The Nazis: The Rise and Fall of History’s Most Evil Empire

by Paul Roland

This book traces the history of the Third Reich, from the Nazi movement's beginnings in the beer halls of 1920s Germany to the outcome of the Nuremberg trials, which took place in the aftermath of the Second World War.Masters of manipulation, double standards, and deceit, the Nazis were bent on world domination and engineered a global conflict in order to achieve their ends. As their figurehead, they chose an Austrian corporal with a twisted psyche, who rose from obscurity to command the world's most formidable military machine.The Nazis includes fascinating psychological profiles of Nazi henchmen in an attempt to discover the character flaws that made them commit their terrible crimes. This gallery of social misfits was held together by its admiration for Hitler, who dragged the German nation towards the abyss and brought about the deaths of more than 60 million people worldwide.

Genres: History, World War II, War, Nonfiction, Nazi Party, Literary Fiction, Holocaust

513 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2018

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Roland

Reviews

[SnarkyMoggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

As I mentioned in previous notes, while reading this book, this feels as though the author had written up various articles on the Nazis, and the Nazi's regime. And then at some point, he decided to bring it together in one big book. I wanted to believe that, but then I kept having information being repeated time and time again, sometimes within a page between them. One of them was about Hitler and his father, mentioning that his father was horrible towards him. Then a few paragraphs, about a completely different topic concerning Hitler's relationship, I think it was a repeat about how much Hitler was told he was a special boy by his mother. And then suddenly there was a paragraph about Hitler's relationship with his father, slightly reworded and then it went on. This became very annoying, as I felt that the author either didn't care that he wasn't proof-reading it to make sure that this didn't happen, or, the author believed that the reader didn't have the capacity to remember what had been written the page before.

There was another issue where it didn't look like any real organization had gone into putting this book together. Biographies of various people involved in the Nazi regime were just thrown in, not always content of what the chapter was about suddenly, completely ruining the flow. I'd have preferred if there had been better stream of where information was put within the book. For instance, the story of how the Nazis started, and then as more and more of the prominent Nazis joined, maybe a sub-chapter to give a background of that Nazi. Then the lead-up to War, more and the various countries who were involved and what they did and then Total War. How it all went wrong. And then do the Nuremberg Trials. Maybe that's when the author should have done more defined biographies of the various Nazis.

Instead, this entire book is a mess. It goes back and forth, with subjects suddenly broken to throw in information that had nothing to do with the chapter. There is some good information in this book, I did learn of information I hadn't know before, but it's lost.

I wouldn't recommend this, especially to anyone who hasn't read anything about the Nazis before. I know that the writing style is very readable, but it's not enough to put the time into reading it.

If any reader wants to read something about the Nazis, that is a good place to start, I'd say 'The Hitler Years: Triumph 1933-1939' by Frank McDonough, or, 'The Nazis' by Laurence Rees.

1 Star.

[Marre Prestigiacomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a history nerd!! Especially WWII history and the rise of Hitler and his fall, and the Nazis fall.
I've read many books about this horrible time in the world's history. This book was factually written and easy to read. For its clarity which will interest more to read I rated it higher. Some of the books of this era would be hard to read it not deeply interested.
As in the previous books like the Nuremberg trials, I found it amazing that in the end all of the men who worked with and for Hitler and knew of the atrocities committed none were remorseful. All justified their position and remained faithful to the cause for their Fatherland! It was amazing how people could hate an entire race of people for no reason other than they were told to!
I found the propaganda rise to power of Hitler in Germany, similar to the rise and belief in the conspiracy theories expounded in the current political atmosphere of the US in 2020. Mein Kampf advocated propaganda (lies) and to repeat the lies until people got tired of them or just ignored them as having no value. We are sadly at the same point today with a third of the population. History can repeat it's self and I fear the hold of Fascism in this country because it was the beginning and foundation of the Rise to Nazism.

[Michael Bradbury · Rating 1 out of 5]

Avoid at all costs. Embarrassingly inaccurate this book is more concerned with myth, rumour and personal conjecture than historical facts. The ‘facts’ is does purport to rely upon are often incorrect and almost always unreferenced.

[Nicholas Cumby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some repeat info here for anyone who has a working knowledge of WWII. But there is much included about the party activities which you don’t always find. Of course in later chapters reviewing the crimes it gets pretty grim, but it put well in perspective the situation without downplaying it or over exaggerating which you can find with this type of material sometimes. It was a good read imo

[teleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)

i expected this to be a five star, but four isn’t bad. learnt some stuff as well which is always good!

