Collapse of the Empire -- The End of Hitler and the Third Reich

Author: (German) Joachim Fest, translated by Chen Xiaochun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The same-named film swept the globe and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Academy Awards this year! The title of this book is "The Collapse of the Empire: Hitler and the End of the Third Reich." The book also has a subtitle, "A Sketch of a History." It focuses on the events that occurred in the last twenty days after Hitler and the Third Reich were besieged by the Soviet army in 1945. This includes the state of the war, the resistance activities of the Nazi Party, Hitler's own psychology and movements, the final days of life in the underground bunker of the Chancellery, the wedding and ball with Eva, and the process of suicide. Of particular value is that the book offers a heart-stirring and humanistic explanation of the Nazi phenomenon. At the end of the book, the author mentions some of his works and their authors, providing brief reviews of some of the works, as their understanding of the events is often significantly expanded. However, the entire picture of reflecting the events and important perspectives related to this background is presented here. Even this book does not want to and cannot be a push. It calls itself "A Sketch of a History." In four narrative chapters, it describes the entire chaotic process that took place in the underground bunker and the capital caught in the whirlwind of destruction, under the immense pressure of an inevitable disaster. Interwoven are four short reflective chapters, interpreting the key terms that entered our view due to this event. A nation in "extreme conditions": the following pages will describe its situation. Because of this necessity, some of the circumstances that led to its formation and provided the necessary background to better understand it are also described.