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doruga's review against another edition
4.0
Great resource for the rise and fall of Prussia, starting with the Great Elector and ending with the German republic. The book spans a really huge time range, and it tries to mantain a certain level of detail. However, what this means is that the book is gigantic and still feels like it has to rush through decades of time with just one sentence. As reference, the Richard Evans trilogy of the third reich spans only about 20 years and its three huge books long. So yeah, this book tries a really big undertaking to cover in just one text. In either case, I do think it succeeds in its goals considering the difficulty of the project.
I did miss a more people's perspective of history with this one. It's mentioned for sure but this history is mostly framed from the perspective of government and war. This is fine, but I think it could have benefited from looking at life for poor, peasent life and how that affected politics. There has been such a rich history of people's politics in Prussia (fucking marx and engels were prussian and the republic was mostly socialist), so it clearly was important.
Anyways, I did really like it. Great resource for history nerds interested in the formation of Germany and the historical context that predated the nazi regime. This book added with Richard Evan's trilogy on the third reich is a great source for modern prussian and german history, and they complement each other quite well.
For now, though, I need a book thats less dense lol.
I did miss a more people's perspective of history with this one. It's mentioned for sure but this history is mostly framed from the perspective of government and war. This is fine, but I think it could have benefited from looking at life for poor, peasent life and how that affected politics. There has been such a rich history of people's politics in Prussia (fucking marx and engels were prussian and the republic was mostly socialist), so it clearly was important.
Anyways, I did really like it. Great resource for history nerds interested in the formation of Germany and the historical context that predated the nazi regime. This book added with Richard Evan's trilogy on the third reich is a great source for modern prussian and german history, and they complement each other quite well.
For now, though, I need a book thats less dense lol.
corrompido's review against another edition
4.0
Intensely interesting book about the entire history of Prussia. I went into this nonfiction account knowing almost nothing about Prussia besides it somehow being a predecessor to Germany and it having something to do with Otto Von Bismark. I now could have a reasonable conversation about multiple different facets of the 400 or so year history of the kingdom of Prussia and its influence on 20th century Germany.
Although imposing (the large hardcover copy I had was somewhere close to 700 pages,) it was written rather well. The places that did get dry were more to do with the subject matter than the style, and every few pages had a very interesting revelation. Definitely suggested to anyone looking to learn some more about German history from the late 1500s to early 1900s.
Although imposing (the large hardcover copy I had was somewhere close to 700 pages,) it was written rather well. The places that did get dry were more to do with the subject matter than the style, and every few pages had a very interesting revelation. Definitely suggested to anyone looking to learn some more about German history from the late 1500s to early 1900s.
nghia's review against another edition
4.0
This history of Prussia has enough flaws that giving it four stars doesn't quite feel justified but giving it three stars is underrating it.
The primary problem is that -- like many bits of non-fiction written by specialists in their field -- the book is chock full of bits where the author assumes you already know what he's talking about. In some cases I did...but not all. So when he uses "Kaiser" with no gloss it didn't bother me but not all readers will feel the same.
Another problem with the book is that it tries to do too much. An entire socio-economic-military-political-ethnic-religious history of Prussia (and its neighbors) over the course of a couple of centuries? I found it hard at times to keep the thread of things as he jumps from a discussion of Pietist evangelism to Junker tax status to the Emperor banning certain kinds of dance. Also: this is definitely a history of Prussia. If you need to read about and identify with historical personages to keep your interest you probably won't like Iron Kingdom very much. Bismarck and a few couple of the early Kings get brief biographical sketches but these are mere summaries.
Despite the flaws there was a lot I liked here (hence my high rating), especially the focus on the socio-political rather than military exploits. (World War 1 and 2 are skipped over in mere paragraphs.) It did feel a bit uneven -- after I hit the 50% mark I sometimes struggled to make much reading progress -- but overall I enjoyed seeing the nitty-gritty of how a nation-state is born, lives, and dies.
The primary problem is that -- like many bits of non-fiction written by specialists in their field -- the book is chock full of bits where the author assumes you already know what he's talking about. In some cases I did...but not all. So when he uses "Kaiser" with no gloss it didn't bother me but not all readers will feel the same.
Another problem with the book is that it tries to do too much. An entire socio-economic-military-political-ethnic-religious history of Prussia (and its neighbors) over the course of a couple of centuries? I found it hard at times to keep the thread of things as he jumps from a discussion of Pietist evangelism to Junker tax status to the Emperor banning certain kinds of dance. Also: this is definitely a history of Prussia. If you need to read about and identify with historical personages to keep your interest you probably won't like Iron Kingdom very much. Bismarck and a few couple of the early Kings get brief biographical sketches but these are mere summaries.
Despite the flaws there was a lot I liked here (hence my high rating), especially the focus on the socio-political rather than military exploits. (World War 1 and 2 are skipped over in mere paragraphs.) It did feel a bit uneven -- after I hit the 50% mark I sometimes struggled to make much reading progress -- but overall I enjoyed seeing the nitty-gritty of how a nation-state is born, lives, and dies.
adammp's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic, well-rounded, and nuanced chronicling of the history of Prussia from its emergence out of the principality of Brandenburg to its fall after World War II. Clark depicts a Prussia that is both integral to the eventual unification of Germany, and yet distinct from German national identity.
codalion's review against another edition
5.0
Comprehensive and fascinating and more than a little depressing. Will certainly be photocopying chapters and bibliographic citations for my own research.
acardattack's review against another edition
4.0
Good and thorough look of the history of Prussia. Easy to read, lots of info, don't be afraid to skim over some of the (to you) less interesting parts given how much info is in this book
sapphirefin's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely well researched and in-depth discovery of the systemic shifts within the Prussian Empire from the 1500s - 1947. You are given a whole picture of what life, society, military systems, religious ideas and other significant areas of day to day life looked like for people throughout the Empire.
markk's review against another edition
4.0
Prussia was an unlikely candidate to become a great power. Yet from the economically unpromising Brandenberg region, Prussia eventually established itself as a European power, ultimately coalescing the various states of Germany into a single, powerful nation. The question of how this took place is at the heart of Christopher Clark's book, a valuable survey of the three centuries of Prussia's rise, dominance, and eventual dissolution after World War II. It is a very Carlylean tale in his telling, giving much of the credit for the success Prussia enjoyed to its leadership, particularly the remarkably capable series of rulers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Together they used a combination of careful alliances, agreements, and marriages to expand their holdings, to the point where they dominated northern Germany by the early 19th century. The country which subsequently emerged was in many respects "Prussia plus," with Prussian institutions doubling in some instances as the main organ of government for all of Germany. Though this changed after World War I, the loss of the kaiser -- the dominant figure in the Prussian constitution -- left a hole that was largely unfilled until Adolf Hitler's rise to power during the Great Depression.
Clark's book describes all of this in an assured and well-sourced narrative that surveys the broader social and cultural context for Prussia's emergence. It is by far the best account of Prussia's modern history, one that is unlikely to be bettered for the foreseeable future. For anyone seeking a useful overview for anyone interested in learning about the emergence and collapse of this vanished kingdom and European power, this is the book to read.
Clark's book describes all of this in an assured and well-sourced narrative that surveys the broader social and cultural context for Prussia's emergence. It is by far the best account of Prussia's modern history, one that is unlikely to be bettered for the foreseeable future. For anyone seeking a useful overview for anyone interested in learning about the emergence and collapse of this vanished kingdom and European power, this is the book to read.