Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41

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Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41

by William L. Shirer, Gordon A. Craig (Foreword by)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 1,233 ratings · 80 reviews

By the acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day, eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is now available in a new paperback edition.

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe...more

Paperback, 627 pages

Published April 17th 2002 by The Johns Hopkins University Press (first published January 1941)

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Dec 10, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in the buildup of WWII

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Shannon Norton and Dale Churchett

This was a splendid book and not like anything I've read before, and I've read a lot of WWII stuff (both fiction and nf). Mr. Shirer knew at the time that things were afoot in Europe, where he'd been living and working since the age of 21, and he wrote his diary with the thought that it would be published--in other words, this is not the personal diary of someone musing about what they had for breakfast that day, and it's published b/c the person or some event in it became momentous later on. Th...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Gerry Claes rated it 4 of 5 stars

What an interesting life William Shirer must have lived. He was right in the thick of things when Hitler was developing his war machine and planning the total domination of Europe. Shirer had access to many of the top Nazi officials and got to know some of them quite well.

This book covers the period from 1934 until the end of 1940. Since America was not yet in the war Shirer, as an American reporter, was given significant access to the inner workings of the German government. Shirer had to be to...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Brendan Lyons rated it 5 of 5 stars

William L. Shirer wrote the classic "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" based on his experiences as a foreign correspondent and his later exhaustive researches among the captured documents of the fallen regime. This book is his personal diary written during prewar working assignments in Vienna and Berlin and comprises many of the opinions that he was forbidden or unable to publish at the time and they make fascinating reading. Shirer is a prescient observer possessed of a sharp independent mind (...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Owen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ww2, berlin, non-fiction

"Berlin Diary" is one of the more unusual documents to come out of World War II. First published in 1941, not long after America's entry into the war, it acted as a crucial means of informing the American public of the state of affairs in Germany up until the start of the war. Shirer spent the years from 1934 to 1940 in Europe as a foreign correspondent, and was mostly posted in Berlin during that time. As such, he witnessed the rise of Nazi fanaticism from a privileged position, often being giv...more

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May 29, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

1. Worth it just for the terrifying descriptions of early air travel.
2. Interesting to contrast it with Everyman Dies Alone by Hans Falada - Both men were present and they portray the Nazi Party more as a bunch of thugs rather than as totalitarian.
3. Shirer's portrayal of the German public is anti-war and skeptical of Hitler but with little if any empathy for their army's victims, and as favoring authoritarian solutions out of something akin to laziness - not wanting the burden of decision maki...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Marla McMackin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

In Berlin Diary, journalist William Shirer shares his eyewitness accounts of the events leading up and into the earliest days of World War II in Europe. The entries were written while he worked as a newspaper reporter in Paris, and then radio broadcaster in Berlin. In the forward to the original 1941 edition, Shirer explains he had an idea they might one day be published, adding that the “only justification in my own mind was that chance, and the kind of job I had, appeared to be giving me a som...more In Berlin Diary, journalist William Shirer shares his eyewitness accounts of the events leading up and into the earliest days of World War II in Europe. The entries were written while he worked as a newspaper reporter in Paris, and then radio broadcaster in Berlin. In the forward to the original 1941 edition, Shirer explains he had an idea they might one day be published, adding that the “only justification in my own mind was that chance, and the kind of job I had, appeared to be giving me a somewhat unusual opportunity to set down from day to day a first-hand account of a Europe that was already in agony and that, as the months and years unfolded, slipped inexorably towards the abyss of war and self-destruction.” Shirer was not only in a position to take notice of some of the most significant events of the period, but also possessed the skills to rapidly sort them out and effectively show how they contributed to the crises that would become World War II. Journalism is, after-all, history’s first draft.

Shirer is perhaps more well-known for The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany published in 1960. He began his career in 1925 as a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and took a job reporting for the Paris Herald in 1934. He quickly moved on to Berlin for a post with the Universal News Service and was then tapped by Edward R. Murrow to work for CBS Radio. The bulk of the entries appearing in Berlin Diary were written in the German capital, which remained his broadcast base until 1941, when Nazi press censors made it impossible for him to report with any objectivity. It should be noted that, for much of the diary’s duration, the rising conflict in Europe was not a reality for most of the world and Hitler remained largely underestimated. Yet, Shirer almost immediately recognized the Nazi leader’s ability to capture the hearts and minds of the German masses, and therefore, mobilize the destructive forces that would fight to reshape Europe according to their Führer’s design.

