Rise and Fall of Third Reich
authored by William Shirer
29-May-2014
This book Rise and Fall of Third
Reich authored by William Shirer, I had bought on 15 th August 1986 (one of the
wheeler outlets may be from some Rly station, not sure). After 28 years, had
the patience, the resolve and time to take up reading this tome (some 1500
pages in small print) and finished reading it today. Quite a tough read but
racy also in several parts. Looks to have been extremely well researched. The
author had the twin advantage of having been a reporter in and around Germany
during the war time Europe and the run
up to the war and had the advantage of
access to several documents and books written based on the same depositions during and after the Nuremberg trials. A number of
diaries maintained by some of the Germans who were privy (like General Haldar)
and at close quarters to the happenings of that time have come in handy.
Such a detailed one that it would
be an effort to recall things and write down a brief note for my own future
reference and recall. Almost impossible to recall a lot of things with clarity
unless you do second read. Even then it could become difficult, could be text
book of German History in the run up and during the Nazi regime.
The author has spent more time in
tracing the aftermath of World War I which possibly was the major reason why
someone with as warped a mind as Hitler was and without doubt a terrific orator
and in his own right a genius could have brain washed an entire nation and more
importantly worked around the favorable factors in a devious way to his
advantage to get to occupy the undisputed leader. World war I had (Weimar
republic) had put a huge burden on Germany as a nation. They had to cede parts
of Austria and several other areas and had to bear the burden of huge
reparations to the European nations as part of the process of compensating them
for the losses caused due to the war initiated by Germany, which incidentally
lasted 4 years (1914-18). Germany was under severe burden, people lost jobs,
inflation was high, of course Germany also printed notes to devalue the
currency and pay off the war cost, the nation was at its lowest. The nation in
terms of the Governance was in a limbo, a kind of transition period when monarchy
was done away with and was ruled under the overall care of Field Marshal Hindenburg.
The Field Marshal an old man was a kind of guardian to keep an eye on the Reichstag
(parliament) elected.
Hitler was born to Alois Hitler
who was born out of wedlock and carried his mother’s maiden name Schikleburger
before his father married his mother and gave him the privilege of taking
father’s surname ( Hiedler) was given. Somehow this became Hitler.. He was born
in Branau am Inn, Austria .
Was a racist , feelings of Aryan
supremacy, completely against Jews, so much so that he thought getting rid of
Jews of the world was one of the greatest priorities. National socialist party
( Nazi) had this ideology of Aryan supremacy and German Nationalism. Had the view
that Germany and the German race were always destined to rulers , the master
race and by quirk of fate and circumstances and by deceit had been pushed to an
inferior and groveling position. He made
very good use of the prevailing victimhood feeling in the nation . By all
accounts was a terrific orator and a terrific organizer. He was clear that
Germany was the master race ,Jews were to obliterated , completely annihilated
, slavs and others to serve the Germans and Germany and German’s need for
additional living space, Lebensraum could be satisfied by invasion.
What really bewilders you as to
how a nation which had some of the greatest intellectuals , which produced
several great scientists could have fallen for this.It was possibly a
combination of great convincing skills, ability to delve in to and appeal to
emotions of the people at their vulnerable points and make the German
population not to have any compunctions about what was being done to nations
and people in the name of correction of wrongs to them.
It is really a wonder that the
only credible opposition and attempt to get rid of Hitler was in Jun 1944 by
which time it had become clear that Germany and Hitler were in a losing battle.
Since the book is an attempt to
trace the run up, the happenings in Germany during Third Reich and the war ,
while it has dealt with the gas chambers, the inhuman treatment meted out to
the POW s , the Jews, the atrocious medical experiments carried out on POW s etc.,
the same are detailed but not very elaborate. It did touch upon some specific
experiments. Such treatment meted out to animals would evoke sympathy and pity
in any human being, just to think that such a treatment was meted out to fellow
human beings. That is possible only by a mind which is steeped in a feeling of absolute superiority of self and the feeling that the “humans”
subjected to such treatment are not
quite humans and but kind of specimens
of a different living organism or some lowlife.Himmler and his
SS(Schutzstaffel) and his several of his cronies start find innovative ways of
quick and faster disposal.
Ribbentrop-Foreign Minister
Herman Goering –Luftwaffe Chief
Himmler - SS chief
SS-Schutzstaffel ( Defence force)
Gestapo- Secret Police …
Wehrmacht-Army
Reichstag –Parliament
Keitel,Jodl.Halder,Runstaed,,,,,
all army generals
More than 80 million deaths out
of which death of Germans was only around 10 Mio
Jews approximately 6 Mio were
supposed to have been killed.
Concentration camps , Auschwitz,
Dachau, Terblinka,….
Start of war 1-Sept-1939 against
Poland
End of war 8-May -1945
In retrospect it is quite a
surprise to see how soft the Allies were on Hitler especially in the earlier
stages. Neville Chamberlain the British PM and Dadalier the French PM appear
have been lulled in to a belief and comfort that Hitler and Germany would not
wage a war to recapture lost territories of Germany World War I. The signs were
all quite clear , at least when viewed in retrospect with a clear knowledge of
sequence of events, the thoughts expressed by Hitler in his push to leadership,
thoughts expressed in Mein Kampf and clear cut steps taken to weed the nation
of Jews and his gradual push in acquiring Austria , later Czecholsolavokia.
