by Christopher Clark
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Product Description
In the aftermath of World War II, Prussia--a centuries-old state pivotal to Europe's development--ceased to exist. In their eagerness to erase all traces of the Third Reich from the earth, the Allies believed that Prussia, the very embodiment of German militarism, had to be abolished. But as Christopher Clark reveals in this pioneering history, Prussia's legacy is far more complex. Though now a fading memory in Europe's heartland, the true story of Prussia offers a remarkable glimpse into the dynamic rise of modern Europe. What we find is a kingdom that existed nearly half a millennium ago as a patchwork of territorial fragments, with neither significant resources nor a coherent culture. With its capital in Berlin, Prussia grew from being a small, poor, disregarded medieval state into one of the most vigorous and powerful nations in Europe. Iron Kingdom traces Prussia's involvement in the continent's foundational religious and political conflagrations: from the devastations of the Thirty Years War through centuries of political machinations to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, from the enlightenment of Frederick the Great to the destructive conquests of Napoleon, and from the "iron and blood" policies of Bismarck to the creation of the German Empire in 1871, and all that implied for the tumultuous twentieth century. By 1947, Prussia was deemed an intolerable threat to the safety of Europe; what is often forgotten, Clark argues, is that it had also been an exemplar of the European humanistic tradition, boasting a formidable government administration, an incorruptible civil service, and religious tolerance. Clark demonstrates how a state deemed the bane of twentieth-century Europe has played an incalculable role in Western civilization's fortunes. Iron Kingdom is a definitive, gripping account of Prussia's fascinating, influential, and critical role in modern times. (20060812)
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Average Customer Review:
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 Outstanding, 2008-06-11
I will say it again this book was outstanding. This is one of the best historical works I have ever read. Clark is an eminent scholar and an excellent writer as well. This book offers the reader a wealth of knowledge and information in a style that is both eloquent and entertaining.
One of the things that most struck me about this book was the level of intimacy with which the author writes about the different figures and times. The author's level of erudition is such that the reader feels as though they are reading a contemporary account of events rather than a work written 300 years after the fact. The author's knowledge and scholarly dedication allows the author to write with an authority that comes through very clearly, and it is this authority that gives this work so much power.
The author's style made this, rather large, work an easy and enjoyable read. The pages simply turn themselves. Not only does the author have a very readable style, but his prose and ability to turn phrases would rival any literary work. As someone who has read a few history books, quite a few of which were rather dry, it is rare to find an author who knows his subject this thoroughly and is also a talented writer as well.
What I really like about these types of histories (when they are done well that is) is that they give the reader a broader perspective. Instead of taking a particular figure or moment in history and studying it in isolation, detached from earlier influential events, the reader gets to see history as a continuous, free flowing force that affects individuals and whole nations alike. If you want to understand German history or Prussian history this book is a must because the author not only hits major historical events but speaks on the philosophical undercurrents that drove those events. Mr. Clark writes in great detail about how events such as the enlightenment influenced Prussian leaders and the state.
This is an amazing work that should be on anyone's reading list who is interested in Prussian or European history. It is indispensable.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 A good overview of Prussian history, 2008-05-24
For those of us who just had a general idea about how Prussia expanded from a provincial backwater (Brandenburg) into one of the most formidable power players in Europe, Christopher Clark's welcome and detailed history of Prussia fills in the blanks.
Brandenburg was a landlocked territory in central Europe, with few resources, no coastline, and well-trampled by foreign armies coming and going. How did this modest electorate become the power that it became? Clark writes thoroughly about how Brandenburg survived and grew, especially through the efforts of Frederick William (The Great Elector) and Frederick the Great. The latter's invasion of Silesia turned the power balance of central Europe upside down, with Austria no longer having full hegemony over that region.
As with most modern histories, Clark tries to give us a new way of looking at the stereotypes, in this case the equating of Prussia with militarism which is so ingrained. In some respects he is a bit too revisionist, but he does paint a broader picture of Prussian culture and also why a strong military was absolutely vital for Prussian survival. Clark portrays Prussia as progressive in many ways and not just a military camp posing as a nation-state.
Having acquired or conquered places like Silesia, Saxony and Pomerania, greater Prussia was a mish-mash of nationalities, not the pure German state that it is sometimes portrayed to be. The maps at the front of the book show how far flung the nation became, and how much more difficult it became to keep it secure. During the Napoleonic Wars Clark shows how Prussia's geography put it in an impossible situation, right along France's invasion route to Russia. Much of what Bismarck accomplished later in the century was to prevent Prussia from ever becoming that vulnerable again.
It's heavy reading at times, but there are many chapters than can be read separately when the reader chooses, especially those that have to do with social and cultural issues. Overall there is a lot of detailed Prussian history here that will enlighten the history buff and give a fresh perspective to this topic.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent, very readable history, 2008-04-04
This book was fascinating. It was incredibly interesting to read how a country with few natural resources rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe--and then disappeared without a trace after WWII. The author writes extremely well and has produced a very readable book. I recommend it very highly.
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Truly the History of Brandenberg and Central Europe, 2008-03-26
Most people think of Prussia as this monolithic kingdom that grew like a cancer in central europe for three hundred years. In reality, it was Brandenberg and the Hohenzollens that created a myth and an empire. Prussia was never more than the far eastern province (and an agrarian one to boot) of what became the German Empire in 1871. In point of fact, Prussia was never part of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation", but the remains of the lands of the "Teutonic Knights" who settled the land in the 1400s so as to 'civilize and christianize' the savage pagan prussians who lived in the area.
Since Brandenberg was an Elector-ship in the HRE, and the first king in the Hohenzollen line was "King in Prussia", the title and name stuck. For most Germans, those in the area of current Germany, Prussians were a stock character like Vermonters or Iowans. A little bit odd and definitely not very cultured. They were always pictured as a comical figure in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, even in Berlin.
Now, Prussia is the major part of northern Poland, though all the names have been polonized and most of the history obliterated. But then the area around Stettin (Szczecin) which was Swedish Pomerania, doesn't show any of it's earlier history either.
Like so many myths, Prussia was a 'fantasy', and it was created by men like Bismarck and Goebbels to serve a purpose as a rallying cry. Like most myths there was some truth to the story, but it was twisted in so many ways to fit the myth, to be unrecognizable. The strength of the story is the 'story behind the story' which is very well represented here. But you will not find a 'military history' here, but the history of a culture and a dynasty.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hard Going Indeed, 2007-11-29
I agree with the hard going part---a very difficult read, a bit more detail than I wanted or needed, but the information is there and the difficultly is worthwhile--
I'm glad to have finished it, but I did learn a great deal. It's all there and more as I said. His thesis the Prussia is misunderstood is an understatement--he shows so many instances of Prussia representing in the 1700's a very progressive state, in fact in many ways much more progressive than the one we're living in now--among them real support of injured soldiers, and their widows--something we are not doing as well as we should.
A very worthwhile, although difficult book.
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