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Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947
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Review
“[An] enthralling, shrewd, and sparkling narrative… Clark’s immensely learned, judicious, and entertaining book provides a definitive general narrative of its subject for our times… Clark’s achievement is substantial.â€â€•R. J. W. Evans, New York Review of Books“Iron Kingdom, Christopher Clark’s stately, authoritative history of Prussia from its humble beginnings to its ignominious end, presents a much more complicated and compelling picture of the German state, which is too often reduced to a caricature of spiked helmets and polished boots. Prussia and its army were inseparable, but Prussia was also renowned for its efficient, incorruptible civil service; its innovative system of social services; its religious tolerance; and its unrivaled education system, a model for the rest of Germany and the world. This too was Prussia―a tormented kingdom that, like a tragic hero, was brought down by the very qualities that raised it up. Mr. Clark, a senior lecturer in modern European history at Cambridge University, does an exemplary job. A lively writer, he organizes masses of material in orderly fashion, clearly establishing his main themes and pausing at crucial junctures to recapitulate and reconsider. Prussia, a self-invented artifact right down to its name, demands the kind of careful demythologizing that it receives from Mr. Clark, who gently but insistently exposes the flaws in most of the received wisdom about his subject. A result is an illuminating, profoundly satisfying work of history, brightened by vivid character sketches of the principals in his drama.â€â€•William Grimes, New York Times“To account for the rise and tumultuous extinction of Prussia is to explain how contemporary Europe came to assume its current form. It is a vast, Zeppelin-sized historical challenge; but it is also one to which Christopher Clark rises triumphantly, piloting his enormous subject through the best part of four centuries, traversing en route most of the continent of Europe, and carrying the reader with him on a bracing and exhilarating ride… For sheer range and intellectual horsepower, this book ranks as the best history of Prussia currently available in any language. However, more than that (and here it beats its German rivals hands-down), it is written with a literary finesse and narrative elan that establish its author as one of the finest writers of history at work in Britain today. It is a virtuoso performance.â€â€•John Adamson, Sunday Times“This book can…be read for sheer pleasure… It is the pleasure of discovery that Christopher Clark offers in this account of the rise and fall of Prussia… Prussia was much more than its wars, but without its wars it would not have been Prussia, and they and their protagonists (Mr. Clark’s Bismarck is priceless), origins, conduct, and consequences occupy a large part of this excellent book, which scholars of Germany and Prussia will want to ponder very carefully, and which many an unencumbered reader will simply enjoy.â€â€•Edward N. Luttwak, New York Sun“From the military and agricultural innovations of Frederick the Great to nineteenth-century high academic politics to Bismarck’s social-security system, this magisterial and remarkably well-written history of Prussia traces back to the eighteenth century the region’s surprisingly tolerant and intellectually rich culture. Clark, a Cambridge historian, suggests that the world is poorer for Prussia’s absence.â€â€•Benjamin Healy, The Atlantic“[A] valuable book… [Clark] shows how complicated the history of Prussia really was, and how exciting were the contrasts in its history between religious tolerance and intolerance, enlightenment and obscurantism, centralized power and regional particularism, the rule of law and ruthless authoritarianism… Prussia and its army were full of contradictions, and Clark analyzes them astutely in his book, which is certainly the best recent history of Prussia… [A] masterpiece in which charming anecdotes and serious intellectual analyses mix comfortably with political and military history and descriptions of cultural and social phenomena… Clark’s book seldom becomes dull, owing to the elegance of its style and the colorfulness of some of its powerful characters.â€â€•Istvan Deak, New Republic“The story of Prussia is one that has been told many times, but seldom as intelligently, elegantly and interestingly as it is here. Christopher Clark has written a monumental history of a state that started from small beginnings as the Mark of Brandenburg, grew in size, violence and pretensions, and ended up being destroyed forever in 1947, when the victorious Allies decided they had had enough of this troublesome phenomenon… The bulk of a fascinating text, littered with intriguing detail and wry observation, focuses on this transformation in the 200 years from the bloody Thirty Years War in the 17th century (which cost Prussia half its population) to the creation by the Prussian nobleman Otto von Bismarck of a German Empire in 1871… Clark has written a masterly synthesis of [the] many disparate strands in a long and ultimately forlorn history.â€â€•Richard Overy, Daily Telegraph“It is only by contrary example that this book may remind us how miserable some hastily written products of the recent ‘history boom’ have been. Clark is not one to swagger over the dead, secure in the knowledge that they cannot answer back. Instead, this is a well-informed and fair-minded historical investigation, written by a man who is plainly fascinated by the changing circumstances under which lives are lived and decisions made. One of the pleasures of this book is to watch Clark weighing the undeniable otherness of the past and resisting any tendency to convert it into a costume drama.