Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 - Hardcover

Clark, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0713994665 ISBN 13: 9780713994667

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2006

Synopsis

With its capital in Berlin, Prussia grew from being a small, poor, disregarded medieval state into one of the most vigorous and powerful countries in Europe, the scourge of its many enemies and, ultimately, the motor behind the creation of the German Empire in 1871 with all that implied for the 20th century. After the Second World War Prussia, which had still continued to exist as part of the German state, was abolished by the Allies, blamed for the overwhelming militarism that had led Europe into total disaster.

Prussia's role in Europe's fortunes has been incalculable and Iron Kingdom is, extraordinarily, the first major book devoted to it. Prussia's power came from a sequence of notably brilliant rulers (most famously Frederick the Great), dynastic marriage and an obsessive focus on military excellence. It was both a progressive, well-run, enlightened country and a huge, threatening barracks. Iron Kingdom is a wonderfully readable, gripping account of a state which, for both good and ill, has fundamentally shaped our world.

About this title

Review:

'...a monumental history'
-- Richard Overy, The Telegraph

'...excellent book' -- Simon Heffer, Literary Review

'...sophisticated yet accessible' -- The Independent

'...surely the best history of Prussia in any language' -- Daniel Johnson, Sunday Telegraph

'This ambitious volume, with its elegance and humour, will become
a classic work in a crowded field' -- BBC History

About the Author:

Christopher Clark Lecturer in Modern European History at St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge University. His previous book was a biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0713994665
• ISBN 13: 9780713994667
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 816