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The Third Reich in Power

(The History of the Third Reich #2)

Richard J. Evans

4.31 · Rating details · 5,649 ratings · 274 reviews

The definitive account of Germany's malign transformation under Hitler's total rule and the implacable march to war

This magnificent second volume of Richard J. Evans's three-volume history of Nazi Germany was hailed by Benjamin Schwartz of the Atlantic Monthly as "the definitive English-language account... gripping and precise." It chronicles the incredible story of Germ ...more

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Paperback, 941 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Penguin Books (first published October 20th 2005)

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

World War II history & novels

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Sep 05, 2015 Andrew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: germany, politics-and-political-theory, czech-republic, economics-business-finance, austria, european-history

The Third Reich in Power, by Richard J. Evans, is the second book in Evans Third Reich trilogy on the rise and fall of the Nazi's in Germany. The book takes place after the events of his last book, titled The Coming of the Third Reich, which focuses primarily on the ideological background and rising nationalism and fascism in Germany in the 1920's and early 1930's.

His second book focuses primarily on the Third Reich in power in Germany (as the title may suggest...) from 1933, until the outbreak The Third Reich in Power, by Richard J. Evans, is the second book in Evans Third Reich trilogy on the rise and fall of the Nazi's in Germany. The book takes place after the events of his last book, titled The Coming of the Third Reich, which focuses primarily on the ideological background and rising nationalism and fascism in Germany in the 1920's and early 1930's.

His second book focuses primarily on the Third Reich in power in Germany (as the title may suggest...) from 1933, until the outbreak of WWII in late 1939, which is the subject of the next book. Hitler used his 6 years in power to purge Germany of those deemed dangerous to the German political sphere and to German racial hegemony. Political dissidents, opposing factions, Jews, other minorities and those with disabilities, as well as homosexuals, were terrorized, robbed and ultimately placed into camps which alluded to the horrifying plans the Nazi's had during the War.

Evans does an excellent job chronicling this period of history. He does not editorialize Nazi motives (nor does he need to, as they are so horrifying to begin with) and focuses on "just the facts."
Evans examines everything. Art and Culture are examined, where leading Nazi officials looked to control the art world in Germany to encourage racial and cultural homogeneity. The integration of Nazi ideology into everyday lives is also explored in great detail, with the inclusion of many cultural institutions, from churches to swimming clubs and libraries, all conforming to Nazi ideals.

Evans also examines Hitler's centralization of power after taking power. Nationalists are quietly retired from the government, and potential naysayers are purged from military and political positions. Jews and dissenters are fired from work, and Jewish companies are closed and divided up by their Germany competitors. The economy is examined in detail, as the economy begins its rapid ascent into militarization. Large German firms begin to divide the spoils of those who are incarcerated under the Nazi regime. Newly annexed territories are also brought into the German economy. Works projects including architectural works and the Autobahn are begun. Germany's balance of trade also begins to suffer in this time, as the price of German goods becomes unattractive on the world market.

Internationally, Germany re-annexes the Saarland, reoccupies the Rhineland, and receives territorial concessions from Czechoslovakia and Lithuania. Austria is annexed directly into the Reich. Germany also ends its political isolation, by formulating political ties with Italy, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Trade is secured with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and much of Eastern Europe. Non-aggression pacts are signed with Poland and the Soviet Union (ironically, in both cases). Japan becomes an attractive ally as well.

Evans book is incredibly detailed. Everything that you need to know about how the Third Reich operated in between 1933-1939 is laid out in detail, with all the monstrous details needed. This is a terrifying time in history, and Evans The Third Reich in Power is the definitive book, and part of the definitive trilogy, on Germany's Nazi years. A must read for those interested in this time period. There is much to learn in this book. ...more

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Jun 22, 2013 Arghya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, war, non-fiction, social, germany, ww2, read-in-2013

This is a splendid book. Without obsessing over the brutality and sadism of individual Nazi party members, this book provides a complete and unnerving account of how the Nazis, after coming in power, "won" the support of German people. It also vividly portrays the important contribution of Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Propaganda minister, in mobilizing the people to a war for the "Living space". I am simply swept away by the coherent representation of the details of the Nazi regime. I am surprised ...more

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Sep 17, 2020 Hadrian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, history, politics-political-science, germany

The second volume of Sir Richard Evans' trilogy, focusing on the social changes and foreign policy moves of the Third Reich from January 1933- August 1939.