[Shaunna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an in-depth knowledge of the main people behind the success of the Third Reich. It does an amazing job of simplifying a deep and dark subject. I wanted to read this book because I hoped that it would offer more insight into the nazi period and thus helping with my degree, and it definitely did. The simplicity of the writing style made it easy for me to follow and as a result I couldn't put it down. This is a perfect book for an introduction to the Third Reich. It misses a lot of crucial details but it is a 400 page book. The beginning chapters which discuss Hitler and his mental state are most interesting.

My only criticism of this book, whether it is a print issue, is the fact that many sentences are grammatically incorrect and words spelled wrong. I hope that this exists only in my version because I wouldn't want it to take away from the fact this is a very good book.

Giving this book 3/5 instead of 4/5 just because of the grammatical errors.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book for three reasons: 1. It was cheap. A couple of quid at my local The Works. 2. It looked less threatening and labour intensive than other books I've seen on the Nazis (maybe I'm getting a bit lazy in my reading habits, but it's been a tough year!) 3. I teach a Germany history unit and it's my least favourite by far so I want to immerse myself in the topic in the hope my enthusiasm increases as much as my knowledge.

Overall, I found this book very informative and learnt so many new things about the Nazi party. I wouldn't say I found it an enjoyable read - how can anyone enjoy reading about monsters and the evil things they did? - but it was certainly full of interesting details that I can use in my teaching.

Will definitely go for something more lighthearted for my next book!

[Albert Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with a lot of interesting historical facts and background but its a bit over the top with the rhetoric. We all know the Nazis were bad and evil, but it seems like every sentence the author wants to make them sound stupid and incompetent as well. You can acknowledge the Nazis are incredibly evil and bad without embellishing the failings of the actors.

[Jack Mollette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "The Nazis" by Paul Roland is a very interesting read. It gives a ton of information about the wars and the beginnings of the Nazis. It begins by talking about Hitler as he grows up and goes into power. I think the way Roland formatted the book was really good because the events aren't all over the place. The events are basically in order of time. Some things in the book are conspiracy theories. The author also shows lots of pictures throughout the book. One part of the book I really liked was when it got to the accused, and hitlers henchmen. It has been something I wondered about for a while. I think the author could have done way more like including more of the battles with the nazis. It would be really interesting to read about. I like the mike of words Roland chose for the book. It gives a lot of context. I rated this book a 5 star because it was a really good read. It gave me a lot of knowledge about the Nazis and who they were, and how they acted. Overall the book had lots of good information and detail. I think they could have made it even better if they added more to it. Like the war/ battles and what happened?

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that takes a look at the history of the Nazi party and it's perpetrators from a psychological perspective as well as looking at the economic and political conditions of the rise and fall of Hitler's thousand year Reich. Very comprehensive in its scope and there is a wealth of detail here but there are a few problems for me, the author takes it as read that Goring burnt down the Reichstag and that Hitler had a Jewish ancestry, which is still treated as highly speculative by a lot of modern writers of Nazi Germany that I have read, I would also have liked to have seen a biography and references but on the whole a very good history of this period.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little introduction to a period I know little about. Difficult to put down due to the material but also it's quick pace.
If you want intrinsic detail of a specific aspect then this is not for you but it is an excellent primer.

[Philip Robert Defriend · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read indeed.

This book really opens your eyes to the horrors of the death camps and the people who were in charge of killing so many humans. Also it looks in depth on how the nazis rose and fell under Hitlers deranged direction. A fascinating read indeed.

[Samantha Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strikes the perfect balance between in depth information and concise details

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellant. Reads like a text book. Clear, detailed and accurate on all the nazi elite. No flowery poetic phasing, just the brutal truth. I stayed up many night reading more and more!

[Mr James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Competent

A competent pastiche of the horror and those involved in the horror of WW2 and their atrocities committed all over Europe. I read it in two days.

[Dee Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend

Great book, extremely informative especially about the Nuremberg trials and mindset of the Nazis. Has a lot of information I had not known before.

[Matthew Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The atrocities committed by this regime, alongside the extent of their self-serving ambitions, must never be forgotten. It's crucial to understand that such occurrences can recur and they do not happen overnight. We must appreciate the gradual development and recognize the momentum behind such transformations. In the past, my understanding of what transpired was rather superficial. However, the profound revelations presented in this book have deeply shaken me to my core.

[Abbas Zubir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adequately explained how did Nazi came to power and how did they maintained the power. I didn't expect their reign was that long nor was I expect how cruel they were. This book provide a thorough explanation why Nazi will always be the darkest blot to have ever stained the human history. To the modern neo-nazi, get a grip. Learn the damn history.