The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirerby William L. Shirer
Shares rank 18 of 51 history books by recommenders
People recommend it for its detailed account of how Nazi Germany rose and fell, and for how well it speaks to current politics. Critics say it is a struggle to read.
People recommend it for its detailed account of how Nazi Germany rose and fell, and for how well it speaks to current politics. Critics say it is a struggle to read.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Goes deep into nearly everything
“For me it is kind of a struggle to read, but at the same time very interesting because he goes into great depths about basically everything.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Traces cause and effect through the war
“it is fascinating being able to follow the cause and effect chain in Germany leading up to and all through the war”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?” Engaging and relevant to current politics
“It's quite engaging, and also quite helpful to juxtapose against current political events”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Shaped a reader's career path
“Two books I read after 9/11 shaped my path greatly”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Hard to read at times
“For me it is kind of a struggle to read, but at the same time very interesting because he goes into great depths about basically everything.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other history books people recommend
The four most recommended other history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn of Everythingby David Graeber and David Wengrow | 23 | 5 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Cadillac Desertby Marc Reisner | 18 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Boxby Marc Levinson | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Sapiensby Yuval Noah Harari | 13 | 9 | 59% | 8 | — | — |
| The Rise and Fall of the Third Reichby William L. ShirerThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“For me it is kind of a struggle to read, but at the same time very interesting because he goes into great depths about basically everything.”
“It's quite engaging, and also quite helpful to juxtapose against current political events”
“it is fascinating being able to follow the cause and effect chain in Germany leading up to and all through the war”
“Two books I read after 9/11 shaped my path greatly”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.