The Third Reich (Seminar Studies) - Softcover

Since publication of the first edition in 1982, David Williamson's The Third Reich has become established as one of the most successful books in the Seminar Studies in History series.  The author draws on up-to-date scholarship to guide students through the maze of historical controversies concerning the Third Reich and to offer a comprehensive analysis of the key issues of the period.  In a clear and accessible manner, the new edition provides chapters that:

• introduce readers to the historiography of the Third Reich
• analyse the reasons for Hitler's rise to power
• look at how the Nazi regime consolidated it's grip on power during the period March 1933- August 1934
• explain how Nazi Germany was governed and discuss to what extent Hitler can be viewed as a 'weak dictator'
• analyse Hitler's economic, foreign and social policies in both war and peace up to 1945, as well as the development of Nazi racial and eugenic policies.

The analysis of these themes is backed up with an increased selection of documents, which enable students to discuss the key issues more fully.  Providing a concise but comprehensive account of the origins, course and downfall of the Third Reich, this new edition of an already classic text will be an invaluable introduction to the subject for students.  

The Third Reich has had a global impact on the politics and history of the twentieth century. Attempts to define National Socialism, or Nazism, began as soon as it became a major force in the 1930s, and has continued unabated ever since. Now in its fourth edition, David G. Williamson’s classic Seminar Studies title draws on recent scholarship to provide students with an up-to-date introduction to the historical controversies surrounding this fascinating period in Germany’s past.

Expanded to analyse the impact of the war on the Nazi regime and the German people in even greater depth, the book:

-         Looks at Hitler’s rise to power and how the Nazi regime consolidated its grip during the period March 1933 - August 1934

-         Explains how Nazi Germany was governed and discusses to what extent Hitler could be considered a ‘weak dictator’

-         Examines Nazi economic and foreign policy and its role in preparing Germany for war

-         Analyses the development of Nazi racial and eugenic policies and the creation of the Volksgemeinschaft

-         Explores Hitler’s popularity and the degree of opposition to the Nazis

This fully revised and updated new edition, supported by a broad range of primary source material, offers a comprehensive and balanced analysis of a key period in German history.

David G. Williamson has written extensively on modern German and European history. Among his recent publications are Poland Betrayed: The Nazi Soviet Invasions of 1939 (Pen and Sword, 2009) and, also in the Seminar Studies series, Bismarck and Germany, 3rd edition (2010). Formerly head of history at Highgate School, he is now a writer and freelance lecturer.