“If ever a state merited being called totalitarian, then it was the Third Reich," concludes Evans. He writes on their attempts to form a 'people's community' based on the barbarity of 1930s race science and its relentless drive to a continental war. He writes, however, that many of the Nazis' beliefs - on an "Aryan" race and the glamorization ...more

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Jun 18, 2020 Dimitri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-two

Jess and ordinary Germans alike must've felt like the frogs in a pan of boiling water, except there was nowhere to jump. The "golden years" of the Nazi regime was all about tightening the screw, curtailing liberties & putting the economy on a war footing while mentally steeling the youth, who eventually became the most eager element, but even those coming of age for military service found the constant group activities of the Hitlerjugend a chore.

The absence of war enthusiasm in 1939 - contrasted ...more

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Dec 02, 2016 Sebastien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The 2nd volume in Richard Evans' trilogy on the Third Reich. Comprehensive and meticulously researched. Well-written. Not quite as interesting to me as the first volume which focused on how and why German democracy devolved into a violent terrorist regime.

This volume focuses on how the Nazis consolidated power from 33-39 and the kind of policies they enacted, their coercive methods, and how they ran their police state. I've read some interesting critiques that Evans seems to overemphasize the Na The 2nd volume in Richard Evans' trilogy on the Third Reich. Comprehensive and meticulously researched. Well-written. Not quite as interesting to me as the first volume which focused on how and why German democracy devolved into a violent terrorist regime.

This volume focuses on how the Nazis consolidated power from 33-39 and the kind of policies they enacted, their coercive methods, and how they ran their police state. I've read some interesting critiques that Evans seems to overemphasize the Nazis coercing of the broader German population while underemphasizing the populations' enthusiasm and support of the regime. This critique seems valid, but there is no doubt as to the coercive nature and intimidatory tactics of the Nazi state and that this played a major role in forcing many to fall into line behind the regime.

One fascinating point that surprised me: Evans claimed there was a generational divide between parents and children. As he argues it children and young adults tended to be more enthusiastic supporters of the Nazis, while the parental/older generation were more leery and less-inclined to buy into the Nazi kool-aid. I don't know how much this makes sense to me as it seemed that many WWI veterans (older generation) had a lot of anger against the Allies and hence were thirsting for revenge... but it was an interesting point that Evans made. Made me think about some of the generational divides in our politics here in the US.

I was a bit surprised as to Evans' reliance upon William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as a source. Evans had some explicit criticisms of Shirer at the beginning of the 1st volume. That said his use of Shirer's work as a primary source works well, since Shirer was on the ground level in Germany throughout the Nazi regime's rise. It made me curious as to how Shirer and his work are viewed (I personally haven't read his work), there is a nice reddit thread in the askhistorians section on this, some of the comments also touch upon Evans' work: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorian...

Would seem that as a historical work Shirer's book is better viewed as a primary source than as a history that showcases deep historical analysis.

I'll def be finishing up this series as I really enjoy Evans writing and his historical analysis of this era. I just found out he has a new massive book that came out on 19th century Europe. Another book I had to add to my endless exponentially growing to read list! ...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Mikey B. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: germany, world-war-ii

This is a detailed and sociological analysis of Hitler and the Nazi regime’s years in power prior to the outbreak of war in 1939.

The author pursues various themes: Germany as a police state, the suppression and take-over of all media, the struggle with the Churches, the appropriation of business and putting it on a war footing, the indoctrination and manipulation of the people (by the Hitler Youth, subsidized vacations…), the war against German Jews for the support of racial purification and fin This is a detailed and sociological analysis of Hitler and the Nazi regime’s years in power prior to the outbreak of war in 1939.

The author pursues various themes: Germany as a police state, the suppression and take-over of all media, the struggle with the Churches, the appropriation of business and putting it on a war footing, the indoctrination and manipulation of the people (by the Hitler Youth, subsidized vacations…), the war against German Jews for the support of racial purification and finally the foreign achievements (the annexation of the Rhineland, Austria…)

All this is approached from the internal German perspective; little is mentioned of Germany’s traditional enemy France and all the foreign tensions Hitler created during this period. So do not look to this book for a broad European context.

