Books: The Perils of Marianne

THE COLLAPSE OF THE THIRD REPUBLIC by William L. Shirer. 1082 pages. Simon and Schuster. $12.50.

Few events in history seem as melancholy as the failure of France to face up to Adolf Hitler. Even now, almost 25 years after the end of World War II, the Nazi era remains a trauma on both sides of the Rhine. Most Germans who lived through die Nazi Zeit will speak of it only guardedly. Many Frenchmen grow defensive or hostile at mention of the time of resistants and collaborateurs. The rise of Hitler and the fall...

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