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Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940
by William l. shirer
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1969-11-13)
ISBN: 0671203371
EAN: 9780671203375
Hardcover: 1082 pages
SKU: 41878
Condition: Collectable Like New
Comments: THE HARDBACK BOOK! SCHUSTER, 1969. THE UNABRIDGED EDITION. HARDCOVER W/GILT LETTERING, DUST JACKET and pages are in PERFECT CONDITION, clean and tight. BOMC. Rapid shipping w/FREE tracking, AIR MAIL.
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Editorial Reviews
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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.
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Customer Reviews
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Very good
Rating  (4)
Date: 2006-05-03
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is very much in the same style of his more popular classic "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." Of course, the Third Republic does not enjoy the same popularity (as a subject) and does the Third Reich but it is a valuable contribution to any understanding of the era. Probably not for the casual reader. I found myself skimming through some of the drier parts but the book is still worthy of four stars.
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the classic text
Rating  (5)
Date: 2004-11-17
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is the classic text on the fall of France in 1940, more then that though it delves deep into the French soul to ask `what went wrong'. How did France fall victim to German aggression so catastrophically and in a way so different then 1914. The spirit that rallied France to hold back the Germans in 1914 disappeared in 1940 and this book investigates why. In wonderful details from the high offices to the lowest soldier this book details the days leading up to and the war itself, including the `Phony War'. The only drawback is that not much attention is paid to the Maginot line, but nevertheless this book is unrivalled by any previous text in telling the sotry fot ehf all of France. A must read.
Seth J. Frantzman
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The best study on why democracies sometimes fail
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-09-21
7 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is simply superb, and in the best tradition of William Shirer. No pictures, a few maps, and over 800 pages of simply excellent historical prose. In my mind, this book is more important than Shirer's more renowned "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, (which two books should be read as companions.).The text begins in 1870, with French suffering their overwhelming defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. A non-monarchical, democratic form of government was established, but was weak from its inception. A preview of Fascism of fascism called Boulangism very neary toppled before 1000 was even reached. The shameful Dreyfus affair is carefully chronicled, as are the numerous other French failings leading up to World War I. Shirer covers this war masterfully, showing the French barely avoided catastrophe, with special emphasis being placed upon the immense casualties the French Army suffered. Luck and perhaps, Providence overcame mutinies, influenza, and occasional inept strategy, and the French and their allies won over the Central Powers The Versailles Treaty, ending the war, was heavily punitive, at French insistence, leading to German resentment and extremism, and, ultimately, to World War II. The French never saw it coming. Now begins the most fascinating part of the book;, the time between the end of World War I and 1940. The French government was headed by a succession of Premiers who were either pathetically weak /oblivious to reality, or both. An excellent case in point is Eduoard Daladier, who was primarily responsible for the state of the vaunted French Army, and who took part in appeasing Hitler at Munich in 1938. Although Daladier definitely should have known that Maurice Gamelin, the Generalissmo of the Army, was manifestly unfit for the job, he, as with Leon Blum, and numerous others, kept this vacillating coward, who would not accept the urgency of German actions, on the job. Shirer carefully shows how Gamelin, and many of his subordinates lived in the past, refusing to study new tactics dictated by fast moving masses of armor, refusing to accept the role of air power, refusing to accept intelligence reports showing a German invasion was coming and where, etc. The result was inevitable. While Gamelin enjoyed dinners, and puttered in a post far back from the front, the French Army was decimated at Sedan, and in Flanders, and, five days into the war, Gamelin calmly accepted defeat. Time and again, a little planning could have avoided this outcome. Shirer's well-researched narrative leads the reader to wonder why Gamelin wasn't executed or imprisoned for dereliction of duty after the war. Eventually, the French capitulated, and the sorry chapter of the Vichy Armistice began. After the Allies finally drove the Germans out, a different government was instituted, but the consequences of Third Republic's failures live with us yet. If there is a hero in thie sorry batch of leaders after WW I, it is Paul Reynaud, a Churchillian figure, who became Premier far too late to alter what his predecessors had allowed to lapse. Reynaud wanted to fire Gamelin, but Daladier would not have it. If this book shows anything, above all else, it shows that strong leadership is needed to preserve a democracy, and that the consequence of weakness and vacillation in the face of a determined enemy leads to appalling catstrophe. These lessons are relevant even in our own time. The text is well-orgainized, and painfully explict in terms of the ebb of the Third Republic. I found Shirer to be very objective. The book is very long, but well worth the read. I recommend it very highly
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A good piece of writing, but not his best
Rating (4)
Date: 2003-02-15
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
It's a curious thing, but nobody yet seems to have written a really satisfying book about the collapse of France in the spring of 1940. Shirer wrote well, and he certainly did his homework. Plus the fact that he was there to witness at least part of the drama in person adds to the value of the book. Nevertheless, I still don't get the impression that he fully fathomed the central question of why the French collapsed in 1940. I think Ernest May has done a somewhat better job in his book "Strange Victory". Of course, in all fairness, May had the benefit of some 30 years more research and perspective than Shirer did. The French and British should have won, they had all the prerequisites for victory; and yet they suffered a disastrous defeat. I don't know if we will ever have the answer. Clearly Shirer did not have one.
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How the Greatest Pre-World War 2 Power Fell
Rating (5)
Date: 2002-10-17
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
In The Pre-World War 2 years, France was considered to have the world's greatest army. However, the seeds of its destruction laid beneath the hype and were exposed in 1940. This book by William L. Shirer investigates French History from 1871-1940. He show how the Third Republic came into being, its numerous internal struggles, and its imperial quest for a world empire. He shows how the French army stood against the Germans in World War 1 and how it contributed to the allied powers victory. Finally, he shows how the death of key World War One leaders, political squabbles, the depression, lack of military modernization, and accomadating leaders contributed to the German victory over France in 1940. It is worth reading.
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