How does one write a history of Germany in the Second World War? In this lecture, Richard J. Evans discusses why he came to the project, how he has approached the subject, and what his principal arguments are. "The Third Reich at War" traces the mobilization of an entire "people's community" in the service of a war of conquest, racial subjugation and genocide. Blending narrative, description and analysis, "The Third Reich at War" creates a picture of a society rushing headlong to self-destruction and taking a large part of Europe with it. Depicting and explaining how this society functioned, and how the Nazis led Germany from conquest to annihilation, is one of the greatest challenges a modern historian can face. Prof. Richard J. Evans has been Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University since 1998. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and Editor of the Journal of Contemporary History. In 2000 he was principal expert witness for the defence in the libel action brought by David Irving against Deborah Lipstadt and her publisher. His books include "Telling Lies About Hitler", "The Coming of the Third Reich" and "The Third Reich in Power". His new book, "The Third Reich at War", the final volume in his trilogy on Nazi Germany, is published by Penguin Books on 13 October (some copies will be available for sale on the evening).