There were times where I felt that the author over-emphasized the coerciveness of the Nazi regime – as if Germans were forced into Nazism. So many photos and films with joyful flag-waving Germans (like on the cover of my paperback edition) illustrate the enthusiasm with which the German people revered their country and leader with little in the way of compulsion. Many followed him to the bitter end.

There was a tendency through-out the book to quote those who dissented with Nazism, rather than those who loved it. The author cites examples coming from Social Democrats and/or Communists who were underground or in exile. Sometimes it is difficult to understand when these opinions were given – those after wars’ end could possibly be discounted. He also excludes working class Germans from the evils of Nazism (on page 216 of my edition): “anti-Semitism had become widespread in German culture… though it never had much purchase in the organized working class”. Was not the bulk of the SA from the working class? Who was the audience of Der Sturmer?

Mr. Evans almost gives the impression at times that Nazi rule was merely tolerated – as if they converted Germans into automatons obeying commands. The enthusiasm with which the German people subjected entire parts of Europe and North Africa does not bear this out.

Nevertheless the author is very thorough and scores points with how Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry reduced Germany’s newspapers and radio to become mouthpieces of Nazism. There was little room after 1933 for “deviant” thought and expression. He is very correct in pointing out the raison d’etre of the regime was to prepare for war and subjugate Europe. Nazism constantly imbued the German people with their alleged racial superiority over all others. Mr. Evans discusses this racist nationalism towards the end of the book.

He does provide many valuable details of Nazi methodology and how quickly all these came into play after the acquisition of power in 1933. I do not feel he answers all the questions (and perhaps no one can) of how Germany pursued war so vigorously and why they adored a leader who led them on such a disastrous path.
...more

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Oct 27, 2016 Lewis Weinstein rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: a-research, a-history-bio-memoir

I am reading parts of this book whenever the history converges with the plot as I write the sequel to my recently published novel A Flood of Evil. It is excellent. ...more

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Oct 14, 2017 Charles Haywood rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the second of three volumes in Richard Evans’s massive history of the Third Reich. I noted in my review of the first volume of this trilogy, “The Coming of the Third Reich,” that Evans does not offer revisionist history, and that “the same bad people do the same bad things that anyone who has read about this period already knows about.” That statement is true of this volume as well, but the difference is that this “middle” period is less well-known than the other periods Evans covers, so ...more

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Nov 03, 2011 fourtriplezed rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-2, history

If there are better books on the subject of the Third Reich being in power pre WW2 I would indeed like to read them. These volumes will be my reference points for many years to come.

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Dec 28, 2008 AC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fascism

This book is a bit harder to read (though it reads well) than vol. I -- largely because of its subject matter which, until the final chapter, necessarily takes a topical approach -- and because so much of the specifics of fascist and nazi social organization (such as the educational organization, the Italian's dopolavoro and Germany's Kraft durch Freude, social policy, etc. etc.) offers this reader (at least) the picture of a vast and squalid tedium. For all that, there of much of great interest ...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Bettie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-2012, nazi-related, spring-2013, summer-2013, tbr-busting-2012, books-about-books-and-book-shops, history, series, nonfiction, art-forms

This describes Nazi Germany during the so-called "peacetime" period, picking up where the first volume left off, and going all the way up to the start of World War II in 1939.

(view spoiler) This describes Nazi Germany during the so-called "peacetime" period, picking up where the first volume left off, and going all the way up to the start of World War II in 1939.

(view spoiler)

4* The Coming of the Third Reich
4* The Third Reich in Power
TR The Third Reich at War

TBE Busting 2013 ...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Lazarus P Badpenny Esq rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: wannabee sociopath dictator-types

Shelves: death, germany, ideas, tyranny, austria, 2010, the-proper-study-of-mankind, 2-kewl-4-skewl, twentieth-century

"...by 1938 it had become clear that the neglect of intellectual abilities was causing serious problems, since a large proportion of the pupils could not grasp even the fairly basic political ideas that the teachers were trying to transmit to them."

Is anti-intellectualism the designed obsolescence of totalitarianism?