Hitler and his gang in the
pretext of protecting the ethnic German population which they claimed were
suppressed and tortured recaptured Czech.
Austria of course they had prior claims. Same pretext they roll over Poland
also. A nation which had rolled over in 1918 and who were paying up war
reparations, not only was getting out of it but also appeared to play the
dominant card , with Chamberlain not only
meeting up and concluding an agreement in Munich but trying his best to cajole Hitler from
proceeding with his plans for invasion. The author details out the run up as to
how Hitler put severe pressure setting time limits for action. Totally
manufactured suppressions and stage managed
incidents like bombings and killing of so called Germans ( who were some
prisoners waiting in jails to die ).
The Allies wake up quite late ,
that is only after Poland was attacked and tolled over starting 1 st Sept
1939.Hitler had spurred the German
economy through his war efforts, with a lot of manufacturing aimed to
arming Germany and a quite a bit of building infrastructure, one can say the
type of Govt spending that Keynes ,
recommended to spur growth in this case with a completely different aim
but with the same result in that it provided employment and economic growth.
This must have have come as a huge relief to the suffering citizens together
with the feeling of having been victimized by Allies, the population must have
been easy target for indoctrination of Nazism and German own form of
nationalism.
The way Hitler manipulated the
system and put himself with all powers is great story in itself. The elections
he took part, he won some 30 %, never more than that. Subsequent Plebiscite which
were conducted for specific issues were a Yes or No and were conducted in a
highly vitiated atmosphere of fear.Gestapo and SS were dominated forces and the
prominent citizens and nay sayers were closely monitored, eliminated if did not
fall in line.
Some things which were a total
revelation notwithstanding the fact that they were very prominent aspects were
the aspect of the ease with which Hitler overcame French army , the armistice
signed after running over France after the war started, the non-aggression pact
with Soviet Union .
His agreement with Italy and/or
Soviet Union were matters of convenience and strategy to Hitler. Non-aggression
pact plus an agreement to share the
spoils over the conquered countries were key elements. This is no better than
dacoits in partnership , deciding to share the loot.
Hitler also proves that such
agreements were in fact strategies to buy time, to enable concentrating his
forces on one side and once conquered
finds out a reason to renege on the same and conquer the party also. One
abiding partnership albeit a bit passive on the part of the other was with
Italy and Mussolini except when they conquer parts of North Africa. With
Mussolini ousted in his country and kept in custody, Hitler employs a commando
unit to get him released , brings him to Germany and keeps him guarded almost
till the end of the war. Mussolini meets with a horrible end later.
After Hitler starts off eating in to Soviet Union,
they get in the war. Japan by bombing US gets US in to the war. France rendered
hors de combat after the armistice with Germany.
What really shocks is the utter
disregard for human life and utter disregard for even a semblance of judicial
process. Hitler and his SS and Gestapo cronies get rid of people judged by
“people’s court” , an euphemism for summary trials , on the slightest sign of
protest or perceived treason. Anything against the Fuehrer was treason.
Even towards the end when they
find that Rommel a very popular General and one who was far more ethical and
did not quite participate in the tyranny with Jews and POWs , was forced to
kill himself when they found that he had hobnobbed with people trying to
overthrow Hitler.
We now know the importance of
media and the forum it provides , but Goebbels the propaganda minster , of
course in the days of controlled media , understood the power of media and
propaganda with just radio broadcasts.
Once it became clear that Russia
was at the doorstep of Berlin, Hitler, his wife, Eva Braun and Goebbels and his entire family commit suicide in
Hitler’s underground bunker .
Apart from the millions who lost
their lives and the millions of property lost, Russia getting in to the war
must have resulted in quite a few Eastern European nations getting dominated by
Marxists under the overall Soviet control. Between 1945 and 1989, , almost two
generations lost great amount of freedom and opportunity during that period. Countries
which suffered during World War II and
continued to suffer albeit a different kind , under oppressive regimes till
almost later 80 s ( Berlin wall was dismantled in 1989) were Bulgaria, Poland,
Yugoslavia,Czechoslovakia,Romania and a whole lot of smaller regions like
Georgia,Ukraine,Lithuania, Armenia,Kazhakstan etc distinct ethinic populations which
got annexed to USSR and which later separated from Russia .
Hitler must have been without
doubt one of the greatest Orators, a great genius albeit perverted .If he had
had Atom bomb with him and others did not have the same, he would have caused
even more immeasurable damage. Two thoughts, one , such a genius, if he had
been constructive, would have transformed Europe, and another thought which
keeps coming back is how a nation of great intellectuals which produced several
great philosophers, several great scientists could have become
so tyrannically racist, deluded in to a belief they were indeed the
master race and others are there to be subjugated and how could they have come
down to being active in some cases and passive in most cases , accomplices of
Hitler acquiescing with Nazism ?
