Faust's Metropolis: a History of Berlin - Hardcover

Richie, Alexandra

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786705108 ISBN 13: 9780786705108

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc, 1998

Synopsis

As Berlin prepares to become a re-unified Germany's capital at the end of this century, as well as the European Union's leading city, its historical role at the heart of the nation and the continent has never been so crucial or less recognized. No other book before this has fully examined Berlin's inspiring achievements and catastrophic errors.In this magisterial new work, Oxford historian Alexandra Ritchie recounts how Berlin forged itself into the Schicksal Stadt Deutschlands -- the City of German Destiny -- and the consequences. With an assured sense of narrative, Ritchie follows Berlin from its pre-Roman roots and Medieval foundation to the nation-building dreams of Frederick the Great and Bismarck. She also traces its surprisingly heterogeneous social forces, which belie the Prussian and Nazi myths of a single German yolk. Most important, she concentrates on the city's pivotal position in the twentieth century's upheavals: the Weimar Republics decadent capital, which rivaled New York and Paris for culture; Hitler and Goebbels's attempt to build a fascist metropolis and its destruction; and the city divided by the Cold War. Unique in its scope and scholarship, Faust's Metropolis is history at its most enthralling. It presents an encyclopedic history of this ever-changing city, a vivid social portrait of its citizens, and a thorough evaluation of its political and cultural legacy. Wresting Berlins actual past from its myths, Ritchie arrives as brilliant, authoritative new historian formidably in command of her fascinating subject.

About this title

Product Description:

Good condition. Light traces of dust on the cover and light yellowing of the pages.

Review:

An ambitious undertaking, Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin aims to chronicle the history of Germany through the microcosm of its most dramatic city. Alexandra Richie's thousand-page tome spans from the time of Nero to Helmut Kohl. It is an encyclopaedic description of the Schicksal Stadt Deutschlands--the City of German Destiny--filled with the politics of rulers and the ideology of artists. Richie doesn't romanticise Berlin; early on, she invokes Goethe's view of the city as bourgeois, brash, and onerous. "Like the metropolis in Faust it has always been a rather shabby place," Richie comments. "It is neither an ancient gem like Rome, nor an exquisite beauty like Prague, nor a geographical marvel like Rio. It was formed not by the gentle, cultured hand which made Dresden or Venice but was wrenched from the unpromising landscape by sheer hard work and determination."

By placing her historical account in a world-encompassing perspective, the culture described in Faust's Metropolis comments on the whole of Germany and its people. The author is most eloquent in describing the recent history of the city. As a resident during its divided years, she describes Berlin as the ultimate "border city," on the frontline of the duelling Weltanschauungs of the Cold War. Her tone is familiar in describing the changing face of the city, and her enthusiasm evident as the book moves into the modern era. Filled with the insights of its unique and myriad residents, Faust's Metropolis recounts Berlin's culture, providing the reader with a thorough history and authoritative analysis.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0786705108
• ISBN 13: 9780786705108
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1139