"At the Belgian border crossing, huge numbers of rabbits appear one day and declare that they are political refugees. "The Gestapo wants to arrest all giraffes as enemies of the stat ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Marks54 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the second part of trilogy by Richard Evans - a biography of the Nazi state. This volume covers the seizure and consolidation of power by the Nazis from the beginning of 1933 until the "Night of the Long Knives" when the SA was purged and through the remilitarization of Germany and the beginnings of the anti-Jewish activities, the beginnings of the final solution, and the final diplomacy leading up to the beginning of WW2 in September 1939. The story is well known but Evans brings a weal ...more

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Dec 02, 2019 Mohamed al-Jamri rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nazi-germany-wwi-wwii

Very detailed. Quite interesting in the beginning and end, but the middle part is just boring with the huge amount of detail given to each facet of life during the Third Reich.

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Jun 04, 2009 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: anthropology-sociology, non-fiction, nazism, reference, history

The second book in a trilogy has a hard job to fulfill: it delineates most of the "meat and bones" of its subject matter, without either the newness and excitement of the introductory volume, or the anticipation of a satisfactory conclusion, waiting to be experienced in the third. That being said, this book is indispensable to understanding how in six and a half short years, Hitler and his associates were able to transform Germany from an economically ravaged, morally, emotionally and physically The second book in a trilogy has a hard job to fulfill: it delineates most of the "meat and bones" of its subject matter, without either the newness and excitement of the introductory volume, or the anticipation of a satisfactory conclusion, waiting to be experienced in the third. That being said, this book is indispensable to understanding how in six and a half short years, Hitler and his associates were able to transform Germany from an economically ravaged, morally, emotionally and physically depleted country to a mostly revitalized economy capable of invading Saarland, Malme, Austria and Czechoslovakia before the French and the British took any substantive action.

I found this book to be mind-blowing for a number reasons: first, it lays out in detail that even before the Reichstag fire in 1933, Hitler, along with Goring, Goebbels and a handful of others, had a plan for world domination that was driven by Hitler's absolute certainty that he was invincible. While this certainly was not the case, there was virtually no opposition to his quest for power in the early days. In part, this was because within Germany's borders opposition was met with vicious physical force. Also, while other countries sought to rebuild their economies based upon an assumption of peace, Hitler immediately made Germany's rearmament his number one priority upon gaining the Chancellorship.

Equally disturbing is the lengths the Third Reich went to to insinuate itself into every single facet of German life. Not satisfied with mere politics, it invaded the community clubs and organizations that were central to German society. It also took over not just the newspapers, but all forms of media, including art, music, architecture, film, and probably most important, radio. A great deal of emphasis was attached to the children of the Reich: from the earliest age onward, they were conditioned to be obedient to Hitler. Their and their parents' free time was organized, their teachers had to teach the Nazi curriculum, the textbooks were "Aryanized", and critical thought was punished all the way through university. As Hitler took a tighter and tighter hold over the reins, churches in general and the Catholic Church in particular caved in to Nazi demands. The Catholic Church literally made a deal with the devil.

Evans is particularly good at placing events in context: in 1933 or 1934, for example, the lengths that Hitler was willing to go to to fulfill his so-called destiny would not have been clear. His public statements emphasized peace, while behind the scenes he instructed his subordinates to raise hell. Nowhere is the clearer than in the lead up to the Olympic Games in 1936, where anti-Jewish signs were taken down, and The Stormer, the most extreme Nazi newspaper, suspended publication until the tourists left. As soon the Olympics departed, Hitler unleashed his forces against the Jews, beginning with Kristallnacht, or The Night of Broken Glass, when Jewish homes and storefronts were destroyed, looted, and set on fire by the Brownshirts and their confederates, and thousands of Jews were arrested and many were ultimately sent to concentration camps. Every synagogue in Germany was destroyed. Although there had been many actions against the Jews before this, Kristallnacht was a turning point and marked the moment in time when the Third Reich laid bare its plan for their eradication. Many Jews tried to emigrate to other countries, but due to bureaucratic red tape or insufficient funds, many were unable to leave. Adolph Eichmann began his rise to prominence when he streamlined the emigration procedures in Austria, using the suggestions of a Jewish prisoner who was also an attorney.

