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Rise of the Nazis

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This article is about the BBC documentary series. For information about the eponymous historical events, see Rise of Nazism.

Rise of the Nazis
GenreDocumentary
Narrated byKate Fleetwood
ComposerTom Hodge
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes12
Production
Production companies
  • 72 Films
  • Baltic Film Services
Original release
Release2 September 2019 (2019-09-02) –
3 October 2023 (2023-10-03)

Rise of the Nazis is a British documentary series about the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The first series aired in 2019, followed by the second and third series in 2022, and the fourth series in 2023.[1] Several historians and military experts give their perspective on the events.

Episodes

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Series overview

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SeriesTitleEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1Origins32 September 2019 (2019-09-02)16 September 2019 (2019-09-16)
2Dictators at War314 February 2022 (2022-02-14)28 February 2022 (2022-02-28)
3The Downfall310 October 2022 (2022-10-10)24 October 2022 (2022-10-24)
4The Manhunt319 September 2023 (2023-09-19)3 October 2023 (2023-10-03)

Series 1: Origins (2019)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [2]Directed by [2]Original release date [2]
11"Politics"Julian Jones2 September 2019 (2019-09-02)
The path to Hitler becoming Chancellor of Germany in January 1933.[3]
22"The First Six Months in Power"Julian Jones9 September 2019 (2019-09-09)
How the Nazis removed the political opposition and other democratic institutions during their early months in government.[4]
33"Night of the Long Knives"Julian Jones16 September 2019 (2019-09-16)
How Hitler tightened his grip on power in 1934,[5] and the lead-up to the Night of the Long Knives.

Series 2: Dictators at War (2021)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [2]Directed by [2]Original release date [2]
41"Barbarossa"Julian Jones14 February 2022 (2022-02-14)
The events that led to Hitler ordering the launch of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.[6]
52"Stalingrad"Julian Jones21 February 2022 (2022-02-21)
After the Nazis lost in Moscow, both dictators took charge of their armies.[7] Discusses the Battle of Stalingrad.
63"The Home Front"Julian Jones28 February 2022 (2022-02-28)
A fresh perspective on how Hitler seized and kept power, and the missed chances to stop him.[8]

Series 3: The Downfall (2022)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [2]Directed by [2]Original release date [2]
71"Who Will Betray Him?"Alice Smith10 October 2022 (2022-10-10)
By early 1945, Germany is surrounded by the Western Allies and Russian forces. Despite imminent defeat, and many peace overtures made from the German side to the Allies, Hitler refuses to surrender unconditionally. Meanwhile, senior figures in Hitler's inner circle plan for the future after the war ends.[9]
82"Hitler's Birthday"Alice Smith17 October 2022 (2022-10-17)
By April 1945, Russian forces have completely encircled Berlin — Hitler issues an order to fight to the death. The majority of Hitler's inner circle grow increasingly disillusioned with the Führer's refusal to surrender.[10]
93"Into the Abyss"Alice Smith24 October 2022 (2022-10-24)
With the Nazi regime disintegrating all around him, Hitler finally realises the war is lost and commits suicide. In Hitler's last testament, Karl Dönitz is named Reichskanzler (Chancellor), much to the chagrin of Himmler and Göring. The Allies round up Nazis and prosecute them at the Nuremberg trials.[11]

Series 4: The Manhunt (2023)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [2]Directed by [2]Original release date [2]
101"Most Wanted"Alice Smith & Izzy Charman19 September 2023 (2023-09-19)
Dealing with the aftermath of the German surrender — bringing Nazi crimes to justice at the Nuremberg trials and tracking down the high-ranking Nazis still at large.[12]
112"The Ratline"Alice Smith & Izzy Charman26 September 2023 (2023-09-26)
In the face of an escalating Cold War, attention is turned to combating communism and many Nazis return to normal lives or flee overseas.[13]
123"The Reckoning"Alice Smith & Izzy Charman3 October 2023 (2023-10-03)
A new generation is unable to tolerate the integration of former Nazis into normal life — the hunt for Nazi criminals continues into the 1960s and 70s.[14]

Response

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A review of the first series in The Times described the first series as a lesson in 'how easily — and petrifyingly quickly — a democratic country can move to a totalitarian dictatorship.'[15] A TV Insider review of the American release on PBS a little over a year later described the series as "riveting" and "as gripping as any fictional thriller."[16] A more critical review by James Delingpole in the conservative publication The Spectator suggested that the first series made inappropriate comparisons to political developments at around the time of its production, such as Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump, concluding that "it's time the BBC gave up trying to pretend it's a voice of impartial authority".[17]

A short review in The Guardian said of the second series that "bringing something new to TV coverage of the second world war is no mean feat, but this narratively gripping take on the eastern front comes very close."[18] A more detailed review in The Telegraph was complimentary of the series summarising it as "television that is informative, intelligent and surprising – if only there was more of this on BBC Two."[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Rise of the Nazis". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Rise of the Nazis – Episode guide". BBC One. Choose appropriate series/episode. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Episode 1: Rise of the Nazis, Origins, Politics". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Episode 2: Rise of the Nazis, Origins, The First Six Months in Power". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Episode 3: Rise of the Nazis, Origins, Night of the Long Knives". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Episode 1: Rise of the Nazis, Dictators at War, Barbarossa". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Episode 2: Rise of the Nazis, Dictators at War, Stalingrad". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Episode 3: Rise of the Nazis, Dictators at War, The Home Front". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Episode 1: Rise of the Nazis, The Downfall, Who Will Betray Him?". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Episode 2: Rise of the Nazis, The Downfall, Hitler's Birthday". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Episode 3: Rise of the Nazis, The Downfall, Into the Abyss". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Episode 1: Rise of the Nazis, The Manhunt, Most Wanted". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Episode 2: Rise of the Nazis, The Manhunt, The Ratline". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Episode 3: Rise of the Nazis, The Manhunt, The Reckoning". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  15. ^ Midgley, Carol (10 September 2019). "Rise of the Nazis review — a history lesson in how easily tyrants take over". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  16. ^ Rudolph, Ileane (7 October 2020). "PBS' 'Rise of the Nazis' Aims 'to Show How a Democracy Can Unravel'". TV Insider. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  17. ^ Delingpole, James (14 September 2019). "With these documentaries, the BBC has lost any claim to impartiality". www.spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  18. ^ "TV tonight: a rough diamond swaps lives with a millionaire". The Guardian. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  19. ^ Singh, Anita (14 February 2022). "Rise of the Nazis, review: if only BBC Two would show more proper history documentaries like this". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
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