A History of Hitler's Empire

by Thomas Childers

Know thy enemy. That's what the wisdom of history teaches us. And Adolf Hitler was surely the greatest enemy ever faced by modern civilization. Over half a century later, the horror and fascination still linger.

Professor Childers has designed this course to answer two burning questions that have nagged generations for decades, ever since Hitler and Nazism were destroyed.

1) How could a man like Adolf Hitler and a movement like Nazism come to power in 20th-century Germany? An industrially developed country with a highly educated population, it lies within the very heart of Western Europe.

2) How were the Nazis able to establish the foundations of a totalitarian regime in such a short time and hurl all of Europe—and the world—into a devastating war that would consume so many millions of lives?

Length: 6hrs 22mins

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, War, Germany, Politics, World War II

7 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Graeme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Childers says that he has been teaching this course for over 25 years, and still finds it very depressing. It is indeed very sad and deeply disturbing. Since I began listening to the mercifully small number of CDs in the car I don't want to go anywhere. The story of how Hitler and a few very intelligent NADP leaders took control of Germany at a time of great weakness is more than a cautionary tale. It is reassuring that, unlike the Nazis, Trump is stupid and disorganized. The lectures are incredibly insightful and informative. Given their quality and brevity, steel yourself against Professor Childers's presentation style, which is nothing short of appalling. He sets new records for the frequency and duration of his ums and ers, and seems to lose his place quite often. Just suck it up! It's worth it.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Great Courses lecture series. It was packed with information. Even after studying this topic for years, I still learned much. These courses gave a clearer picture of how he infiltrated. Near the end he honed in on some of the atrocities, but it was still just a small portion of what the man was responsible for.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disapointed with this one. It was very short. It doesn't try to cover all aspects of Germany through the World War II era. It doesn't cover the war in detail. It focuses instead on attempting to put the Nazi's rise to power in a bit of context. What life was like during and after WWI. What it was like through the 20s and the start of the Great Depression. It does a good job of this. For instance, I hadn't realized that the previous two Chancellor's had used the office's emergency powers quite frequently, so by the time Hitler came along it was considered routine. Overall, though, I found it a bit lacking in depth. It was just too short.
By far my biggest complaint was with the audio. It was very quiet so that I had to crank my car stereo as the lecturer lowered his voice almost to a stage whisper for dramatic effect. I had flashbacks of the Tom Cruise school of acting. I was constantly adjusting the volume up and down. But even worse was the constant umms, ahhs, ehmms, and other vocal place holders. It was every other sentance and it was driving me nuts. I couldn't figure out why the producers didn't edit them out and why a lecturer with decades of experience hadn't solved this problem yet. It really detracted from the whole experience and almost made me turn it off several times.

[Cav · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent offering from The Great Courses. Professor Childers has produced an interesting short look at the rise of Hitler's NSDAP and Nazi Reich, from its beginnings to its eventual demise.
While I did enjoy this course, I liked Professor Childer's other course, "World War II: A Military and Social History" a bit better. Maybe it was due to the short length of this course; it was only 12 lectures long. There is some really interesting material to cover here, and I feel that it would have been a bit better if he had gone into greater detail. This course could have easily encompassed 24-36 lectures of the same length.

I would recommend this course to others interested in the history of the Nazi Reich, as Professor Childers did a good job with the content and delivery of this series.
4 stars.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ This does an amazing job at breakdown the horrors of World War II.

[Sue Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting look at the socio-economic times that lead to the creation and rise of Hitler. Well worth the time to read this one to see the perfect storm as to how it could have come to pass.

[Nathan Major · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relevant today for certain. Shorter than some other GCs, but Childers is an excellent writer of these lectures blending a ton of history with some excellent storycrafting.
Hitler's rise is something every modern citizen of a democratic country should be aware of, as the slip to fascism was not an inevitability, but a combination of propaganda, misinformation, and political mistakes on the highest level (I'm looking at you, Hindenburg). Being able to see the signs of a regime falling into a fascist state is important.
Thank god that could never, ever happen in the USA, right?