Even with all of this, the onset of WWII was not welcomed whole-heartedly by the German people. Hitler had the machinery in place to proceed with his plan for world domination, but he also had massive challenges to overcome. Evans lays out this panoramic history in an accessible way. While never losing sight of the bigger picture, Evans uses everything from diary entries of a German schoolgirl to William Shirer's firsthand reporting within sight of Hitler, and enormous amounts of research and documentation to support the most unbiased and comprehensive history of the Third Reich ever written. It is the only one you ever need to read.

Very highly recommended, indeed. ...more

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Aug 02, 2009 Steve rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, military-history, political-history, world-war-two

I read this book and the third book of this series back to back, and so this review pertains to both to some extent. If I could, I would give this series 4.5 stars or 4.75 stars. Evans' work really is excellent. The primary strength of this trilogy is how it focuses on the experience of the Germans before and during the war. For the first time in all my reading on WWII, I have a real sense of what it was like to have lived in Nazi Germany.

My only real issue with the books is that there is a gre I read this book and the third book of this series back to back, and so this review pertains to both to some extent. If I could, I would give this series 4.5 stars or 4.75 stars. Evans' work really is excellent. The primary strength of this trilogy is how it focuses on the experience of the Germans before and during the war. For the first time in all my reading on WWII, I have a real sense of what it was like to have lived in Nazi Germany.

My only real issue with the books is that there is a great deal of material and at times the presentation gets rather sprawling. I suspect that either Evans is a better writer than most, or that he received greater editorial support than is usual for contemporary books. My overall feeling was that the prose was well composed and polished.
However, there were times when I felt myself sinking into a morass of detail, and perhaps some areas needed to be amended somewhat.

Also, those seeking details of military operations will be disappointed. This was not an issue for me, because I have read so much on the military side of the war. Evans does not completely ignore this aspect, but he recounts the highlights of the military situation with great terseness. Evans' priority is plainly on the internal domestic situation of Germany.

The sections of the book that dealt with the mistreatment of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and so on, became increasingly difficult for me to read, which is no fault of Evans. He is extremely objective at all times yet nevertheless represents Nazi policies with a stark and relentless analysis. But the effect on any reader with human feelings must be to create great emotional distress. I confess that I decided not to read the section in book 3 on the Final Solution itself, as emotional fatigue made it impossible. I will at some point read this section after I have recovered somewhat.

On the whole, I found the analysis of Germany under Nazi rule to be both repellent and yet fascinating. Unfortunately, it reminded me of the United States during the G.W. Bush presidency, although Bush and his crew were poor shadows of the real Nazis. Marx's great quip that history occurs twice, first as tragedy and then as farce, comes to mind. As with the US under Bush, a great many Germans were not too sure of the sanity of the rulers, and yet the rulers made sure that dissent was largely quashed. The result in both cases was adventurism which in both cases lead to disaster.

The book speaks to one of the great questions of history, can a whole people be blamed for the catastrophic policies of their leaders? On the one hand, as Evans shows, most Germans knew of the genocidal policies of the Nazis. To their credit, as Evans shows, many if not most of the older generations were not at all happy with these policies. Additionally, very few Germans were gung-ho on Hitler's military adventurism early in the war. Even after Hitler looked invincible, for such a supposedly 'militaristic' people, the Germans as a whole did not seem to be very warlike. On the other hand, few Germans did much about it. And many actively collaborated in genocidal efforts.

Reading this gave me a very uncomfortable feeling. As an American, I felt disturbing echoes of how the United States went to war with Iraq and engaged in torture. I know I certainly did not do my part in opposing this, and I also know there were a great many people like me who also disliked the direction that the country was taking and the moral catastrophe in the making. On the other hand, the public space for resistance was very small, vastly larger than in the Third Reich, but without question smaller than it should be in a 'democratic' society.

Evans' work will definitely be considered a landmark in this field and is well worth reading. It is not a book for the squeamish, however, while few details are graphic, there is much horror in its pages. I offer the potential reader one word of advice: Don't read it all in one go, do break it up with lighter fare.

The Third Reich is a great negative example for us to all learn from, and this trilogy is definitely a place to look to for such lessons. ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Speesh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: second-world-war, between-the-wars, nazis

There are, I doubt it not, shorter histories of The Third Reich, but none better.

