Germany: A History

by Francis Russell

Here, from New York Times bestselling historian Richard Russell, is the dramatic story of Germany - from the rise of Charlemagne to the age of Martin Luther, from the Thirty Years' War to the iron rule of Otto von Bismarck, and from the formation of the Weimar Republic to the fighting of two world wars.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Germany, Audiobook, Amazon, Historical, European History

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2015

About the author

Francis Russell was an American author specializing in American history and historical figures.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Germany: A History is a decent overview of mostly the political history of the Germanies leading up to Germany, describing a period of about 2,000 years in central Europe.

A work like this is mostly introductory, which is fine. The greatest commentary involves the time period of Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa, Frederick the Great and the 80 years from WWI to German reunification in 1990. Much of the book then connect to these time periods. The Reformation is the major section that does not focus on the political leaders, and instead illustrates the great cultural change of its time period.

If you are looking for a decent overview of Germany history, this is a fine work.

[Sergio Rico · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry, dry, dry. This is a blow-by-blow kind of book with little commentary tying together the events into a cohesive whole. I know this is hard to do which is why I'm reading the book in the first place. Chugged along for 2/3 of the book until I gave up.

[Dmitry Tantsur · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great overview of history up to and including 19th century. When it comes to 20th century, it seems to me that the author wants to shy away from describing the unpleasant parts in details. He probably spends more time describing occupation by "bad Russians" (historical inaccurate name, by the way, given that no entity called Russia existed at the time) than the history of Nazis and especially their downfall. The remaining history boils down to "West is good, East is bad, then Russians left". Only few words are dedicated to the long process of founding EU and, well, most other matters except for the country division.

Now I have a good idea about old times, but I need a book on the 2oth century.

[Ilia Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good concise history of Germany

[Lisasue · Rating 2 out of 5]

A truly difficult book to finish, so packed full of details that it was difficult for me to get a larger, comprehensive picture fixed in my mind of the history of this nation, and its' inherent culture(s).

Things I wanted to know before I started this book:

1. What about those Saxons? Weren't they just as impressively bloodthirsty as the Vikings? Heck, the Vikings have their own TV show, when all the Saxons get is "The Last Kingdom," which isn't as good. I know that they went to England, and created havoc, but kinda wanted the basic factual run-down.

2. What was the deal with the Hanseatic League? I know that it was an important commercial force, but exactly how?

3. Why is Austria a separate country than Germany? They speak the same language, and they're next door to each other...so it seems to make sense that they would be.

4. Why were the Germans and Austrians so terrible to the Poles? Was it just about the land?

5. What is the deal with High German and Low German? Why are there two German dialects?

6. Why was the Kaiser such an idiot?

7. What is it about German culture and history that would give rise to Nazism? This is an important question, considering that those of German descent are the largest self-reported ethnic group in the United States. Although so much of the culture seems to be lost, there must be some remnants of it left of it in the structure of American culture; things that are so inherent that Americans aren't even aware of it.

Sadly, I didn't get the answers to most of these questions because I got repeatedly lost in the "bunny tracks" of this book. So many facts, told in chronological order, without any kind of insight or interpretation. So here is what is remaining in my brain after reading this book: Modern Germany was a lot of little countries, then it wasn't, then it was, then it wasn't again, then it was two countries, then it was one country again. Charlemagne conquered stuff. Metternich was a crafty dude. Bismarck was pretty kick-ass. World War I was a disaster. Lots of people thought von Hindenburg was great, but he let Hitler be Chancellor, so obviously they were wrong. Germany recovered, and is now an economic powerhouse.

Still don't really understand the greater picture though, and most of my questions listed above remain unanswered. It could be me, however, since many others have rated this book highly, but somehow I don't think so. I'm usually totally fine with fact-dense books, but this one was a bust. I would not recommend this one.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Germany: A History provides a brisk walk through the development of Germania from the days of the Roman Empire through the fall of the Berlin Wall. The book is not intended to function as an in-depth history of this part of central Europe, but it does nice work hitting the important points of Germania's evolution.

It begins with an explanation of the early tribes of central and western Europe, with the Visigoths, Vandals, and Saxons examined in turn. From here, author Francis Russell delves into how the Frankish kingdom developed, with Pepin the Short and Charlemagne coming to signify what would soon develop into the Holy Roman Empire.

As might be expected, much of Germany: A History comes to focus on the Holy Roman Empire and Prussian states. It is more of a jumping off point for newcomers to Germany's history who want to find some eras and personalities to zero in on.