[Mohamed al-Jamri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, accurate and interesting. Makes good points at the end.

[Shalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick overview, definitely not a deep dive but a good starting point before reading more. Childers is an excellent teacher.

[Josephine (biblioseph)]

Do not be put off by the course's price, many libraries have these available, which is how I was introduced to The Great Courses and to Modern Scholar which has been around a little longer and seems to be very popular, judging by the long wait periods.

Thomas Childers is introduced in this course as an expert on World History, with many books published about WWII. I enjoyed this course very much, but have little to compare it to by way of history. I'd never seen the history from the perspective of someone living through it. All my relatives were born once Hitler was already in power or had died before I was ready to listen, not to mention the ones who don't want to talk about those times. I don't think I need to convince you there were many tragedies in this period of time, but I was struck at how devastating Hitler's rise to power was. His ideologies frighten me more the longer I look at them, since I know the places they come from. But as this course clarifies, Hitler was only one part of this, albeit it an important and powerful one. Knowing some of the theories which allow for such a man to come to power, the reverse propaganda popularized by Bismark, the reactionary rioting, the clear abuse of power while the Republic floundered... It was a fascinating look into those times.

It should be made clear that this is a relatively short series. It does not go into depth about the battles or detail events of World War II which do not directly make clear how Germany came to think it was winning and then lose all that hope. This does not go into depth about the final hours of Hitler either, those are the end of the man, not of the Empire he sought to build. And I think it makes for a much more evocative lecture series, that way.

It made me angry, it made it me sad, and, shockingly, it occasionally made me laugh. Although it was sometimes a joke that Childers made, it was probably more often a gasp of disbelief: we forget how much the world changed because of Hitler, for better and worse.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The purpose of studying Hitler's regime is to increase our awareness and vigilance for current civil and human right violations to prevent re-occurrence of the atrocities and horrors of the collective WWII legacy. With this in mind, this lecture series of Hitler and the Nazi party's rise to power through the fall of the Third Reich is very informative.

Context is established by reviewing the burden of the Versailles Treaty, along with the nationalistic and economic troubles riddling the Weimar Republic. The advent of Communism and world revolution was also perceived as a threat. Given the environment and conditions, it is understandable how a reactionary party could rise to power.

History substantiates several totalitarian regimes during this time period. Hitler's radical race ideology was apparent from the beginning, but the ramifications of manifesting this into policy were not immediately obvious. The death and devastation of WWII is astronomical, with Russia alone losing 10% of its population. Each country has its WWII legacy, but the German people inherited an additional guilt with the Holocaust.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good lecture series by an excellent instructor, Thomas Childers.  This 12 part series focuses on the Nazi's rise to power in Germany and also covers their foreign and domestic policies.  It is a short but very informative set of lectures that I would recommend to anyone interested in gaining an understanding of pre WWII Germany and Hitler's rise to power.

[Bevan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Childers is an expert on German voting patterns. In this series he takes a wider view of the preconditions of the rise of the Nazi regime, the years in power and the war (it is not a military history). He provides a pretty up to date and useful introduction.

[Michael Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, the only complaint I have about this course is it's length.

Considering the topic, it's shocking that the Teaching Company would only invest a measly 12 courses on not only Hitler but the topic of the entire Nazi empire. This is even more astounding when considering that this course was released in 2001 and there has yet to be a single addition to this course. Certainly, there are other discussions on WWII in Great Courses but none that discuss any in-depth aspect of Hitler or the Nazi Party. And it isn't like the GC is shy about repeating itself. They will discuss and return to a variety of topics throughout the years.

That said, with the little time he has, Childers does an amazing job covering a 30-odd period of time, documenting the rise of both Hitler and the Nazi party from the beginnings of WWI all the way to the end of WWII and the discovery of the death camps.

One of the concepts touched on in this course that I found surprising and have heard from separate sources was the concept that anti-semitism did not play such a huge role in the rise of the Nazi party so much as the economy. Considering how the Nazis are understood now, with good reason, one would have understood the election of a Nazi would have been a straight referendum on whether a group hated Jews or not. Instead, they were elected mostly as a protest vote with vague promises for the future and no one seriously thought that Hitler's more extreme beliefs would be enacted.