Authoritative, exhaustive and thoroughly, mind-bogglingly fascinating from the first word to the last, The Third Reich series, this being as consistent as The Coming of The Third Reich, is a look at what happened, rarely, as far as I could tell, delving into the nuances of the why. That is surely meant for the reader to do, that's what I was doing all the way through. For any reasonable person the paths will all lea There are, I doubt it not, shorter histories of The Third Reich, but none better.

Authoritative, exhaustive and thoroughly, mind-bogglingly fascinating from the first word to the last, The Third Reich series, this being as consistent as The Coming of The Third Reich, is a look at what happened, rarely, as far as I could tell, delving into the nuances of the why. That is surely meant for the reader to do, that's what I was doing all the way through. For any reasonable person the paths will all lead to the same conclusion of course, so if you need ever to put a supporter of any aspect of the Nazis ideas back in their box, you'll find the means and resources here. If you've had any contact with other books on the Second World War you'll find much of the background to the German side here.

Some of the main take-aways I got were: Those lower down the scale, even those a rung down from Hitler, were opportunistic. They used 'the regime' to give free reign to excess, of their own inclinations. The Nazis in power had made them feel untouchable, and feel that anything they did would be approved by those above them. Until those above them saw them as a threat, of course. Any laws that were needed to justify any policy intentions, were introduced retroactively. The parallels of what Stalin was up to in Russia are startling all the way through the book. That they felt the need to have laws, even retroactively, surprised me, when they had total control of just about everything. But, of course, they were never 100% popular - no matter what their polling figures said - so maybe it was to protect their insecurity.

There was massive resentment for the previous generation, from the young and the survivors, stemming from the defeat in World War I. They felt the generation above them, had let them and the concept of 'Germany' and Germanic European supremacy, down. Humiliation was often used to describe the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler used this zeitgeist and of course blamed the Jews. Though, as you'll read, distrust for the Jews and a desire to rid Europe (especially) of them, wasn't either Hitler's idea, or exclusively his aims in the thirties. There was also that part of the German/Prussian character that refused to admit they had been beaten and as things had turned out differently to how they had anticipated, it could not have been them, or their fault, so looked for people to blame. While there was a whole load of Germans, especially Prussians, who wouldn't want to have been associated with Hitler, that was often because of his lowly background rather than a distaste for his policies. He wanted to 'restore' German hegemony over Europe and the world - and that was of course something they could go along with.

It is perhaps not for the faint-hearted, leaving no Nazi stone left unturned as it does, so maybe think of it as a resource, a reference to use for any questions other book on WWII you read might raise. You can read it all the way through, as I did and thoroughly immerse yourself in pre-War Germany, but do be prepared to put aside some time to fully do it justice.

I read The Coming of The Third Reich on an iPhone (that wasn't easy), this one as an Audiobook (very good) and I've decided to read the final volume, The Third Reich at War, as a paperback.

The internet's best book blog: Speesh Reads
Now also a Facebook Page: Speesh Reads ...more

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Dec 15, 2010 James Murphy rated it it was amazing

The Third Reich in Power is the 2d volume of Richard J. Evans's comprehensive trilogy detailing the history of Nazi Germany. To say that this volume of 826 pages of text and notes covers only 6 years--1933 to 1939--gives you some idea of how thorough this history is. This volume has to concern itself with how the new Nazi government solidified its philosophical dominance over the German people, the many steps taken toward rearmament, and, late in the decade, the political maneuvering which broug The Third Reich in Power is the 2d volume of Richard J. Evans's comprehensive trilogy detailing the history of Nazi Germany. To say that this volume of 826 pages of text and notes covers only 6 years--1933 to 1939--gives you some idea of how thorough this history is. This volume has to concern itself with how the new Nazi government solidified its philosophical dominance over the German people, the many steps taken toward rearmament, and, late in the decade, the political maneuvering which brought about the incorporation of Austria and Czechoslovakia while leaving France and Britain diplomatically helpless. As we know, Hitler's next move, into Poland, precipitated World War II.

