Perhaps the most shocking thing about the way they seized and held onto power is the speed with which they managed to silence any opposition - within just weeks of assuming power they had established the notorious Dachau concentration camp along with several others to detain their political opponents. So said the Romans. This pedestrian work is by far the weakest volume in Richard Evan's otherwise excellent trilogy on the Reich. For the past few months, we have been subjected to a tedious, hysterical stream of comparisons of Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. He may be a nice guy (or he may not be) but as a narrator, the net effect was like nails on a chalkboard. As a reader of this book, The Coming of the Third Reich, will quickly figure out, such comparisons are both vicious and ignorant. This is a great book on how Hitler and the Nazis came to power. The three volumes of the trilogy – The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich In Power, and The Third Reich at War – were published between 2003 and 2008. Nonetheless, this is an interesting book of history, and just because it’s not a warning, per se, does not mean that it does not contain interesting lessons. There was nothing inevitable about the coming of the Third Reich. This is hubris ind. First, I found it deadly dull. S Byatt, Times Literary Supplement Come visit Novelonlinefull.com sometime to read the latest chapter of The Coming Of The Third Reich. . The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J Evans charts the forces at work in Germany from the end of the Bismarck era, through the Wilhelmine period which led up to the end of WWI, then on through the years of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis from fringe group to power. . Evans makes the argument that as an authoritarian dictatorship (which Germany was from 1932 on, even before Hitler became Reich Chancellor in 1933), Germany wasn't exactly an outlier in Europe. But a variety of recent, large-scale narrative histories have shown that it can be done without sacrificing analytical rigour or explanatory power.”. 0 comments: Post a Comment. I felt like I was back in school during a dull class and clock or watch watching as the time crawled by. But, this book fell flat for me for two reasons. . do we need another book on the rise of Hitler? The several maps the author has included so far are converted well and easy to understand. The Third Reich was rooted in the German past, although Evans carefully insists that saying this is not the same as ascribing cause and effect. (Whether there are still diverse views on the Continent I doubt, but the prestige remains.) This is an excellent chronicle of those years. When Evans explained how Nazi political beliefs were consistent with basic German values and preconceived ideas, it's how I've always understood it. Third Reich (First Volume) Newsday, 29 February 2004 THE COMING OF THE THIRD REICH, by Richard J. Evans. I often say that the Crusades were a high point of Western civilization. When I first read Neuromancer, a science fiction classic of the modern age, twenty-some years ago, serious people believed that our certain technological future was one of accelerating, boundless... Who thinks much about Finland? The American civil service has gotten steadily worse since the Progressive Era, where it became acceptable to work for the government as a way to achieve desired social change by imposing your radical views on the deplorables at gunpoint, and the government has simultaneously grown ever larger and more powerful. I'm sure this is a treasure for academics and history buffs. A few “anti-fascists” with delusions of grandeur and a dubious grasp of history burn trash cans and cause mild disorder to shut down speech, but only on campuses and in cities totally friendly to them. And they were, but they were also an example of flawed glory. Come visit Novelonlinefree.com sometime to read the latest chapter of The Coming Of The Third Reich. Without specific intention, I seem to have turned into a Roger Crowley fanboy, as shown by that I have now read every one of his books. If you have any question about this novel, Please don't hesitate to contact us … In 1920s Germany, hundreds of newspapers of every political stripe were avidly consumed; for better or worse, few consume newspapers nowadays, instead consuming YouTube tripe and Facebook cat memes, and the newspapers people do consume are monolithically culturally leftist. The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans My rating: 4 of 5 stars The first of three books on Germany’s Third Reich. 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. An excellently researched book with well-presented facts. Germany, on the other hand, had fifteen years of constant disorder and violence in the streets, where hard men across the political spectrum risked life and limb to foment disorder and raise the banner of their political views. It places that event within the politics and culture of Germany of the time. Excellent coverage of the Weimar's economic problems during the years of Versailles, the Young Plan and the hyperinflationary era. No, not the Wuhan Plague. useful, if rather dry. It is quite another experience to observe... A few weeks ago, I watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Quentin Tarantino’s movie delivered to me what I have been seeking. The Roman Empire, or at least the western Roman Empire, is a history of decline, as we all know. A fairly straightforward narration, he saves analysis until the final chapter, where it's beautifully detailed. In cynical moments, it sometimes appears that the first law of commercial nonfiction book-publishing runs: "If you put Nazis in it, they will come." Certainly, the goal of... We live in an age lacking dynamic leadership. Richard J. Evans's The Coming of the Third Re‐ ichis the first volume of a projected three-volume opus on the history of National Socialist Germany. In America, on the other hand, today we have a leftist monoculture totally dominating the bureaucracy, mostly devoted to the success of the Democratic Party, and to leftist goals, the latter usually triumphing if there is any conflict between the two. Throughout the book, Evans several times cites Raimund Pretzel, whose posthumously published memoirs (under the pseudonym Sebastian Haffner) are very much worth reading, in part because they were written in 1939, and give an excellent first-hand overview of this time from the perspective of a politically disengaged, “Aryan” German. (ISBN: 9780141009759) from Amazon's Book Store. It used to be argued that there was something peculiar about German culture that made it hostile to democracy, inclined to follow ruthless leaders and susceptible to the appeal of militarists and demagogues; but when you look at the nineteenth century, you can see very little of such traits. First, to refute the free market ideology, sometimes called market fundamentalism, represented at that... Live not by lies. I always believed Hitler was elected Reich Chancellor by popular vote. Almost always one reads a book of future-looking political theory long before or long after its substance has been proven or disproven. The possibility of contemporary democracies falling into more radical governments fueled by hate, anger, and the politics of exclusion is possible in any country, imo. I'm not sure it's possible to ever answer these questions adequately, but Evans does a good job finding reasons. But, this book fell flat for me for two reasons. The second reason I pan this book is because it added nothing but new detail to my understanding of the formation of the Third Reich. 