On June 17, 1940 William L. Shirer stood in the streets of Paris and watched the unending flow of gray German uniforms along its boulevards. In just six lovely weeks in the spring and summer of 1940 a single battle brought down in total military defeat one of the world's oldest, greatest, and most civilized powers—the second mightiest empire on earth and the possessor of one of the finest military machines ever assembled. How did it happen? After nearly a decade of research in the massive archives left from World War II and after hundreds of conversations with the Third Republic's leaders, generals, diplomats, and ordinary citizens, Shirer presents the definitive answer in his stunning re-creation of why and how France fell before Hitler's armies in 1940. His book is also a devastating examination of the confusion, corruption, and cynicism that drained the strength and toughness of a democracy which Thomas Jefferson once called "every man's second country." This book complements and completes the dramatic story of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and continues to rank as one of the most important works of history of our time.

The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940

History

Shirer,William L.

Europe

Da Capo Press

At the Nuremberg rallies, when Hitler roared through the streets celebrating his newly won domination of Germany, William Shirer was there. In Munich, as Chamberlain abandoned the Czechs, Shirer was there. In Vienna during the night of the Anschluss; in Berlin, when Hitler loosed his Blitzkrieg on Poland--thus beginning World War II--William Shirer was there.If ever a journalist was in the right place at the right time, it was William Shirer. Initially as a newspaperman and then as one of the first overseas radio correspondents, Shirer was everywhere it mattered in the 1930s and 1940s.In this, the second volume of his memoirs, the prize-winning author provides an eyewitness and intensely personal vision of the crucible out of which the Nazi monster appeared. Fluent in German, married to a Viennese, Shirer had an uncanny sense of the shaping of events and sources that enabled him to act on his intuition. He met, knew, talked to--and occasionally drank with--Göring, Goebbels, Himmler, Hess, Heydrich, Ribbentrop, Eichmann and dozens of High Command staff officers. Even Hitler he observed at first hand, close enough, he noted, "to kill him." Through articles, simultaneous translations of Hitler's speeches, and his own broadcasts Shirer desperately tried to warn the Western World of this demonic scourge. To his intense frustration, while he was read and listened to, the urgency of his message was not believed.The Nightmare Years is not only a riveting, firsthand account of the events and men who set the world on fire, it is also the human story of a young American caught in these titanic vents, struggling to survive and provide a normal life for himself, his wife and infant daughter. Reading this life is--as living it must have been--fascinating, powerful, and terrifying.Shirer's tale of these harrowing and historic times is enhanced by ninety-two photographs he took or collected throughout the period.

The Nightmare Years 1930-1940

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Little. Brown and Company

Shirer's diary offers a first-hand account of Hitler's rise to power and the brutality, fanaticism, and lifestyles of Nazi Germany as the nation prepared for and the waged war

Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941

Leaders & Notable People

Little,Brown & Co

The author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich chronicles his life from the years 1904 to 1930, describing the people and places he encountered.

20th Century Journey: A Memoir of a Life and the Times

The third and final volume of Shirer's bestselling memoir chronicles his long overdue return to his homeland and his ensuing careers as a premier broadcast journalist and bestselling author. 16 pages of photographs.

A Native's Return, 1945-1988 (20th Century Journey)

Before the Nazies could destroy the files, famed foreign correspondent and historian William L. Shirer sifted through the massive self-documentation of the Third Reich, to create a monumental study that has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of one of the most frightening chapters in the history of mankind--now in a special 30th anniversary edition."One of the most important works of history of our time."THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Shirer, William L.

Pan Books

Recalling his friendship and conversations with the late Indian leader, Shirer presents a portrait of Gandhi that spotlights his frailties as well as his accomplishments

Gandhi: A Memoir (Abacus Books)

Memoirs

ABACUS +

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

The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler.

Children's Books

Random House Childrens Books

RISE&FALL ADOLF HITLER

Teen & Young Adult

Random House Books for Young Readers