understanding and critically considering Hitler’s life.
Shirer’s tendency to keep things moving and his perpetual fear of sounding boring also has its flaws. Although The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler is ultimately a quick and enjoyable read for anyone even marginally interested in World War II history, it fails to give history buffs anything of note to chew on. Anyone who has taken a world history course will already know many of the book’s most central plot points, and while that can’t necessarily be avoided, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler often seemed like it wasn’t able to or willing to stray too far beyond those well-documented points of historical note. Having been center stage to witness Hitler’s rise to and fall from power, Shirer offers excruciatingly little unique information that one couldn’t find somewhere else. He rarely mentions any events that he personally witnessed and doesn’t ever capitalize on himself as a primary source. The result is that, for a person who is already versed in the history of Hitler and his Nazi Party, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler will not only be a snore - it will be altogether pointless. It may not be the kind of thing that everybody will enjoy reading, but I would have loved to see Shirer go someplace unexpected with his discussion of the Fuhrer. What did he like to eat? Did he have any pets? Did he have any odd tendencies that have gone unreported? These are the types of questions that, if they had been answered, would have added the variety and intrigue that Shirer’s biography so blatantly lacked.
Although The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler hits all of the highlights of the demented man’s life story and does it with good organization, style, and structure, the biography ultimately fails in going above and beyond to create a book that is compelling for readers who know their way around some World War II history, and even a general audience reader is not going to want to leaf through its pages more than once. For folks who are interested in delving into the psyche of history’s most infamous genocidal dictator, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler works fine as a diving board, but you’ll have to find your pool somewhere else.
In a lot of ways, William L. Shirer seems to be the perfect person to write an interesting and evocative biography about one of the most influential figures in all of history, seeing as he himself was the American correspondent in Berlin during the 1940s. Shirer also makes it clear that he aims to include Hitler’s own words and writing when appropriate - and both of these things do validate The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler as a historically accurate biography. The structure is befitting of a biography-style nonfiction book as well, being ordered chronologically and split into sections that align neatly with the different periods of Hitler’s life. As can be expected of most historical biographies, Shirer does do a deeper dive than most other books that recount something of Hitler’s story, and aided by his own firsthand knowledge of the war’s events, Shirer can, now and then, offer input and lightly theorize as to why Hitler acted in some of the ways he did. Shirer does not preach, though, and does a good job maintaining a professional and informative prose style even when his own opinion bubbles up throughout his retelling. Structurally and with regards its conventions, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler is entirely solid and isn’t ever dry - it moves things along with the information and curiosities that are crucial in both understanding and critically considering Hitler’s life.
Shirer’s tendency to keep things moving and his perpetual fear of sounding boring also has its flaws. Although The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler is ultimately a quick and enjoyable read for anyone even marginally interested in World War II history, it fails to give history buffs anything of note to chew on. Anyone who has taken a world history course will already know many of the book’s most central plot points, and while that can’t necessarily be avoided, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler often seemed like it wasn’t able to or willing to stray too far beyond those well-documented points of historical note. Having been center stage to witness Hitler’s rise to and fall from power, Shirer offers excruciatingly little unique information that one couldn’t find somewhere else. He rarely mentions any events that he personally witnessed and doesn’t ever capitalize on himself as a primary source. The result is that, for a person who is already versed in the history of Hitler and his Nazi Party, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler will not only be a snore - it will be altogether pointless. It may not be the kind of thing that everybody will enjoy reading, but I would have loved to see Shirer go someplace unexpected with his discussion of the Fuhrer. What did he like to eat? Did he have any pets? Did he have any odd tendencies that have gone unreported? These are the types of questions that, if they had been answered, would have added the variety and intrigue that Shirer’s biography so blatantly lacked.
Although The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler hits all of the highlights of the demented man’s life story and does it with good organization, style, and structure, the biography ultimately fails in going above and beyond to create a book that is compelling for readers who know their way around some World War II history, and even a general audience reader is not going to want to leaf through its pages more than once. For folks who are interested in delving into the psyche of history’s most infamous genocidal dictator, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler works fine as a diving board, but you’ll have to find your pool somewhere else.
March 14, 2020
Initially, I was looking at Shirer’s celebrated 1245-page, The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, but decided that I couldn’t commit to finishing it within a reasonable timeframe. I was delighted to find The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, by the same author, and at only 179 pages, it was an instant buy. I’m very glad with my purchase and decision.
Having finished The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, I can say that this is a must-read in the genre of World War 2 History - The author has absolutely nailed it.
This book flows at the perfect pace, staying entertaining throughout, while never sacrificing information and certainly not dwelling on minutiae.
Much of the book has to do with Hitler’s psychological rollercoaster, a great touch that pairs excellently with the more factual, political and military moments.
Whether this is your first book on the subject, or your 10th, you’ll find something to take away from it. I will certainly be reading this again and having enjoyed it this much, I’m now fairly certain that I’ll end up reading and enjoying Shirer’s lengthier offering.
5 out 5.
Having finished The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, I can say that this is a must-read in the genre of World War 2 History - The author has absolutely nailed it.