In Part I of the work, “Prelude to War,” Shirer reflects on events that span the rising power of Hitler and his Nazi party through the invasion of Poland. Part II, “The War,” continues from there, witnessing Europe’s descent into chaos and concludes when Shirer leaves Germany at the end of 1941, after the United States enters the conflict. Anecdotal entries about Shirer’s life and the lives of his relations in Berlin appear throughout the work. One of the most memorable, considering what history has taught us about the holocaust, is an account of a Jewish friend who comes to Shirer’s home after being released from arrest by the Gestapo. “Many Jews come to us these days for advice or help in getting to England or America, but unfortunately there is little we can do for them” (p. 36). This is one of Shirer’s few allusions to Hitler’s policies toward the Jews, which will draw criticism from some readers. Shirer makes no direct mention of the issue, even the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht. Gordon Craig tries to explain these omissions in the forward to the Johns Hopkins edition of the work: “It is likely that Shirer’s attention was absorbed by the ramifications of Hitler’s repudiation of the disarmament clauses of the Versailles Treaty…It can be argued that he was out of the country during the outrages of November 1938 and unable to give them his usual careful attention.”

Despite receiving critical acclaim upon its initial publication in 1941, scholarly reviews of the work available in historic databases are sparse. However, two reviews obtained through JSTOR are positive. Max Rheinstein of the University of Chicago (1941), credits Shier with making readers “visualize the destruction of towns in conquered Belgium and France; to experience the hopeless plight of the endless columns of refugees upon the roads; the sickening smell of dead flesh; and, in the midst of all the misery of the invasion and the excitement of battle, the cold, quiet, deadly efficiency of the German army,” adding that the reports are accurate and well-informed. Eleanor Lansing Dulles (sister of John Foster and Allen Dulles) reviewed the work in 1990 for Presidential Studies Quarterly. She calls Shirer one of the most perceptive reporters of these years, who helped answer persistent questions as to how and why a strong, intelligent people were swayed for almost two decades by evil and destructive forces.

Berlin Diary is a compelling read that presents a reliable first draft of this period in history that would be most appealing to readers with an interest in history or journalists. While the entire work may require far too much background knowledge for use in a typical secondary education classroom, excerpts from it could be effective. Passages alone or matched with other pre-war accounts could be used to illustrate differing viewpoints, or the many unknowns as this period of history unfolded, including the underestimation of Hitler’s resolve, French weakness and uncertain British capacity and will. Advanced high school students who are already passionate about the topic might be the only willing to take on the 605-page journal.
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Jan 31, 2013 Nicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american, europe, history, ww2, inter-war, factual, diary

I found this a fascinating read. William Shirer was in the heart of Europe during the rise of Nazism and the first two years of the Second World War.

Despite knowing the history, knowing what happened, I was still caught up by the events he described in his diary. Day after day, week after week, month after month, Shirer catalogued the unstoppable Nazi war machine as Hitler turned his attention to one European country after another. Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Fran...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Erik Graff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Shirer fans

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: history

I don't know how much Shirer worked over his notes for this instant history of the Nazi rise to power during his years as a correspondent in Germany, but it was not enough to make this book at all comparable to his excellent The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich or his three-volume autobiography.

