Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 04, 2012

Moonbutterfly rated it:

How did the Nazis establish a dictatorship with such little resistance? This is the question Evans answers in the first volume of his highly acclaimed trilogy.

The main point the author makes is Hitler didn't happen in a vacuum. Evans wants the reader to understand the Nazis were a product of the times. Antisemitism, paramilitaries, radical groups, extreme nationalism, and violence were fairly common at the time. Evans presents these ideas well with the exception of one - antisemitis More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

Jeff rated it:

This is the first book in Richard J Evan's Third Reich trilogy, and it is a brilliantly written, thoroughly researched, and engrossing journey through the history of Germany from the nineteenth century to 1933 when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Evans has a particularily unique backstory as a historian. When the so-called historian David Irving, who was a blatent Holocaust denier, sued some of his collegues for accusing him skuing historical sources to make his arguments, Richard J. Evans wa More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 14, 2008

Erik rated it:

Reading Furst's novels set in Europe before and during WWII reminded me that I read this book last winter and liked it quite enough that I should have read the second volume in the proposed trilogy by now. It is very readable, very accessible. Too, Evans traces the roots of Naziism back to Bismarck in such a way that convinced me. Scholars haggle over whether the Nazis were inevitable; Evans seems to think not but that the Depression coupled with the failure of Weimar made them inescapable. More...

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2011

David rated it:

A nicely written book that goes into some detail giving the context and conditions that allowed the Nazi party's rise to power. Many aspects of the political and societal impact were covered, including the immediate attacks on the arts and culture in general that were carried out by the Nazis and other citizens (esp. university students!) This book aptly conveys the loss that these events betokened -- even before they started exterminating people en masse. The rich and literate culture of German More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Nilesh added it

For a variety of reasons, this unique book is perhaps much more important than other books on Third Reich or WW2.

If we do not ever want to see genocide or state murder perpetuated by a government elected by an educated democratic society, this book is a must. We often forget the blindsides of a democracy not supported by undemocratic basic or constitutionally protected principles. After reading this book, one may be able to realize why everything can not simply be left to majority - there are so More...

0 comments like

Apr 02, 2011

Marks54 rated it:

I had been wanting to read the three book series by Evans on the Third Reich and when I saw Audible.com had a new membership program with two free credits, I decided to attack the series on my Ipod Classic. This book is the first volume. It is very well done and very thorough in its depiction of how the Nazis came to power in Germany. This book takes the story up to the point where Hitler becomes Chancellor, so it goes from some general historical background, through the 1920's, and up throug More...

0 comments like

Apr 08, 2009

Nick rated it:

Much better than the second book in the series, an expert, bone-rattling survey of the years prior to the Enabling Act. Excellent coverage of the Weimar's economic problems during the years of Versailles, the Young Plan and the hyperinflationary era. The preface is also noteworthy, explaining Evans's plan and answering (what seemed to me an important question) why these books are necessary despite epics like Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Kerhsaw's biography Hitler.
----- More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2010

Tom rated it:

New (for me) insights into the general features of ultra right-wing or nationalist movements and the unfortunate social / economic forces that enable them to thrive. Less Hitler-centric than Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich;" provides a more comprehensive treatment of the various factors (many that pre-date WW1) that ultimately led to the collapse of Weimar democracy.

It's amazing how many of the tactics perfected by the NSDAP are still in use today: rallying voters More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 05, 2010

Becky rated it:

I selected this book because of being curious how the Nazi's gained power and how such insanity took over. I was not disappointed. This is the first of a trilogy about Nazi Germany written by an English history professor. It's fairly new (2004) and examines many aspects of German politics, society, art, education, science leading up to and post World War I. I knew that the WWI defeat of Germany and the subsequent treatment, followed by the Great Depression were part of what enabled Hitler and hi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 03, 2010

Greg rated it:

This book is an overview of how or why the Third Reich happened. It's a great big sweeping survey with like a hundred pages of footnotes and a bibliography to point readers towards just about every fact and source Evans used.

It's a complicated story. Unlike what my (and maybe your) high school teacher said, it wasn't inflation. It wasn't because the Germans hate Jews, it wasn't because of the Treaty of Versailles, or any other one reason. It was a whole slew of reasons that all More...

