The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler was not your ideal choice to become one of the foremost murderous dictators. He was a dreamer, unexceptional in life. His ambition far exceeded the work needing to be done. His life was chockful of failures, until he moved to Munich. He served in World War I, despite evading previous drafting into military service. His nationalism and patriotism drove him to motivate others to form a political party to save his country from the depths of despair. His anti-Semitic rants emboldened those looking for scapegoats to Germany’s woes. The Beer Hall Putsch may have failed in 1923, but the die was cast for the Nazi Party. Weak leadership of the German government and propaganda spewed by the likes of Joseph Goebbels propelled the Nazis to the upper tiers of power. Hitler and his cohorts struck in 1933 to take over, and Germany and the world would never be the same. A campaign of hate and extermination against Jews in Germany would coincide with a military buildup, aggression-filled land grabs against neighboring countries, and a lead-up to a second World War. But the hubris would eventually lead to an ignominious downfall.

Thomas Childers has written an exhaustive but powerful timeline of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Childers dispels some common misconceptions about early Nazi history, while not sugarcoating their heinous atrocities. This book is a historical reminder of what happens when power goes unchecked. A++