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Jun 09, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the gold standard for documenting how a society can succumb to the evils of a dictator. The writer's style stayed true to the diary as he had written it down at great risk to himself in Nazi-held countries. It starts slowly and by almost unnoticeable steps until people start to wonder how they got there. It is the same pattern we see many times except often people in a society do not seem to recognize it and are OK to surrender seemingly minor rights. As with Hitler and the Nazis, one of...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Raymond rated it 4 of 5 stars

We puzzle still that a nation/culture such as Germany could be overtaken by (brutal, genocidal) fascism. I lately reread, "Berlin Diary." It remains fascinating reading - reports from a land we never knew and a land which no longer exists. Here is a porthole documenting the evolving changes in Germany. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that to 1941, when Shirer had to leave, he and others still had relative freedom to travel. They had opportunity to see and sometimes to talk with German and Nazi o...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: an interest in WWII history

Shelves: nonfiction, e-books-read, 5-star, read-2013

Shirer begins by explaining that this work is not an actual diary but rather his notes made on a frequent, but not daily basis, from 1934 to 1940. How prescient for him to realize that he was living through an critical historical period. It is important to note that this is not your typical historical work. These are the notes of a journalist made in the present tense about his observations. some my quibble about the accuracy of those observation but it is important to remember that he was livin...more Shirer begins by explaining that this work is not an actual diary but rather his notes made on a frequent, but not daily basis, from 1934 to 1940. How prescient for him to realize that he was living through an critical historical period. It is important to note that this is not your typical historical work. These are the notes of a journalist made in the present tense about his observations. some my quibble about the accuracy of those observation but it is important to remember that he was living inside Germany for much of this period and subject to the censorship of the Third Reich - much of the information we have available to us today was simply not available to him. On many events he is simply speculating based on information available to him, his experience in Germany and Europe, and his knowledge of the major players in the world arena.
I had some trouble with his seemingly limited references to the holocaust until I realized that he was simply not aware of the extent of the Nazi operation. However, he does make reference to the Nazi hatred of the Jews and the fear resulting from that hatred. While I found myself somewhat put of by his use of the perforative "Jap" when referring to the Japanese, I do think it is a result of the time he lived in than any underlying prejudice.

One of the things that hit home for me was the historical timeline. Even though i've read much about the era, the slow pace of the early war struck me in a way it has not in the past.

I read this as an ebook on and in the kindle format. for those of you using a Kindle Touch I would warn you that there are numerous hyperlinks to the notes and index and it is exceeding easy to click them inadvertently. This was not a problem when I was using my Kindle for iPad as the margin made page terns easy. I think it would not be a problem using one of the other Kindles. But although I really enjoy reading on the Kindle Touch and usually have not problems with it, I found myself often in the index even while I was making an effort to avoid it.(less)

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Jan 04, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While reading the first part of the book (maybe a third or fourth of the way) I wondered why I was reading since I'd read his classic, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and there wasn't anything new. But it was still an enjoyable read. Then it got really interesting after the war started since Shirer was telling what he saw himself and not what he learned from the extensive documents recovered after the war. There was more in this book about how the German citizenry experienced the war. Esp...more

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Aug 11, 2008 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Riveting...compelling...A grim reminder that evil has to be confronted and conquered. A great historical record.

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Sep 07, 2011 Fellini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Читала долго, 2,5 рабочих недели в метро и офисе. Всё же я не умею читать военные хроники - много фамилий, должностей, географии, сложно держать всё в голове. Интересный взгляд на войну с ранее неизвестной мне стороны. Из школьного курса истории про вторую мировую до 1941 г. я, как оказалось, вообще ничего не запомнила.

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Jan 10, 2009 Cynthia Karl rated it 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating book - Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" which I read years ago is an in depth analysis of Hitler's Germany. But this diary provides the reader with the immediacy of the war and what it was like to be in the "thick of things" not knowing the outcome. He has remarkable insight into the reasons behind current events especially given the limited information he was privy too. I don't agree with Shirer's broad analysis of the Germanic people whose attributes he thinks pred...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Nora rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is particularly interesting because Shirer was an eye witness to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi takeover. As indicated in the title, this diary takes place during that time period. Along with being a valuable historical account, this book is valuable for its insights into the causes of the Nazi phenomena and refreshing because of Shirer's decidedly "unpolitically correct" approach. He freely expresses his feelings and opinions. I read this after reading his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Victor Carson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

I enjoyed this famous diary, written by one of Edward R. Morrow's best known war correspondents, William L. Shirer, the CBS bureau chief in Berlin from 1934 until the end of 1940. The work covers all of the major events of that time period, from the overthrow of the Austrian government to the defeat of France and the bombing of the major cities of Britain.