â€â€•Patrick Wright, The Guardian“Many states have been conquered, partitioned, occupied, ‘ended’ and even destroyed. Prussia is unique in that it was formally abolished by decree of the British, American, French and Soviet victors in February 1947, after it ceased to exist in any meaningful sense… Christopher Clark begins Iron Kingdom, his history of ‘the rise and downfall of Prussia,’ with this famous decree, but his remarkable book is not another exorcism, nor an uncritical celebration. He provides a sophisticated yet accessible account of how a middling German dynasty manoeuvred its way into the European pentarchy of powers.â€â€•Brendan Simms, The Independent“Iron Kingdom is a triumph of scholarship and imagination. This is a big book in every sense―at almost 800 pages, it’s not one to slip in your briefcase for the train―but it zips along in a manner that belies its weight. In part this is because Clark writes so elegantly. This is history in its ‘grand sweep,’ but his vivid sketches of characters, places and events lighten the narrative. Yet for all its entertainment value, Iron Kingdom is at heart an unflinching engagement with one of Europe’s most complex and far-reaching political and cultural entities, spanning four centuries of history and, he suggests at the end, even beyond.â€â€•Richard Aldous, Irish Times
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About the Author
Christopher Clark is Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge and Ostrer Professorial Fellow in History at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge.
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Product details
Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press; 1st Published Edition edition (February 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674031962
ISBN-13: 978-0674031968
Product Dimensions:
6.2 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.2 out of 5 stars
189 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#111,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
While others complain of too much detail, I found the detail of the book to be exactly what I was looking for. I especially appreciated a new understanding of what was going on in Prussia internally throughout the mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries among the various factions and regions. This is helpful to me for the purpose of understanding the motivations my ancestors had to leave their homeland and come to the USA in the early 1860s. Although it does not provide all the answers to that question, it certainly covers a lot more information than I have found elsewhere concerning the transition from feudalism/peasantry in Prussia, which was important background to understand their coming here. I also enjoyed the descriptions of various political and bureaucratic personalities and their motivations.
As a person who neither knew nor had any interest about Middle European history - let alone Prussia; Iron Kingdom was not only exceptionally informative but comes close to the most interesting historical books I have read. The book is not only informative but it is written in a way where you cannot help but be pulled in. The historical characters and political conflicts and the constant change Prussia makes for fun reading.Clark pulls no punches in this book, he goes straight into the history, quick-smart. You are being taught something every page and every paragraph. From the very beginning to the very end the history of Prussia comes to life. It delves into all aspects of society, from: military, politics, religion, diplomacy, religion, domestic law and culture - even the representation and influence of women. The author presents the history and the short biographies of the rulers. It tries to paint an ever changing political atmosphere of Europe; it does so in a way that you think have gathered some rational understanding on how the rulers saw their political landscape, and how the Prussian political environment influenced the way that the ruler and also the future heir formed and practiced their political views and their governance over it. For example, Fredrick the Great Elector was born and raised during the 30 year old. As such, he was moved to ensure his safety. Clarke then forms how he believes that the different environments Fredrick grew up with and discusses why he believes those environments shaped and constructed his ultimate views on how to govern Prussia. Clarke believes that the almost cosmopolitan up-bringing significantly changed Prussia into a greater and a greater structured empire. For example, Fredrick became dedicated in the way soldiers were trained. From the years in the Dutch Republic he - as Clarke writes - he forms an appreciation of the discipline, manoeuvres and top of the art weaponry among the Dutch army. From this, he re-imagined the Prussian soldier. From this, Clarke represents how Prussia cemented itself in history, writing not in the normal predictable deterministic way that some historians write in, but writing in a way to present and convey how a European empire was gradually formed by one boy and the ideas he formed via his environment. The biography may stretch the truth, of course. Yet it turns history in what it is, and that it is: life. Not a historical figure but a real person, with his own independent way of thinking.It also explores the constant changing of