The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "The Fall of Berlin 1945" by Antony Beevor. Specifically, it will summarize and review the book, ending with a critical analysis of the book. Beevor's book is a detailed and disturbing look at the last days of World War II in Berlin. As it fell to allied forces, the violence and destruction were nearly absolute. Beevor's account looks at all aspects of the fall of Berlin, and thus the fall of Nazi Germany. As he notes in the Preface to the book, "[F]ew things reveal more about political leaders and their systems than the manner of their downfall" (Beevor xxxiii). That is his reason for writing this book, and the reason most people read it. It is a fascinating glimpse into the fall of a powerful leader and nation, and it has many similarities with what is going on throughout the world today.
             Beevor's book opens with the desperate situation in Berlin in the last month of 1944, when bombing raids were common and the people's motto was simply to "Survive!" (Beevor 2). He shows how, through fear and desperation, society began to disintegrate and the Nazi stranglehold on the country began to release. The opening chapters follow the many battles and tactical maneuvers that led to the final fall of Berlin, including assessments of the armaments used to win the war. For example, Beevor writes of the Soviet tanks used in the Vistula, "The rapid advances of Zhukov's tank armies were partly due to the simplicity and robust construction of the T-34 tank and its broad tracks, which could cope with snow, ice, and mud" (Beevor 20). He also follows some of the most important military leaders in the war and shows how their decisions affected many of the decisive battles leading to the fall of Berlin.
             Part of the reason Berlin fell was the gradual disintegration of the German Army. The Germans continued to fight, of course, but for many of them, the war had become a ...