Shirer's description of the primary Nazi, British, French, and Russian characters of that time is very revealing:

Edouard Daladier, the French

...more I enjoyed this famous diary, written by one of Edward R. Morrow's best known war correspondents, William L. Shirer, the CBS bureau chief in Berlin from 1934 until the end of 1940. The work covers all of the major events of that time period, from the overthrow of the Austrian government to the defeat of France and the bombing of the major cities of Britain.

Shirer's description of the primary Nazi, British, French, and Russian characters of that time is very revealing:

Edouard Daladier, the French Premier: "But to resign now, after putting down a fascist coup — for that’s what it was — is either sheer cowardice or stupidity. Important too is the way the Communists fought on the same side of the barricades last night as the fascists. I do not like that."

The treachery of Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss: "I weep for my Social Democrat friends, the most decent men and women I’ve known in Europe. How many of them are being slaughtered tonight, I wonder. And there goes democracy in Austria, one more state gone."

The ability of Hitler to seize the initiative regarding the Rhineland: "It argued that the Locarno pact had been rendered “extinct” by the Franco-Soviet pact, that Germany therefore no longer regarded itself as bound by it, and that the “German Government has therefore, as from today, restored the full and unrestricted sovereignty of the Reich in the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland.”"

The mindset of the German soldiers: "When the Führer in his Reichstag speech said that we would no longer tolerate the suppression of ten million German comrades beyond our borders, then you know as soldiers of the air force that, if it is to be, you must back these words of the Führer to the limit. We are burning to prove our invincibility.”"

The French refusal to accept blame for their defeat: "“That is what America has done to us.” Perhaps so, but I think it is what France has done to herself. France has lost something she had when I arrived here fourteen years ago: her taste, part of her soul, the sense of her historical mission. Corruption everywhere, class selfishness partout and political confusion complete."

The French phony war: "There was a complete collapse of French society and of the French soul. Secondly, there was either treachery or criminal negligence in the High Command and among the high officers in the field. Among large masses of troops Communist propaganda had won the day. And its message was: “Don’t fight.”"

The diary reveals the sheer folly of allowing Hitler's first acts of war to go unpunished: allowing the overthrow of Austria, the re-militarizing of the Rhineland, the division of Czechoslovakia, and, finally, the invasions of Poland, Norway, and Sweeden. That Shirer was able to operate in Berlin at all, and to travel freely between Germany and Switzerland and even into occupied France, is amazing. As America drew nearer to joining the war on the side of Britain, of course, that period of "freedom" came to an end. As one of only a handful of foreign correspondents to operate within Germany at that time, Shirer was in a perfect position to recognize the depth of the evil he beheld. Berlin Diary is a fascinating portrait of that time and place.

Shirer's final thoughts upon leaving Europe at the end of 1940: "For a time I stood against the rail watching the lights recede on a Europe in which I had spent all fifteen of my adult years, which had given me all of my experience and what little knowledge I had. It had been a long time, but they had been happy years, personally, and for all people in Europe they had had meaning and borne hope until the war came and the Nazi blight and the hatred and the fraud and the political gangsterism and the murder and the massacre and the incredible intolerance and all the suffering and the starving and cold and the thud of a bomb blowing the people in a house to pieces, the thud of all the bombs blasting man’s hope and decency."

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Aug 19, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-nonfiction

Berlin Diary, by William L. Shirer, Narrated by Tom Weiner, Produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

