The End

The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945

By: Ian Kershaw

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

From the preeminent Hitler biographer, a fascinating and original exploration of how the Third Reich was willing and able to fight to the bitter end of World War II.

Countless books have been written about why Nazi Germany lost World War II, yet remarkably little attention has been paid to the equally vital question of how and why it was able to hold out as long as it did. The Third Reich did not surrender until Germany had been left in ruins and was almost completely occupied. Even in the near-apocalyptic final months, when the war was plainly lost, the Nazis refused to sue for peace. Historically, this is extremely rare.

Drawing on original testimony from ordinary Germans and arch-Nazis alike, award-winning historian Ian Kershaw explores this fascinating question in a gripping and focused narrative that begins with the failed bomb plot in July 1944 and ends with the German capitulation in May 1945. Hitler, desperate to avoid a repeat of the "disgraceful" German surrender in 1918, was of course critical to the Third Reich's fanatical determination, but his power was sustained only because those below him were unable, or unwilling, to challenge it. Even as the military situation grew increasingly hopeless, Wehrmacht generals fought on, their orders largely obeyed, and the regime continued its ruthless persecution of Jews, prisoners, and foreign workers. Even beneath the hail of allied bombing, German society maintained some semblance of normalcy in the very last months of the war. The Berlin Philharmonic even performed on April 12, 1945, less than three weeks before Hitler's suicide.

As Kershaw shows, the structure of Hitler's "charismatic rule" created a powerful negative bond between him and the Nazi leadership - they had no future without him, and so their fates were inextricably tied. Terror also helped the Third Reich maintain its grip on power as the regime began to wage war not only on its ideologically defined enemies but also on the German people themselves. Yet even as each month brought fresh horrors for civilians, popular support for the regime remained linked to a patriotic support of Germany and a terrible fear of the enemy closing in.

Based on prodigious new research, Kershaw's The End is a harrowing yet enthralling portrait of the Third Reich in its last desperate gasps.

©2011 Ian Kershaw (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Kershaw's comprehensive research, measured prose, and commonsense insight combine in a mesmerizing explanation of how and why Nazi Germany chose self-annihilation." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[A]superb examination of the final defeat of Hitler's tyranny...an excellent portrait of the regime's death throes." ( Booklist)

"This is an astonishing story well told by the reigning English-speaking master of Third Reich history.... A carefully considered and powerfully told saga." ( Kirkus)

The End by Ian Kershaw

A really good synopsis of the final days of WW ll, and how and why Hitler's followers behaved as they did.

LOYALTY UNTIL THE END, DENAIL AFTERWARDS

This audible selection, THE END, by historian Ian Kershaw is an overview of Nazi and German attitudes from 1944 to 1945 and concluding with the end of World War II. This study puts to rest that Hitler and the regime did not have the backing of most of the German people and Wehrmacht. The author lays out that indeed, despite myths propagated after WW II the great majority of Germans still had faith in Hitler until the end, and were loyal to the Nazi regime. It shines light on just how many of the high ranking military, not in the SS, were fanatical and loyal Nazis. And, shows Albert Speer for what he was, a Hitler sycophant and party loyalist. A great addition to any WW II library.

Learned so much I didn't know! A must read!

I teach history and have several degrees and thought I knew it all about the end days of the Nazi regime! Boy, was I wrong! This was more about the end days of the German PEOPLE than Hitler and his regime! The stories of not only the prisoners on the march as the Russians advanced but the German people and how they went to great lengths to not only stay loyal and believe to the end but give up their lives and freedoms in a Germany that would never be the same. The stories of the families who tied themselves together in a rope and drowned to avoid occupation were heart wrenching. Sometimes you forget that there were more victims of the war than those Hitler took down. This is definitely a book you need to read. It is the 2nd by the author I have purchased on Audible and I will certainly purchase more!

Great book about the mentality of Germans

willing to support Hitler to the very end. Catchy story as one had a feeling like being present in Germany during those last days.

Hitler's Third War.

What made the experience of listening to The End the most enjoyable?

The facination of "The End" was Hitler's third war, the war against his own people

What was one of the most memorable moments of The End?

The failed plot to kill Hitler.

Have you listened to any of Sean Pratt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've listened to Mr. Pratt's work.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

As an animal lover, I was angered by Hitler's order to euthenize all the pets.

Any additional comments?

"The End" gives the reader a "you are there" perspective more powerful than "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."

Important Work

This is an important work. I encourage anyone wanting to leave more about this time in WWII. Great narration as well! I highly recommend it!

Narrater needs a german diction coach

What did you love best about The End?

Fascinating historical account, but the mispronunciations of German terms and names was at times distracting.

What other book might you compare The End to and why?

Richard J Evan's "The Third Reich at War"

Enlightening.

It took me a while to get into this book, which is unusual for me when it's a WWII book. Eventually I got rolling and really enjoyed the book.

Ian Kershaw sets out the book's purpose in the introduction. This intro is thorough and terrific (although listeners may feel that it repeats much of what is in the preface). He wants to explain why Germany fought on to the end, bringing on total destruction rather than surrendering the way that almost all losing entities eventually do. The author makes clear that this is not a military history. He also explains that his book does not go further than capitulation. In addition, it is written from the viewpoint of the Germans only.

Kershaw actually does give plenty of necessary details about the military situation, and in the conclusion of the book he does make some comments about the post-war situation. But all of that is very welcome.

It will most likely take the listener a while to get used to the narrator. To be blunt, the narrator is boring. He also tends to trail off, which makes speed listening difficult at times. He is also prone to weird pauses (again, making it difficult to speed listen). The first quarter of the book is a bit dry, and the narrator certainly does not help.

Eventually though the pace of the book picks up and it really is quite enjoyable. This is a fascinating look at the psychology of the German population and the factors that led to Hitler leading the country into total war and finally to total annihilation, well after it was clear to most that the war was lost.

World War II and Third Reich scholars will definitely appreciate this book.

For Schadenfreude Junkies (Like Me!)

I'm not sure just how much completely new information is in this book, though Kershaw seems to have combed through previously overlooked archives quite methodically. Still, the narrative flows nicely, give appropriate weight to the murder of European Jews and others and achieves, (IMHO) a good balance in assessing the extent to which Poles, Hungarians and other Eastern Europeans were victims and the extent to which they were also accomplices to genocide.

I've read and/or listened to at least a dozen respected books on the demise of the Nazis and this is among the best. For those who are less obsessed with this chapter of history (large branches of my family tree and even more so, that of my wife, were
machine gunned by Einsatzgruppen and the Polish, Belarusian or Ukrainian helpers, or gassed at various death camps) this book may be "TMI". But for me, I can't get enough Schadenfreude listening once again, in another retelling, of the grand Wagnerian opera that ends in The Bunker. I always look forward to the part when Mrs. Goebels poisons her seven children before she and Joe bite into their own cyanide capsules.

Excellent narrator. Pleasant voice and doesn't (like so many others) mangle the pronunciation of the many non-English words from so many languages. Like Anthony Bevor's massive "The Fall of Berlin", which I have listened through at least three or four times, "The End" will definitely be added to my playlist of Audio Books to return to when I am feeling nostalgic for an era of moral certainty, of Good v. Evil. The suffering of the Germans in the last 8 months of the war is so comforting.

A Good Read!

Ian Kershaw outlines the faults in the Nazi Campaign from 1944-1945 Outstandingly. The use of diary entries, accounts and general morale perfectly encapsulate the downfall of the third reich.