The Coming of the Third Reich [Paperback]

 

 

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This book is the first volume of a projected 3 volume history of the Third Reich. This volume traces the roots of the Nazi state in Wilhelmine Germany, the horrendous aftermath of WWI, the tragic and complicated history of the Weimar Republic, and actual accession to and seizure of power by the Nazis in 1933. The next volume will cover the period from 1933 to the outbreak of WWII, and the final volume will cover WWII itself. Evans is attempting to reach a broad audience with a book that provides appropriate narration for the general readers and sufficient analysis to be useful to scholars. He is largely successful. This well written book provides not only the basic narrative but also sufficient detail to be interesting reading and his analysis, while probably not surprising to anyone knowledgeable about this period of history, is excellent.
For Evans, the roots of Nazism lie in the Wilhelimine period. He sees the example of Bismarck as the key element in establishing the later German desire for a single charismatic and aggressive leader that the Nazis would transform into the Fuhrer principle. He shows also the development of the often crude and vicious racist ideologies that captivated Hitler and his followers. A key point is that these ideas were current in Germany for decades before the Nazi success. In their most extreme form, they were the ideas of the fringe, but with the polarization of society that occurred after WWI, many of these ideas acquired legitimacy. These racial ideologies in part stemmed from, benefited from, and complemented more widespread and traditional prejuidices, notably the widely diffused German anti-Semitism. Evans argues with considerable force that the Wilhelmine state was in many respects politically immature, an ungainly combination of demoncracy, aristocracy, and monarchism bound together by a peculiar combination of mass politics and traditional patterns of deference. Evans makes the further excellent point that these weaknesses were transferred en masse to the Weimar state.
Evans provides a really nice narrative and analysis of the Weimar Republic. He shows that its genesis in the failure of WWI deprived it of much needed legitimacy. Few Germans would acknowledge that they actually lost the war and for a majority of Germans, Weimar was established by an act of treason. Many important segments of German society hankered for a return to prewar glory, prosperity, and social structure. These elements included the Army, the Civil Service, most of the Professoriate, large business, and other sectors fearful of the socialist dominated early governments of Weimar. With this unstable foundation, Weimar was then battered by the humiliating Versailles peace accords, the social chaos following the war, the incredible hyperinflation of the 20s, and finally the Great Depression. As the 20s gave way to the 30s, the original supporters of Weimar fell away. The Catholic associated Center party moved steadily rightward, frightened by the increasing strength of the Communists and influenced strongly by the Vatican's willingness to strike unsavory deals with right wing governments. The traditional liberal parties,lukewarm about Weimar to begin with, shrunk, became increasingly rightist, and ultimately failed to hold their voters. The Social Democrats remained the last supporters but they were impeded by stodgy and unimaginative leadership. The mystery is not why Weimar fell but why it lasted as long as it did.
Evans describes the growth of the Nazi party and the central role of Hitler in an excellent series of chapters. He emphasizes the central role of Hitler's charisma and also the competence of several of Hitler's lieutenants, notably Goring, Gregor Strasser, Ernst Rohm, and Goebbels, all of whom played key roles in building an impressive organizational structure.
Likewise the remarkable series of events leading to Hitler assumption of the Chancellorship is described extremely well. The incredible short-sightedness and arrogance of the conservative politicians who felt they could manipulate Hitler is simply amazing. Similarly, the only force that could have restrained or defeated Nazi violence was the Army and Hitler was able to buy their compliance with promises of rearmarment, repudiation of Versailles and at least implied promises of a war of revenge. Once in power, the Nazis swept all before them.
This book does have some relatively minor defects. Evans has deliberately chosen to keep footnotes to a minimum. There is a good bibliography but it is not annotated. More extensive footnotes and an annotated bibliography would enhance the value of this book. Evans does successfully incorporate considerably analysis into the narrative but he doesn't deal well with some important issues such as why Nazism had the quite extensive popular appeal that it achieved. Probably for space reasons, there is not much comparative analysis. Fascism was a pan-European phenomenon and Evans deals only briefly with the distinctive features of German Fascism. Evans is a good writer but he has chosen to write this book with a relatively dispassionate tone. This doesn't really detract from the book as letting the horrible facts speak for themselves the book considerable power but there are times where stronger language would be useful.
I recommend supplementing this book with Michael Burleigh's recent 1 volume book on the Third Reich. Burleigh's book is not a narrative but rather a series of chronologically arranged essays on different aspects of the Nazi state. He explores in greater depth some of the important issues related to the phenomenon of Nazism such as the fundamental appeal of Nazism (and similar ideologies) and the genesis of the distinctive features of German Fascism. His book is also, as Evans remarks in the Preface to this book, a moral history of Third Reich and Burleigh's often vivid writing offers a perspective complementary to Evans' work.

