Reviews

The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes

woolsson's review

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informative slow-paced

2.0

Heavily politics heavy, I would've liked some more cultural insights. Author seemed a bit biased. Found the book a but of a slog to get through. 

maboelion's review

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informative fast-paced

3.0

olwal's review

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5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short overview of German history. It had the perfect balance of detail and brevity, which meant I actually ended up remembering far more of it than if I'd attempted a more comprehensive and detailed book of the same topic. I liked that it focussed more on the pre-Nazi era spanning back even beyond the Romans. Having persevered through "The Dark Valley" last year, it was refreshing to get some insights into pre- and post-Nazi Germany for a change.

lkirschbaum's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Great overview of German history in an entertaining yet informative way. I would’ve given this book 5 stars, however, the author conveys the simplistic and in my opinion erroneous conclusion that East Germany is the root of all of Germany’s political issues. This feeds further into the sociopolitical isolation of the East and doesn’t fully grasp the true political realities of the region.

dwilliams23's review

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informative medium-paced

4.0

aaastrike's review

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The author is not a historian but he is a very good storyteller. An interesting read but I probably wouldn't suggest to read only this book for those who want to learn German History.

mystery_jb's review against another edition

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adventurous informative fast-paced

4.0

henning97's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

5.0

claudemonet's review

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informative fast-paced

4.0

Informatives Buch, lohnt sich auf jeden Fall zu lesen. In wenigen Seiten bzw. in ein paar Stunden hat man sich die Geschichte Deutschlands durchgelesen.
Ob seine These, dass Deutschland schon immer geteilt war und Preußen bzw. Ostdeutschland an der Ausrichtung nach Osten und an den autoritären Figuren der deutschen Geschichte sowie an aktuellen Bewegungen schuld sind erscheint fraglich. Aber sie bietet durchaus Erklärungsansätze.

paulina04's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5