The apocalyptic finale of the "Third Reich." In the final phase of World War II, life in Germany resembled a nightmare; cities lay in ruins, and millions of people were dead. Why did the Germans continue to fight until the bitter end? Ian Kershaw describes the last months of the "Third Reich," from the assassination attempt on Hitler in July 1944 to the capitulation in May 1945, masterfully tracing the machinery that kept the Nazi regime functioning until the very end. The "Third Reich" not only fought until the bitter end, until total defeat, but it also continued to operate until the last moment. Until the Red Army stood at the gates of the Reich Chancellery, public order in Germany, which was increasingly falling under Allied occupation, was largely maintained. Wages were paid, and the administration was functioning.