This book flows at the perfect pace, staying entertaining throughout, while never sacrificing information and certainly not dwelling on minutiae.
Much of the book has to do with Hitler’s psychological rollercoaster, a great touch that pairs excellently with the more factual, political and military moments.
Whether this is your first book on the subject, or your 10th, you’ll find something to take away from it. I will certainly be reading this again and having enjoyed it this much, I’m now fairly certain that I’ll end up reading and enjoying Shirer’s lengthier offering.
5 out 5.
February 19, 2022
This may be good for someone who has never heard of Hitler, or a high schooler who barely knows anything, but for anyone else versed in history it's almost all review. I did highlight one passage, though, which was Shirer's disbelief that so many Germans didn't seem to care that they were losing their individual liberties when Hitler took power. I can't help but sympathize with what has been going on the past twenty years here in the west, where I, too, thought people cared more about their liberties and freedoms than I guess they actually do. I suppose people tend to give lip service to how great liberty and freedom is, but when push comes to shove, people won't fight for it and can be easily manipulated to despise it. Our innate tribalism also seems to make it easy for leaders to run roughshod over one group's rights while maintaining another group's because the tribal instinct likes to see its enemies punished and restricted. Alas, I don't think these lessons will ever be truly learned and resolved.
July 14, 2023
This is an embarrassing admission to make, but I read this book, a condensation of Shirer's Third Reich opus, in 1961 when I was eleven. My friends and I were fascinated by Hitler and the Nazis as evil incarnate, the Devil, Satan. We read the comic book Sergeant Rock and watched "Hogan's Heroes," which made buffoons of the goose-steppers (Mel Brooks did it better in "The Producers"). I'm sure the summary above is fair, but I wish I had remembered the section on Der Fuhrer's childhood. That might have shed a little light. To be fair, I also had a crush on Hayley Mills in Disney's "The Parent Trap." I wasn't totally twisted.
October 29, 2021
Shirer writes very well and this short read will leave the reader in good hands on a brief overview of Hitler's life - from his beginnings in Austria all the way through WW2 and his final days in the Fuhrerbunker.
I started to read Shirer's book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," but finished this book first as it was much shorter. I liked Shirer's writing style, and that was the impetus for me to read this book. Beyond the writing, Shirer has first hand knowledge regarding much of the key events in WW2 as correspondent during the war.
A must for any history buff!
I started to read Shirer's book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," but finished this book first as it was much shorter. I liked Shirer's writing style, and that was the impetus for me to read this book. Beyond the writing, Shirer has first hand knowledge regarding much of the key events in WW2 as correspondent during the war.
A must for any history buff!
July 24, 2021
A fantastic book that really makes you wonder how the entire German population allowed this man to become Fuhrer; how the allies allowed him to annex countries and threaten Poland before responding; how many neighbouring countries simply capitulated. I knew most of it but only at a superficial level. This books makes me want to look into it much more deeply and try to get some answers to these and many other questions.
May 15, 2023
Good book for a quick read. My 9 and 11 year old are starting to learn about World War II so I ventured out refresh my memories on that time of history. The book summarized his life in and was written by a writer who experienced this time period first hand. It is still hard to fathom how a man can be so evil and convince so many people to carry out his plans. This book covers Hitler from is lazy beginnings to how he became one of the most successful dictators in history.
Read
April 17, 2024it was interesting, maybe a bit brief. I was happy with its length (about 4 hours, so not too long) and it does give you a good run down on a lot of events, though the actual “fall of Hitler” didn’t really last very long. I guess maybe that reflects real life but idk. finished it on a walk and it was like ok this is sick they’re getting bombs to kill this guy then I kind of missed the reason he went and did it himself it went by so quick.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2021
©1961, Scholastic Book Services; from parent book collection
William Shirer was originally commissioned to write "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler" for a young adult audience. This account loses none of the immediacy of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"-capturing Hitler's rise from obscurity, the horror of Nazi Germany's mass killings, and the paranoia and insanity that marked Hitler's downfall. This book is by no means simplified-and is sure to appeal to adults as well as young people with an interest in World War II history.
William Shirer was originally commissioned to write "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler" for a young adult audience. This account loses none of the immediacy of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"-capturing Hitler's rise from obscurity, the horror of Nazi Germany's mass killings, and the paranoia and insanity that marked Hitler's downfall. This book is by no means simplified-and is sure to appeal to adults as well as young people with an interest in World War II history.
March 30, 2024
This book was very well written and did a fantastic job of explaining "the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler." The fact that it started during his childhood, and then it gradually worked its way up to his death, giving you the full story is so wonderful. Kept me invested all the way, and it really helped me to learn about this man. It was an extremely interesting story.
April 16, 2024
Interesting book. Definitely a quick read, though I frequently longed for more detail (I'm sure I could get that from larger volumes). The only thing that was odd was how frequently Shirer freely described Hitler as a monster or villain or purely evil, and the such. It was fascinating to read such a moral slant to a biography.
April 28, 2018
I usually enjoy WW2 books but since this was a required reading by my WW2 class it was not enjoyed as much. It was interesting in the fact that I learned so many new things about Hitler's corrupted soul.
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