It's a familiar history. Less familiar but equally fascinating is Evans's social history of Nazism during the 1930s. In the long central section, which is flanked by the propaganda-fueled takeover of national will in the early chapters and the diplomatic maneuvering in the final chapters as Hitler moved toward war, Evans writes at length about the impact of Nazism on the German social structure. The disenfranchisement of the Jews is familiar, as well, and is well told here. But I knew nothing about Nazi policies regarding such areas as education, religion, labor, and the arts, all extensively dealt with.

Because of countless films, newsreels and photographic records, Nazi Germany is visually familiar to us. So is our perceptions of German attitudes toward ethnic groups, their willingness to go to war to right wrongs they felt had been unjustly levied against them by the Treaty of Versailles, their devotion to Hitler, and the penchant for Nazi organizations to resort to violence in pursuit of goals. We've all seen images of adoring crowds lining the streets, everyone waving a swastikaed flag. We're familiar with pictures of formations of uniformed organizations, young and old and of both genders, listening amid a forest of flags to a frantically lecturing Hitler, and we've all seen scenes of masses of people extending the Nazi salute. We've all been horrified at the brutality with which Jews were treated as the Nazis encouraged violence against them, stole their property, and hounded them out of the country. Evans's history makes it clear that the perceptions of Nazism which have come down to us via popular culture and historical accounts depicting Nazi actions and attitudes, in fact the whole Nazi era, are without exaggeration. As Evans convincingly shows, those years in Germany were everything we'd been told. This is a riveting, engaging account. Once you enter these 6 years of German history under the Nazis, you'll be spellbound. ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Mark Singer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-ii, germany, history, 20th-century, politics, nazi-germany

I started reading this second volume in Evan's history of the Third Reich right after finishing the first one back in May. This one covers from the Nazi ascension of power in 1933 up until the beginning of the European phase of the Second World War in 1939. Evans organizes events by themes more so than dates; and so he describes topics such as economics, the Church, education, and the war on the Jews in compelling chapters. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Second World War. ...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Rogier rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history

With the same ability to avoid easy stereotyping that was evident in the first book, this book also provides a very nuanced overview of exactly how the Nazis took over the hearts and minds of the German people, but also demonstrates the limits of all that, which were a lot more evident a lot earlier than you would think.

What perhaps interests me most is the clues you get from this book in terms of how early the Nazi's did begin to lose steam. Quite evidently already by 1936 a certain level of fa ...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Sarah Finch rated it it was amazing

Meticulously researched and lucidly presented, the second installment in Richard J. Evans' Third Reich trilogy (following "The Coming of the Third Reich") is a rigorous tour of life under the Reich up to the end of 1939. This is not for those readers who lack prior knowledge of the Third Reich or the political landscape of Europe following the Treaty of Versailles, and it should optimally be read only after reading "The Coming of the Third Reich." That said, for those readers unintimidated by it ...more

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Oct 06, 2008 Themistocles rated it really liked it

Like The Coming of the Third Reich, Evans presents us with a second volume of exhaustive work. An instant reference work, it leaves no stone unturned and gives a really accurate and detailed image of the transformation of the german society from 1933 to 1939.

Where it suffers (though it's a rather heavy word) is that, because the era is arguably not as interesting as the one preceding it in the first volume of Evan's work, some times it becomes a bit tedious - unless you're a sociology scholar or ...more

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Mar 24, 2007 Conrad rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, owned

The second in a series of three. The first covers the Nazi Party before it came to power, this one covers prewar Germany, and the next will cover 1936-1945. I just dove right in without having read the first one; it was still good. It looks at different aspects of German society on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Particularly interesting were the chapters on law under the Nazis (which shows how arbitrarily they exercised their power, and legitimized terror by deemphasizing reason as a basis for legi ...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Rich rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Not exactly the kind of book one sits around and discusses with your colleagues. My fascination with the rise of the Third Reich and how an entire nation succumbed to the total arrogance of power. How a small band of right wing radicals could wrap themselves in family values, nationalism, use fear to motivate and blame, and in a very short time take over a nation needs attention paid to it.

