The Third Reich

Seminar Studies in History

by David G. Williamson

Revised and expanded, the second edition of this highly successful Seminar Study introduces readers to the historical phenomenon of Hitler's Third Reich. The new edition includes two brand new chapters, one on Nazi policy towards the Jews between 1933 and 1939 and one on the Holocaust itself. Fully updated, the study remains as useful and as thought-provoking as ever.

Genres: History

63 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

David G. Williamson is the former head of history and politics at Highgate School.

Reviews

[Militaru Daniel]

O carte ușor de citit, recomand celor care nu cunosc așa multe despre regimul nazist, cartea punând bazele unor cunoștințe scurte și la obiect.

[Last Chance Saloon]

Concise and balanced summation of the Third Reich, with lots of documentary evidence. The author discusses the views of other historians, attempts to view the period objectively, and provides perhaps the best 'Further Reading' chapter I have ever come across.
Highly recommended for those wanting a real, historical overview.

[ea]

An interesting overview of Nazi Germany, presenting both the structuralist and the intentionalist points of view. Personally, I would've appreciated if the topics had been organized in a more chronological pattern, the shifts back and forward in time gave the reading a chaotic feel.

[Krocht Ehlundovič]

I like very much this edition for students - it is a good and dense source of basic information which are necessary to know to master knowledge about The Third Reich. I use the edition as a supplementary material for my students, I highly recommend them to read it - some chapters at least (and make notes from it). I have to admit that it is not very attractive reading in terms of writing style as every sentence is a vehicle of facts (a lorry).

It covers the key aspects about the country and its regime: revolution, consolidation of power, economy, social aspect, foreign policy and perspectives. I missed other "aspects" such as culture, genders, every-day history... on the other side, these points would require a larger study, more detailed. The problem is, we are interested in "hoch" history - as it is our custom and tradition who we understand and want to know history.

I must say that as I study the topic more and more, I see the problem of the Third Reich more and more clearly: "the paradox of mess of the Nazi management"; how the system was inconsistent despite the traditional view of German: order and punctuality.

Chapters:
1. Background
2. The seizure of power
3. The Third Reich 1933-39
4. Foreign policy, 1933-45
5. The Third Reich at War, 1939-45
6. Assessment
Documents

[Emi]

This book delivers what it promises, detailed information about the Third Reich. But the way in which it's delivered is honestly the worst I've ever seen out of a textbook. The formating is poor, with sentence structures that leave you wondering if there was any proper editing at all. I cannot deny that yes, the information provided is detailed. It compresses it's readings compared to a majority of textbooks. But with the state it's in, I'd take a longer textbook with better formatting any day. If you can look past all this, then enjoy.

[Karl]

This is a good general overview of the history and histoiography of Nazi Germany. If you are looking for a brief account of the Nazi regime, this would be a good place to go. However, it should be read in conjunction with other textbooks on the subject. I would recommend Frank McDonough's "Hitler and the Rise of Nazi Party," Allan Mitchell's "The Nazi Revolution," and Donald Niewyk's "The Holocaust."

[Hilary]

This book did contain a lot of helpful information about Hitler's rule, but it's dull, textbook-y style had no art or beauty, and that made it a hard read. I'm beginning to feel like it is almost too much to ask that a book,fiction or non, have good writing. The information contained within the book was good, and the appendix held some very interesting primary sources.

[Karla]

Not the best book on the subject, but not the worst. I preferred Spielvogel but it is always good to have multiple perspectives.