Book description
The third and final volume in Richard J Evans s masterly trilogy on
the history of Nazi Germany traces the rise and fall of German
military might, against the background of the mobilization of the
people s community in the service of a war of conquest, racial
subjugation and genocide.
Interweaving a broad narrative of the war s progress with personal
testimony from a wide range of people, from generals to front-line
soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives,
Richard Evans lays bare the dynamics of a society plunged into war at
every level. The great battles and events of the war are here, from
the Battle of Stalingrad to Hitler s suicide in the bunker, but just
as important is the recreation of the daily experience of ordinary
Germans in wartime, under the growing impact of the mass bombing of
Germany s towns and cities. At the centre of the book is the Nazi
extermination of Europe s Jews, set in the context of Hitler s
genocidal plans for the racial restructuring of Europe.
Blending narrative, description and analysis, The Third Reich at
War creates a picture of a society rushing headlong to
self-destruction and taking a large part of Europe with it.
Richard J Evans is Professor of Modern History at Cambridge
University. His previous books include
In Defence of History
,
Telling Lies about Hitler
and the companions to this title,
The Coming of the Third Reich
and
The Third Reich in Power
. He lives outside Cambridge.