Every page leads me to wonder about the occurring circumstances taking place at the time. Once the inertia ...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Fans of William Shirer's classic Rise and Fall of the Third Reich might be disappointed by Cambridge historian Richard J. Evans's ongoing history of Nazi power. This second volume is not a gripping yarn of Hitler's cult of personality but an evenhanded, intensively researched, synthesized history. That said, it's no stuffy academic tome; the New York Times Book Review dubs Evans an "Heir to a British tradition of dons who write engagingly for a broad public." A few reviewers take aesthetic umbra

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Mar 11, 2010 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history-wwii

Evans traces the history of the Third Reich in the years leading up to the Second World War. The book is extremely readable. In fact, it is engrossing. Evans shows the effects of the Third Reich not only on minority groups but also on the every day Germans, answering the question about how the Reich was able to do what it did.

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Aug 21, 2015 Lance Kinzer rated it really liked it

Indespensieble for anyone interested in grappling with how the Nazi regime operated as it worked to obliterate civil society in order to form a new Germany in which only the individual and the state retained substance. A remarkable study of both the importance and fragility of mediating institutions, and the great peril that attends their destruction.

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Mar 15, 2018 Julian Douglass rated it really liked it

Shelves: history

If I could give this book 4.5 stars, I would. The reason for me not giving this wonderful piece of History 5 stars is because I am a huge fan of linear history and not thematic history. To me, thematic history seems like everything is all over the place and important information might be glossed over in one section, but then explained in greater detail in another. While that is fine for some, I tend to look up information as I read along, and then want to find out more of what the author has to ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 Steve rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow. Three months. It doesn't normally take me 3 months to finish a book.

I'd give it 5 stars, but this was SO dense that I need to take a star. I teach this topic so I viewed this as brushing up on some facts. Did I learn from it, yes I did. Is it more than the average person needs regarding the deconstruction of the German democracy under the Nazis... well, normally I'd say yes, it was more than necessary. But maybe in today's day and age it's needed.

So, for that, a fifth star. Evans is at the ...more

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Jun 10, 2020 Will rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Evans does a great job of showing how all the policies- whether social, economic, educational etc. promoted by the Nazis during the 1930s were formulated with the sole desired purpose of preparing Germany for war. Everything was subordinated to the goal of racial conquest- it didn't matter, for example, that the Reich was building up incredible amounts of debt, war would soon solve that problem.

The horror of racial discrimination is also highlighted, for example in the recounting of this essay, ...more

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About Richard J. Evans

Richard J. Evans

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He was born in London, of Welsh parentage, and is now Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Gonville & Caius College. Evans has also taught at the University of Stirling, University of East Anglia and Birkbeck College, London. Having been a Visiting Professor in History at Gresham College during 2008/09, he is now the Gresham Professor of Rhetoric.

He was ...more

Other books in the series

The History of the Third Reich (3 books)

Books by Richard J. Evans

The Coming of the Third Reich (The History of the Third Reich, #1)

The Third Reich at War (The History of the Third Reich, #3)

Lying About Hitler: History, Holocaust, and the David Irving Trial

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“In each of the following chapters, dealing in turn with policing and repression, culture and propaganda, religion and education, the economy, society and everyday life, racial policy and antisemitism, and foreign policy, the overriding imperative of preparing Germany and its people for a major war emerges clearly as the common thread. But that imperative was neither rational in itself, nor followed in a coherent way. In one area after another, the contradictions and inner irrationalities of the regime emerge; the Nazi's headlong rush to war contained the seeds of the Third Reich's eventual destruction. How and why this should be so is one of the major questions that run through this book and binds its separate parts together. So do many further questions: about the extent to which the Third Reich won over the German people; the manner in which it worked; the degree to which Hitler, rather than broader systematic factors inherent in the structure of the Third Reich as a whole, drove policy onward; the possibilities of opposition, resistence, and dissent or even non-conformity to the dictates of National Socialism under a dictatorship that claimed the total allegiance of all its citizens; the nature of the Third Reich's relationship with modernity; the ways in which its policies in different areas resembled, or differed from, those pursued elsewhere in Europe and beyond during the 1930s; and much more besides.” — 2 likes

“In the 1920s and early 1930s there was no doubt which newspaper in Germany had the widest national and international reputation. The Frankfurt Newspaper (Frankfurter Zeitung) was renowned the world over for its thorough and objective reporting, its fair-minded opinion columns and its high intellectual standards. If there was one German newspaper to which foreigners who wished to know what was going on in the country turned, this was it. Although its readership was not large, it was highly educated and included many key formers of opinion.” — 1 likes

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