Listening to this in the US in 2025, this feels very strange.

[Robert Federline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. You think you know something about history, and then you find out how truly lacking your knowledge may be. The only real complaint about this work is that it is too short. At nearly 6 1/2 hours, this course is not nearly long enough. the details are lacking. The subject matter is too broad to be covered in such a short amount of time.

There are many lessons to be learned here. One of them, of course, is that none of us exist in isolation. The very name of Adolf Hitler evokes levels of horror quite unlike any other. He did not operate alone, however. Goebbels is fascinating in his own right, and according to this was more responsible for Hitler's rise than most. How he and others manipulated media and politics was revolutionary at the time, and many of those techniques are still in use today.

I now feel I should be researching the front line which supported Hitler, to understand how they contributed to this dark period in the history of humanity. While it may not have been the worst atrocity of people against people, it will always remain an iconic example of racism and the horrific degradation of humanity.

It is important to learn the lessons of history so that its errors are not repeated. Some of the parallels in Hitler's rise to power with the United States today are very scary. And they are not limited to one party It is important to remember that tools can build or destroy. How we choose to employ them is absolutely crucial.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone weary of overly-detailed massive volumes on WWII and Hitler’s Germany, I was pleased to find Childers’ work informative, easy to follow and concise. He separates the two topics and focuses on Hitler’s path to power and his actions once there. He leaves the details of WWII for a separate volume and restricts himself to establishing at which stage of the war Hitler took this or that action or policy. In chronicling Hitler’s rise, he emphasizes the need to keep the eventual outcome from appearing inevitable, and seeks to focus on the parliamentary maneuverings that led to such instability in the last years of the Weimar republic and opened a path for Hitler. He similarly addresses the legacies of events such as Germany’s recent unification, its loss in WWI and its rapid industrialization in contributing to the political instability of the Weimar republic. He points out the improvisational nature of Nazi policy, the often-successful gambles that Hitler took against military/diplomatic advice, the slow realization of the coming end and the deranged coldness with which the “Final Solution” was planned and executed. While I would have liked more attention paid at the economic policies of the Nazi regime, I would still recommend it to those interested in better understanding this dark chapter in world history.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 6-hour course that I believe everyone in a democratic society needs to listen to carefully. It is especially prescient in spite of being created in 2001 before the rise of blatant racism and neo-Nazism in the United States and across Europe. Professor Childers relates the rise of Hitler, his legal ascension to power, and the unspeakable atrocities that occurred between 1939 and 1945. I see far too many parallels when watching the news in 2018.

Childers had no idea of the future when he reminded listeners at the end of this series that we need to guard our freedoms, protect any group that is being persecuted, and be forewarned to prevent the horrors that Hitler brought to the world. While his style of delivery is less than stirring, his message and the information that supports it is vital for all of us.

Invest six hours of your time to carefully listen to this series of lectures. There is so much at stake...

[Chase Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars may be a bit harsh for this lecture series by Tom Childers. However, I am reviewing this having just listened to his lecture series on World War II. In light of that, the information here was quite repetitive. The first lecture is as probably my favorite as Childers traced the background story of why Germany was primed for the Nazi party and Hitler’s regime. Not only the post WWI drama that made Germany bitter due to the Treaty of Versailles, but also the recent European statehood of Germany and the late/rapid industrialization. Although indirect links to Nazi Germany, it was still a beneficial thought exercise. Furthermore, the lecture series seems to end suddenly. Once “the beginning of the end” is stated, the lectures end with over 4 years left of the war to come! Overall, this is a good listen, but just know what you are getting going into this.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me pareció super interesante conocer la historia y contexto político y social que ayudó a Hitler a llevarlo al poder y a su partido político al éxito. Su ascenso y derrota siempre ha sido tema de discusión, pero creo que todos podemos aprender un poco de esta historia para ayudar a que no se repita, y parte de eso es conocer los factores que se dieron en primer lugar para que fuera posible.