20 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jan 25, 2010

Kelly rated it:

This is a deftly constructed, comprehensive survey of German history from approximately the First World War to the ascension of Hitler as chancellor in 1933. Writing for the general reader with little or no familiarity with the subject, Evans has set out to synthesize a variety of historical perspectives in the existing literature on the subject. The consequence is a welcome achievement. If nothing else, this compendium ("The Coming of the Third Reich" is the first of three books in a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 05, 2011

Eric rated it:

I have always been interested in World War II (almost said a fan, but I realized that really doesn’t sound right). I have read a few histories of the war in general (usually centering on the war in Europe) and a couple of biographies of Hitler himself (including taking a class at UVa on the subject). In all of these histories, however, the story of the rise and fall of the Third Reich have usually been treated at a high level, with no real detail of what happened, why and how. More importantl More...

0 comments like

Oct 03, 2009

Mark rated it:

This is a great book on how Hitler and the Nazis came to power. It places that event within the politics and culture of Germany of the time. I was shocked to learn how the Nazis were abetted by parties that were conservative or anti-democratic or pro-monarchist and even Catholic.

Our era has so many parallels to the Weimar Republic era - harsh political rhetoric, a disrespect for reasoned dialogue, the conservative use of the "big lie", violent overtones (like people sho More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 03, 2011

Bill rated it:

This is the first volume in a three volume series. The author has succeeded in writing a comprehensive history that in my opinion will replace The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich as the most authoritative source for an horrific and fascinating era. This book can easily be read by the general audience with little knowledge of the topic and at the same time is full of detail based upon the extensive research shown in eighty pages of footnotes and a fifty page bibliography. The author's analysis o More...

0 comments like

Jul 03, 2009

Maureen rated it:

Every question I had about how and why Hitler was able to rise to prominence and so swiftly overtake not just the political but also the cultural, educational, and military institutions in Germany has been answered. Drawing upon documents that were only released after the downfall of the U.S.S.R. as well as other newly discovered source materials, Evans has written a new benchmark by which all other histories of the rise of Nazism will be measured.

Evans demonstrates an ability tha More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 12, 2009

Bill rated it:

With a mother raised in Nazi Germany, I have a real interest in how the Nazis came to power, and this book provides a lucid and readable explanation. I'm no historian so cannot comment on the accuracy of what Evans writes, but I was impressed with his thoroughness and readability. The book starts 60 years before the rise of Hitler to the Chancellorship so that the reader gets a feeling for the political and cultural environment that led to the rise of this terrible movement. I've read many dif More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Filip rated it:

Fascinating read. Very well-researched, well-written, without ever losing momentum. "The Weimar Republic" would actually have been a more accurate title (but would probably have attracted less of a readership). How a democracy can be undermined from within by anti-democratic elements, and how well-meaning citizens and politicians let it happen. One is reminded of certain contemporary politicians who obviously must have studied this period closely, because they are copying many of the More...

0 comments like

Nov 21, 2010

Ray rated it:

Many people must have wondered how a Country such as Germany ended up with the Nazi's in power with a leader such as Hitler. If so, this is a great book to read. Evans provides a very detailed review of German politics, economics, and leadership in the 1920's through the 1930's. With a suffering economy and a succession of ineffective governments, Hitler was able to gradually build a base of protest voters. While never gaining a majority, Hitler was able to ultimately gain power and then imp More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2010

Rogier rated it:

Being that I read most of my stuff about WW2 nearly 40 years ago, it was very helpful to read this book, and appreciate the depth of new knowledge that has evolved since that time. With distance the temptation of easy judgment also has receded, which helps to focus the mind on the current relevance of the story.

It is sobering to realize how much the Nazi's were able to ride a wave of discontent and disorganization towards a power grab, without ever actually obtaining an absolute majo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Mike rated it:

How remarkable is the dramatic history of a nation that only came into a unified state in 1871? This intense history, the first of a three part epic by the author, is both scholarly and approachable. So many events over several tumultuous decades led to the rise of Nazism, beginning with the ambitious dictates of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the 1870s; the stunning defeat of World War II and the crushing reparations that followed; the hyperinflation of the early 1920s. It's not difficult to come away fr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 02, 2011

you know rated it:

"The slow blade penetrates the shield" frank herbert

There were so many things that led to the Nazis coming to power. It was not a mandate from the masses as often portrayed in film. The book sifts through all of the dates, time, and people involved with Germany at the end of the 19th century. These serve to bring light to this dark time and explain, in part how the educated masses could fall under the "spell" of the nazis.