As a history graduate, I have long harboured the dream of one day writing a definitive history. If I ever do so, I hope it measures up to the quality of Richard Evan's The Coming Of The Third Reich. Mr. Evans does a masterful job of unravelling the complex factors that led to the rise of Nazism in post-World War 1 Germany. He examines the historical, political, social, economic, philosophical and military factors that contributed to the disaster that befell Germany. But in doing so, he clearly places Nazism in its European and global context. He judiciously and succinctly demonstrates that the period of Nazism was not just a disaster for Germany, it represented a European and global failure. He debunks the myth of the inevitably of Nazism and clearly challenges the historiography of the generation of historians epitomized by A.J.P. Taylor that would argue that Nazism was the result of a flaw in the German psyche. This is not to suggest for a moment that Mr. Evans is an apologist for right wing neo-Nazis. Far from it. The breathtaking breadth of his vision in writing this book can't help but highlight how the world - not just Germany - failed following World War 1.

I have read a considerable number of books on the Third Reich. What I find most enjoyable about The Coming Of The Third Reich is how Mr. Evans presents a fresh perspective and analysis that is tough to put down. What is old seems new again. And if you are a new student of the period, you will find the writing clear, concise, incisive, and immensely readable.

I can't help but think that both Geoffrey Elton and E.H. Carr would approve.

I look forward to the next two volumes of the trilogy.

Richard J. Evans is an eminent British historian of the Thrid Reich. This is the first volume of a three work set exploring Nazi Germany from its origins in the fruitcake fringe of ultra-
right wing and paramilitary forces in Germany in the post-World War I era. Volume 2 will cover 1933-1939 while the third book
will deal with the war years from 1939-1945.
Evans has done his homework inculding an extensive foray into German language secondary works as well as first person accounts.
Following World War I Germany was strapped with outrageous
indemnity payments to Britain and France leading to widespread
inflation, unemployment and anarcy in the streets.
Evans goes into extensive detail concerning the roots of Anti-
semitism in the works of men like Houston Chamberlain and the operas of Richard Wagner.
The motivating factors leading to the rise of Nazism were Anti-Semitism, a hatred of democratic liberalism and fear of Communism in all its forms.
Hitler and his cronies were skillful in winning power by their
manipulation of the democratic process leading to the naming of Hitler to a coalition cabinet in 1932. As Reich Chancellor Hitler's men soon took power away from the military, conservative
governmental leaders and led Germany to destruction. While they never won a majority vote in several elections they did use the
dark days of the Depression and the divisiveness of their opponents to win ultimate power.
Evans is good in showing the complex machinations which occurred in Germans politics to win the Nazis their supremacy.
Events such as the Reichstag Fire led to Hitler's being able to rule the land based on an enabling act giving him ultimate power.
Evans takes a broad view of German cultural developments as he chronicles the way in which the Nazis warred against intellectuals in realms from art, literature, music, movies to nuclear science. One of the chief weapons in the rubber truncheon wielding hands of the SS and SA thugs was terror. I was surprised to see how soon after the Nazi takeover in January 1933 the evil empire set up concentration camps for opponents, stifled a free press and became a police state under the cruel
Himmler.
As one who has read on the Thrid Reich for years this book was
well done even though the general reader may become bored with the incredible detail Evans devotes to German politics . The democratic Weimar Republic never had a chance against the Nazis
due to its weakn leaders, high inflationary economy and widespread unemployment.
I will read the next two volumes from Evans.
As a footnote readers will be aided in their study by the maps and the election trends included in the book by the author.
A sober, dry and factual account we in our age of terrorism and
police regimes should study, ponder and learn from. This book will become a requisite in any future study of the period.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Safe, unoriginal, and agenda-driven
My review for this book applies to the entire series, because they all have the same strengths and weaknesses. Read more

Published on Jan 24 2010 by The Nihilest

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best
If you are a student of, or simply interested in, Germany under the Nazis you will find no better than this trilogy (The Coming of The Third Reich, The Third Reich In Power and... Read more

Published on Aug 20 2009 by Dwight Hoyes

2.0 out of 5 stars The $200000 skunk
Dry and boring. I'll buy the other two volumes so I can finally reach that top shelf in my kitchen.

Published on Feb 1 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading!
Interesting read which is not hard to follow if you do not have an extensive history background. The book is written well and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Published on Aug 16 2004 by R. Dunn

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
I am no scholar, but this book was easily read and provided facts I must have missed in my school days. I would recommend to the average reader and history buff...

Published on Jun 10 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful First Volume Of Planned Trilogy On Nazi Germany!
As Karl Marx once wrote, people make their own history, but not under conditions of their own choosing. So it is that academic Richard J. Read more

Published on May 30 2004 by Barron Laycock

4.0 out of 5 stars Right Turn Proves Dead Wrong for Germany and the World.
This lengthy book explores in a steady and detailed narrative the conditions in Germany that led to the Nazi takeover in 1933. Read more

Published on May 18 2004 by daibhidh

5.0 out of 5 stars A FAULTLESS study of great interest to everyone
I rate this book as the work of a highly talented researcher and writer. Brilliant.

Published on May 7 2004 by Vern A.

5.0 out of 5 stars Author is too involved but knows his facts
I know too much about the author from his book; more than I usually would in a work of historical non-fiction. Read more

Published on May 7 2004 by Petra V

5.0 out of 5 stars Overview With A Different Angle
I have read perhaps more than a hundred books on the Third Reich from almost every angle possible. This morning, I finished the Coming of the Third Reich then I read the reviews... Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Kurt Harding

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