From Library Journal

"A brilliant account of the dry rot which weakened France," said LJ's reviewer of this massive work (LJ 10/15/69). In his usual fashion, Shirer provides intricate details of the history of the Third Republic, from its early years to its demise. This remains "strongly recommended."

Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

On June 17, 1940 William L. Shirer stood in the streets of Paris and watched the unending flow of gray German uniforms along its boulevards. In just six lovely weeks in the spring and summer of 1940 a single battle brought down in total military defeat one of the world's oldest, greatest, and most civilized powers—the second mightiest empire on earth and the possessor of one of the finest military machines ever assembled. How did it happen? After nearly a decade of research in the massive archives left from World War II and after hundreds of conversations with the Third Republic’s leaders, generals, diplomats, and ordinary citizens, Shirer presents the definitive answer in his stunning re-creation of why and how France fell before Hitler's armies in 1940. His book is also a devastating examination of the confusion, corruption, and cynicism that drained the strength and toughness of a democracy which Thomas Jefferson once called "every man's second country." This book complements and completes the dramatic story of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and continues to rank as one of the most important works of history of our time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

威廉•L.夏伊勒（1904-1993）

出生于芝加哥，毕业于艾奥瓦的Coe学院并在那里获得名誉文学博士学位。一九二五年首次以一名报社记者的身份赴欧洲。此后，在将近半个世纪的时间里，他先后在法国、德国、奥地利、英国、意大利、印度和美国工作并致力于研究本书提出的问题。他相继受聘于《芝加哥论坛报》、纽约《先驱论坛报》（巴黎版）、环球通讯社和哥伦比亚广播公司。一九四一年，他出版了颇有影响的《柏林日记》。从那时起，在其驻外记者和新闻评论员的经历之外，他又增加了一份历史学家的职业。

威廉•L.夏伊勒的非虚构作品主要有：《柏林日记：一个外国记者的日记，1934-1941》（1941）、《最后的柏林日记》（1947）、《世纪中期的旅行》（1952）、《斯堪的纳维亚的挑战》（1955）、《第三帝国的兴亡：纳粹德国史》（1960）、《二十世纪之旅》（1976）、《甘地传略》（1980）、《梦魇年代》（1984）、《土著的回归》（1990）、《爱与恨：托尔斯泰夫妇婚姻生活中的恩恩怨怨》（1994）、《这是柏林》（1999）。虚构作品主要有：《叛国者》（1950）、《陌生人回家》（1954）、《领事之妻》（1956）。普及读物有：《阿道夫•希特勒的兴亡》（1961）、《俾斯麦号的沉没》（1962）。