Truth be told there was not a spe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 28, 2010

James rated it:

This, the 1st volume of the celebrated trilogy by Richard J Evans, is a long way from my reading of William L Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. That opus is in my distant teenaged past, and for that reason it's hard for me to say definitely that Evans's work is an improvement on the understanding of those tumultuous years. My inclination is that it is because so much more has been revealed in the intervening years and because Evans has left out much drama and personality to focus More...

6 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2010

Matt rated it:

In the life of every World War II buff, there comes a point where he or she must ask this question: Have I read enough books about the Nazis? Actually, with the arrogance of youth, I thought I’d never come to that point.

Let’s face it, the Nazis are fascinating. There has never been, and God willing will never be again, anything like them. It’s not just that they killed a lot of people because, unfortunately, genocide is nothing new to history. It’s the way they did it. The concept o More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2009

Melanie rated it:

This book was so good, I'm not on page 100 of the second volume, "The Third Reich in Power." What's so good about it? A few things. Of course, it adds to what I knew or was taught about the Third Reich already. But what's more interesting is how there is more to know, as well, by which I mean, there are more declassified sources and, as the events recede into the past, we can get a wider view. Evans starts his book with the terrific opening sentence, "Is it wrong to start wit More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 21, 2010

Nathan rated it:

Richard Evans begins his history of the Third Reich with, fortunately, more of a bang than a whimper. The focus of this initial volume is the contemporary political climates from which Nazism arose, against which it fought, and which were subsumed into the growing political ideology that would be refined into the Hitlerian worldview. Evans is not always sufficiently clear in characterizing and differentiating these several political movements, especially in light of our current binary Left/Right More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 12, 2008

mandy rated it:

i started this book (the first of 3) awhile ago. it's taken me awhile to get through it b/c of its heavy subject matter. i have to take a break every once in a while and read some fiction! also, and i hate admitting this--the author uses some 'big words' that i don't know so i'm constantly hitting up my little notebook dictionary! but i'm definitely learning alot, and it's interesting. evans goes into great detail about germany before the nazis came to power. the only thing i wish he had d More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 25, 2011

Aleksandr rated it:

Interesting, well-written and insightful study of the Nazis' "seizure of power" (Machtergreifung) and the Weimar Republic. Evans strikes a great balance between highlighting sweeping trends and pointing out the "telling detail". Even though I thought I knew a fair amount about my national history, it turns out that my teachers erred rather on the side of the left wing (my history teacher insisted that the Nazis burned the Reichstag, for example). Evans treats left, right, cen More...

0 comments like

Jul 16, 2009

Ron rated it:

A thorough, readable summary of the events and conditions in Germany giving rise to the Third Reich. We understand that while economic and political turmoil between 1918 and 1933 had much to do with Hitler and his supporters coming into power, various beliefs and practices in German society and culture from at least as far back as the times of Bismarck helped clear the path. We also learn what opportunities may have still existed as late as even weeks before Hitler became reichschancellor to ste More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 04, 2011

Janice rated it:

After reading Eric Larson's book 'In the Garden of the Beasts' which was an amazing book as well I was lead to read a book to help me understand how this dictatorship came about. It wasn't just Hitler. There were so many factors that lead to this tragedy. Richard Evans does not leave out details and I'll not remember the numerous names and parties that came into play but he is a very readable and thorough writer and I have much more understanding of this period than I ever did before.

0 comments like

Jul 03, 2009

Claire marked it as to-read

Sounds very useful! I think I have a thumbnail sketch of these events, but am not even sure about that. Would be great to be so grounded in these crucial goings-on.

Was especially glad to hear that it starts back in the time of Bismark - some of our relatives atleast came over to avoid his conscription..

I'll be interested to see if any US involvement is mentioned along the way as well.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

reviews