cultural and religious values, which were quite enthralling. Clarke writes in length about the how and why the conflict of the Calvinists and the Lutherans, and how this conflict help ignite a new form of religious movement within Prussia. He talks about the conflict both on the political side and the unrest amongst the citizens. Then Clarke discusses how this sparked Pietism as a possible solution to the religious conflict, and he details how this movement conceptualized throughout Prussia; changing not only religious beliefs and practices but also cultural and societal change. For example, the monarchy adopted the Pietist way by opening Pietists military schools throughout Prussia. The Pietist movement placed the individual as scared and gain fulfilment through and within the individual - breaking away from the ecclesiastical establishment. It place pinnacle importance on the self discipline by the individual and for the individual and the importance of the experience of life through the individual; which creates an ideal belief system to nurture the European Enlightenment.Clarke most intriguing chapter - for me, was on the enlightenment and how Prussia due to the monarch and the current views of his people, greatly influenced it. Fredrick the Great was a strong and devoted believer of a progressive, more human empire. For example, he virtually made torture illegal, due to its barbarity, plus he concluded that the practice generated false information. He even allowed for talks and phamlets about questioning the monarch itself. Although he was so loved, even Kant proclaimed one could live under an enlightened monarch. By having a progressive monarch and a movement that placed its value within the individual itself and and the idea one can work upon themselves and archive Christ within himself; is it no wonder how Kant developed his philosophy?There are many, many things I have not discussed. I have written about the things that were most interesting to me.I would recommend this book to layperson that has only a minor interest in European history, or any interest in western political/philosophy thought. The book is fluent and easy to understand. No historical prerequisite of Europe is needed - although there many wars, battles and treaties; yet a quick google will help with the basics. This book has made me aware of the importance of an empire, which seems completely forgotten and unknown within my culture. It has created a thirst for European history, which something I will undertake with vigor. So if a book can create such excitement about something I had absolutely no interest in me, which know creates a very strong interest to not only to Prussia's history but to all European past; it definitely deserves 5 stars!
I was interested in finding a solid review of Prussian society, hoping for as much a sociological as a historical treatment. What I got was much more of the latter and much less of the former. Clearly, this history presents an impressive scholarship and understanding of the Prussian experience, particularly at the upper reaches of the Crown and the state. The shifting vicissitudes of inter-state alliances and conflicts as reflected in the policies of the decision- makers in these centers are documented. The passing parade of rulers, advisers, ministers and generals is faithfully observed, along with informative biographical nuggets on each. Comparable note is made of others, including philosophers, artists, and so on. We see the panoramic unfolding of a the Hohenzollern dynasty over centuries and their associated wars and civil conflicts. The last pages do a nice job contrasting the Twentieth Century mythos of an authoritarian, militarized Prussia with the much more nuanced reality of its history as documented in this book, a reality that offers scant and measured evidence of that mythology.Yet in the final analysis, I was disappointed in this book in two ways. First, I found the historical presentation choppy and at times confusing. Since the Hohenzollern rulers were seemingly all named Frederich or William or both with I, II or III variously attached, following who was in, out or coming along into power was a bit of a challenge. I had to create my own chronological scorecard to keep them straight. At times, important events -- like the death of a ruler -- was simply noted as a parenthetical comment. Second, while there some discussions of Prussian institutions, these tended to be brief in relation to the rest of the book. I was hoping Iron Kingdom might do for Prussian what the book by Cannadine on "The decline and fall of the British aristocracy" did for that comparable phenomenon. I was disappointed.If you want a straight historical accounting of Prussian history, this will be fine. If you're looking for a more in-depth description of Prussian society, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
Christopher Clark wrote the best single volume explaining the outbreak of World War One, "The Sleepwalkers." So I eagerly began this history of Prussia by Clark. Like "The Sleepwalkers" it is excellent and meticulously fair in its analysis. My only complaint about "Iron Kingdom" is that it could have used a good editor. Clark's research was massive, but this book reads like he was determined to insert every single fact into this book. He literally overwhelms the reader (or listener of the audio version) with an almost endless recitation of facts supporting his points, far beyond the need. I still recommend it, but be prepared for a slog. I also hope that one day Clark will re-issue it with some better editing.
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