By the acclaimed journalist and New York Times best-selling author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day eyewitness account of the momentous
events leading up to World War II in Europe is the private, personal, utterly revealing journal of a great foreign correspondent.CBS radio broadcaster
William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there mig...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Rowland Bismark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs, war Ruth Andreas-Friedrich Teil eines informellen Berlin Widerstandsgruppe, die sich aus Journalisten, Ärzten und anderen Fachleuten vorgenommen. Counterfeiting Papiere, arbeitet dem Schwarzen Markt und den Austausch von Unterkunft, halfen sie sich zu verstecken, ernähren und kleiden, Juden und anderen "Illegalen", während die überlebenden Bombenangriffe und die Vermeidung der Gestapo. Sie versuchten auch Gnade für Häftlinge erhalten durch sympathische Beamten. Un...more Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs, war Ruth Andreas-Friedrich Teil eines informellen Berlin Widerstandsgruppe, die sich aus Journalisten, Ärzten und anderen Fachleuten vorgenommen. Counterfeiting Papiere, arbeitet dem Schwarzen Markt und den Austausch von Unterkunft, halfen sie sich zu verstecken, ernähren und kleiden, Juden und anderen "Illegalen", während die überlebenden Bombenangriffe und die Vermeidung der Gestapo. Sie versuchten auch Gnade für Häftlinge erhalten durch sympathische Beamten. Und sie folgten dem Verlauf des Krieges in einem Abstand, im Geheimen auf britische Radio, gefiltert durch Nazi-Propaganda und durch Mundpropaganda.

Andreas-Friedrich-Tagebücher in Berlin Underground bieten ein lebendiges Porträt dieses Lebens, von 1938 bis zum Ende des Krieges. Sie vermitteln die Klaustrophobie des Lebens unter einem totalitären Regime, sondern auch die laufenden Normalität des Alltags und die Einschränkungen auf Widerstand. (Die meisten aggressiven Akt ihrer Gruppe war ein Diebstahl aus einer Polizeistation bei einem Luftangriff.)

"Haben die Menschen nicht davon elf Jahre Erfahrung mit der Gestapo gelernt, zu schweigen?

True, wird nicht schweigen bringen jeden zu stürzen. Das ist das tragische Teil unserer Misere. Wenn wir planen reden, und Verbündete rekrutieren wir gehängt werden, unter zehn Personen gibt es immer einen, der verräterische oder lose Munde ist. Doch wenn wir schweigen, und nur vent unsere Empörung in den eigenen vier Wänden, dann sind wir noch immer die Nazis. Das Dilemma bleibt das gleiche. "[26 Juni 1944:]

Das Ergebnis ist fesselnde Lektüre, Mischen Engaging persönlichen Geschichten und aufschlussreiche allgemeine Beobachtungen.
In vieler Hinsicht interessanter als die früheren Band, nimmt Battleground Berlin die Geschichte mit dem Fall der Berliner zu den Russen. Das brachte neue Gefahren: Massenvergewaltigungen, gesetzlosen Aneignung von Gütern sowohl Russen und Deutschen, unberechenbar Dekrete, und der Kampf um das Einfrieren im Winter ohne Strom überleben. Wenn Reihenfolge zurückgegeben gab es noch die Probleme im Umgang mit mehreren Währungen, schwarzen Märkten, Spekulation, Rationen und schlank - und das frühe Spannungen und Konflikte des Kalten Krieges, in denen Berlin war direkt an der Frontlinie.

"Die Bereiche um die Allied Offiziersmesse Hallen wimmelt Trophäenjägern. Catch, sie denken und mit nach Hause nehmen, dass die Dosen weggeworfen wurden, zu kratzen sie aus, leckt sie sauber zu waschen oder die Reste mit Wasser in die Suppe. Catch ! Sie sind hungrig genug, es nicht Ekel Sie. In den Jahren seit dem Krieg, Tausende, die "kannte einmal bessere Tage" aufgehört haben, Ekel. " [11. September 1946:]

Die Wiederbelebung der Politik sah einen erfolgreichen Kampf um die Berliner SPD von der Zwangsvereinigung mit der Kommunistischen Partei zu retten, sondern auch die Zersplitterung der Andreas-Friedrich-Kreis von Freunden, die zuvor von Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus verbunden. Kann als Zeitungsredakteur, wenn nur das Wesentliche zu eingeliefert wurden durch die Berliner Luftbrücke, Andreas-Friedrich Arbeit verließ Berlin im Dezember 1948.

Hinweis: Andreas-Friedrich Gruppe erhielt den Titel "Onkel Emil"-Gruppe, die nach ihrem Codewort-System. Die Eltern meiner Mutter waren Teil einer ähnlichen "Onkel Ernst"-Gruppe, die in der Vorbemerkung zu Berlin Underground erwähnt wird.
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May 13, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

By the acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, this day-by-day, eyewitness account of the momentous events leading up to World War II in Europe is now available in a new paperback edition.