Puntos a favor de que cuenta los hechos y no las perspectivas que pueda tener el autor. Si bien se especulan un montón de cosas, él se basa en fotografías, textos, discursos, testimonios comprobables, lo cual le da solidez a sus argumentos y nos cuenta no solo en qué andaba Hitler, sin mucho detalle, sino todo el resto de situaciones que rodeaban a Alemania, tanto internamente como en el resto del mundo.

[H3dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I chose to listen to this series in reaction to the political environments around the world, not just that in my own backyard. I wanted to get an idea of how on Earth such a thing as Hitler and the Holocaust could have come to be. I still don't know, though I did learn a few things in the process. 3.5 stars, losing half one because of that old nut about Hitler being a vegetarian and "ha ha, I make sure to point that out to my vegetarian friends". Hitler was not truly a vegetarian, but so what? Stalin, Mussolini, Idi Amin Dada - all ate meat. Does anyone throw that in omnivores faces as if it's a valid comparison to their character? Of course not.

I might have strong feels about that.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2001 The Teaching Company released University of Pennsylvania professor Thomas Childers’ “A History of Hitler’s Empire” (2nd edition). The first six lectures of the 12 lecture course are about Hitler’s Nazis rise to power from 1919 to 1933.; the conflicts caused by the unification of Germany in 1871; and the religious divisions that triggered devastating social class conflicts. The next set of lectures feature Hitler’s foreign policies, totalitarian initiatives, and the German national socialism that caused World War II and the 1941-1945 Jewish holocaust. The course ends with a powerful discussion of the impact the Nazis evil empire had on world affairs and social justice. (P)

[Prahalathan KK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an audio programme by The Great Courses. While much has been written about the first world war and the treaty of Versailles and the second world war. Why an Army Corporal joined politics, why and how the Nazi party (or National Socialist German Workers' Party) won a popular election, how Germany descended into autocracy, Why Germany conquered some of it's neighbors are all explained as lessons here. This is not about the second world war, but, largely the events that precipitated it.

The audio recording could have been better, the professor uses a lot of fillers and makes errors which corrects along the way.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual content is interesting and informative, would have been a 4 star listen but the delivery was so terrible I DNF'd when it was automatically returned to Libby and I didn't even care. I'm an easy to please listener of audio books, I listen to a fair amount of content from Librivox. The constant prolonged "uuuuummmmmmmmms" just became like nails on a chalkboard. I won't ever listen to another course by Thomas Childers because of this problem.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing!!! I read the comments of some others, but if you enjoy the classroom lecture style of presentation you will enjoy this production. The material is covered efficiently, with background and application examples spot on and interesting. I don't give many 5 stars. This work was one of the few.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic introduction for the absolute beginner, but delivered in a natural, clear, and structured way. Mercifully, Childers skips most of the war, and focuses on the circumstances of Hitler's rise to power. Those are the bits that we need to understand in order to understand what's happening today in Europe, the US, India, and so on.

[Dan Hyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great Courses series of lectures. These are often available via your local library.

This was a fairly brief series. What I liked about it was that it did a good job of covering the period of the 30's when Hitler worked his way into power.

I've read plenty of other books about Nazi Germany after the war started, and so that part wasn't of as much interest.

[Sam Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping for more of a look into the world of the average German in the Weimar Republic. Thomas did a fine job of explaining inflation but would have appreciated more of the impact that had on the general population and their general sentiments leading up to WWII.

[Christopher McCready · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the information here is great. It's a seriously interesting book and subject. A lot of value is added here.
The narrator or mixing is terrible though. One second it's loud and clear, the next he is whispering. It makes it a chore to finish.

[John Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing. The course spent most of the time on Hitler's rise and actions up to WWII outbreak. Then it kinda skimmed his action during the war especially his involving in multiple disastrous military decisions.

[Enrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half of the course is about how the nazis came to power and the time between the first and second world war. The second half is a very short history of the second world war, skipping over a lot of parts of it because of the overall shortness of the course.