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. How could democracy be replaced so easily? Much better than the second book in the series, an expert, bone-rattling survey of the years prior to the Enabling Act. One thing is clear to the reader of this book, the first of massive trilogy covering the Third Reich, and that is there is little evidence that we are heading the way of 1920s and 1930s Germany—but that if we are, it has nothing at all to do. Those looking for a revisionist take on this period of history should go elsewhere. The Social Democrats and the trade unions, then immediately after the various groups allied or semi-allied to the Nazis, were quickly “co-ordinated,” thus consolidating Nazi control. There is no story in twentieth-century history more important to understand than Hitler's rise to power and the collapse of civilization in Nazi Germany. The emphasis, perhaps, is more on violence than on political maneuverings, but that’s hardly revisionist. 1: Aufstieg G. Bulletin RICHARD J. EVANS, The Coming of the Third Reich (London: Allen Lane, Penguin, 2003), 584 pp. I have always been aware of the great Shawnee Indian war chief Tecumseh. His explanation of how the Nazis wouldn't have succeeded if a workable coalition of conversatives had been held together of if the social and cultural disorientation of the Weimar years hadn't been so sharp or if there hadn't been such general resentment over the harsh terms of the Trreaty of Versailles isn't surprising at all. The closest analog in America is not today, but the widespread leftist violence of the 1970s, something we are still very far from. I'm worried about some of the parallels I'm seeing today, I get eery feelings that what happened in Germany, the circumstances that allowed for democracy to devolve into violent terroristic regime, is being replicated in today's circumstances facing contemporary Western democracies. The biography of Hitler won't really mean much without the context of s. If this question still applies to anyone else, read the overall history first. The Coming of the Third Reich Summary The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans This title unfolds perhaps the single most important story of the 20th century: how a stable and modern country in less than a single lifetime led Europe into moral, physical and cultural ruin and despair. I also wrote my undergrad thesis on this time period, so I am very interested in the subject. 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. As a reader of this book, The Coming of the Third Reich, will quickly figure out, such comparisons are both vicious and ignorant. For the past few months, we have been subjected to a tedious, hysterical stream of comparisons of Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. If you have any question about this novel, Please don't hesitate to contact us … The current gold-standard survey. Kudos for Evans' objectivity, which unfortunately makes for a dry narrative to read. But the parallels say more about human nature and less, or nothing, about the next Hitler. Thus, American bureaucrats have rarely viewed themselves as a true elite; they have always had a chip on their shoulder, since most citizens look down on them. How could democracy be replaced so easily? Evans has a particularily unique backstory as a historian. It’s not that history follows a random walk, like the stock market. The minutiae of political and social groups and their various motivations was convoluted, but Evans explains it in ways easy to follow. What caused Germany's movement to fascism to have such Europe-wide--and therefore global--impact was that it happened in what was still, despite the stiff penalties of the Treaty of Versailles, the strongest country in Europe, and the most advanced and populous country in Europe. Lothar Kettenacker: review of Richard J. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich & id., Das Dritte Reich, vol. You can think of Book One of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as laying the intellectual groundwork for the pages that follow. I “read” this book by listening to the Audible audiobook. The Coming Of The Third Reich summary: The Coming Of The Third Reich summary is updating. More recently, Nokia was prominent for a while. I am reading the Kindle edition right now. That is, in fact, the primary strength of the book, that it makes clear the very confused circumstances of Weimar Germany. But not linear decline, and that matters. We get the range of movements later associated with the Nazis, but which earlier had totally separate (and often originally much greater) influence on society, such as the Steel Helmets. Clear and well written. I am giving it a two star rating because Evans in his Preface has the gall to assure the reader that it is superior to William Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." In it, Evans tells the story of what happened in Germany from the end of World War I (1918) to the consolidation of power by the Nazis in mid-1933. Having been a Visiting Professor in History at Gresham College during 2008/09, he is now the Gresham Professor of Rhetoric. I’m not exaggerating by much when I say I literally fell asleep within five pages of opening the book most of the times I read it. Unfortunately, this book does nothing to dispel that fear, which is a perfectly valid fear based on a solid view of human nature and history, with parallels in all modern Western societies, past and present. But... Si vis pacem, para bellum. Click to read more about The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans. With The Coming of the Third Reich, Richard Evans, one of the worlds most distinguished historians, has written the definitive account for our time. We’d love your help. EMBED. 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