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s—specifically those sections dealing with the collapse of the European democracies and the rise of Nazi Germ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, military, non-fiction

I certainly picked up a bit more info about some of what preceded America's involvement in WWII from Shirer's account as a foreign correspondent. The British and French were wholly fooled by Hitler's plans and bold moves. Once Churchill became Prime Minister, that changed for the British, but the French went from having their own country to coming under the Nazi bootheel in 5 weeks due to leadership blunders on a massive scale on both diplomatic and military fronts. If you're interested in seein...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shirer was an American journalist from Iowa who spent most of the 30s covering the rise of Nazism. He had to hide his diary while in Germany because if it had been discovered, he knew he could end up in a concentration camp or jail. Shirer knew the Nazis were completely evil from the git-go. He really disliked the German citizenry too because he felt they acted like a bunch of braindead lemmings who blindly followed Hitler. This is an older book, but a great read.

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Mar 29, 2013 Jim Mather rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent 'insider' view of the steady walk into darkness of Germany under Hitler. William Shirer was a journalist (radio) working for CBS in Germany during Hitler's early days in power and through his march across Europe early in World War Two. William gives us a front row seat on how evil masks itself and over time left unchecked destroys the passive and the unaware. A sobering reminder of the price needed to maintain liberty in any time and in any society.

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Jul 12, 2009 Greg Northrup rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a book. This contemporaneous account of the rise of the Third Reich not only brings the historical events to life, but avoids the problem of retrofitting convenient narratives and causality to past events - as most historians are wont to do. One of the more interesting insights Shirer brings to light is that the credulity of the German people in the face of Goebbel's propaganda machine has been somewhat overstated. The obfuscation and absurdity present in the German media was as obvious the...more

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Jan 20, 2008 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people born in the 1930s

I missed reading this in 1941 when it first came out so when i saw it on sale for $4.95 I snatched it up.

In it Shirer gives a day by day account of his life reporting on the rise of Adolph Hitler.

Shirer said it was getting harder and harder to get out any truth past the Nazi censors so he quit as 1941 began.

In his last days he said this about one of his fellow news reporters who Germany hired to report the news in English:

This reporter opened his news broadcast with these words: "Ladies and gent...more

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Jan 04, 2009 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars

An oustanding work, unique since Shirer was appearantly one of the few foreign corresondants that remained in Europe so deep into what was the greatest war of the century - a very interesting look into what Europe was really like at that precarious time and what life is like at street level during war time. I loved this book.

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May 05, 2013 Max rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read the first half of this on my trip to Berlin in February. I enjoyed it during the trip, but lost interest once I got back home. Interesting first person discussion of the outbreak of WWII told from the perspective of a correspondent who was covering it. It was engaging, and it met, but did not exceed, my expectations.

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Aug 01, 2010 Holly Procida rated it 3 of 5 stars

It really is unfathomable to me that William Shirer and so many other insightful professionals could have been in the midst of the Nazi regime and have no idea of the true horrors that were being inflicted in the concentration camps. These diaries give a picture of wartime for Germans. It is easy to historically forget that all parties suffer in wartime. It is especially difficult for a late 20th century American who has never lived a war-torn country to understand all of this. I try as much as...more

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Feb 29, 2012 John Moonitz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Incredible and riveting diary of Shirer, a journalist living in Berlin during the rise of Hitler's Nazi Germany . . . It is fantastic reading these first hand impressions of events that have become so well known to me over the years! Another must-read for all history buffs!!

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Mar 05, 2013 David Wrubel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Spectacular day to day account of pre-War Berlin. Scary, incredible, tragic, but true. This account by one of the twentieth century's great historians, is a excellent companion piece to the more recent "In the Garden of Beasts," by Erik Larson.

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About William L. Shirer

William 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...more

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Books by William L. Shirer

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

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title link	preview: Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23756.Berlin_Diary?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347368057l/23756.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23756.Berlin_Diary?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41 by William L. Shirer[/url]

Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-41

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