Russell creates a sort of 'greatest hits,' each of which is an important patchwork that explains how modern day Germany came to be. Readers will hear about the eleventh century investiture controversy, an important conflict which laid down the division of power between Catholic clergy and secular leaders. The excommunication of Henry IV by Pope Gregory VII which stemmed from this is the sort of controversy which comes in for a quick examination in the book without too much time expended analyzing it.

Expect to read about a series of Holy Roman Emperors from Rudolf I to Maximilian I all the way through Charles V and the empire-ending Francis II; each of the Habsburg leaders who appear in the storyline are each deserving of multivolume biographies of their own.

Conflicts from the German Peasants' War of the 1520s to the Silesian, Franco-Prussian, Silesian, and First and Second World Wars come in for cursory examinations.

In the north, Frederick William I and his son Frederick III (Frederick the Great) feature heavily in an arc which carries into the life of Otto von Bismarck and the offspring of England's Queen Victoria (Kaiser William I and II) who helped to unify/solidify the 1871 unification of Germany.

The rivalry between the House of Hohenzollern and the Habsburgs plays the outsized role any properly written book on Germania would be expected to give it.

Germany: A History is fine nonfiction writing when taken on its own terms. It is intended to be as detailed as can be given the brief format, and in this respect Russell's book scores a modest success.

Yet it is nowhere near five star material, as readers of history will need to branch out into more specialized biographies of events and persons covered in this book in order to get their hands on that quality of comprehensive writing.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Shelley Alongi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book a five star rating for shortness. I wondered how he would treat World War II and the Holocaust since these subjects are my forte. Honestly, if I would have blinked, and I almost did, I would have missed the section on those twelve years. This is not a bad thing it's just that if the section was so short then I could gage the shortness of the other chapters.

I did like the book. I was looking for something that was more concise than the concise I had read earlier. If anyone asks me for a recommendation on a book of German history I would ask how much do you know? What do you want to know? The great thing about research and almost getting a Masters (not in German history by the way) is that if you find one thing it will lead you to a million other things. This book does that. I didn't see a bibliography in this book. But if you know your way around a library and know how to find credible resources you can find anything Russell doesn't cover. The book serves its purpose for me because I was looking for something that would fill in the gaps. It did that. Now I have a general overview of the first tribes to 1990.

The chapter about the rise of Prussia and the one on the discussion of pre World War I happenings helps explain the turbulent 1920s and 1930s. There is a succinct discussion of west and East Germany and an even shorter explanation of how reunification occurred. You can find lots of discussion on these subjects from all kinds of points of view. You don't need this book to do all of that. I would recommend this book for a general understanding. It doesn't wander into tangents like art and culture or try to explain anything it just tells you what happened. He does give the best succinct explanation of Hitler I've ever read. It was spot on.

I discovered this book as an ebook and it honestly took me a very long time to finish it because I kept getting distracted by other readings. I would recommend this book as a place to start. I say that about a lot of books. This one doesn't give academic explanations. So if you're looking for trends this is the place to find them. This book beats Mary Fullbrook for conciseness. And I see he has written other books on the subject. This book is an easy read though you might want a pen and paper near if you need to remember names because there are plenty of them. Each chapter leads nicely to the next one. I'm sure I'll read parts of the book again to refresh my memory and help me look for particulars when I want to research a particular time period.

[Ron Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a potted history of Germany from Roman times to the reunification. The descriptions of the lengthy period from the death of Charlemagne to Luther is tedious. Because German kings typically split their property and titles among all their sons, and because Germans stuck with a system of voting for (and throwing out) kings, Germany lagged far behind the rest of Europe in developing a centralized national political identity, so it fought with itself as much as with the church and with other nations. A confusing morass of internal treachery, uprisings, and general double-dealing of all with all were the order of the day for the better part of six centuries. At the time of the Thirty Years’ War, “Germany remained a patchwork of little Germanies: sixty-six free cities, some 240 petty states, and several hundred free imperial knights, who were absolute monarchs of their small domains. Below the level of the seven electors were fifty ecclesiastical and thirty lay princes, often at war with one another.” This one third of the book would have been materially improved by including maps and family trees to help you navigate this mess. You should supplement this book with other readings if you want to know much about what has happened in the last 75 years or so.

[Rāhul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a chronology of events related to the land and peoples of Germany, from the barbarians north of the Roman Empire through medieval Christianity, Nationalism, unification, Nazism and the current liberal republic at the heart of Europe. Perhaps useful for the fully uninitiated, it however fails to arrange the historical events to reveal any semblance of the historical currents shaping Germany or put them in the context of the world ar large. The author is also strangely normative in looking through a prism privileging Christianity in the medieval era and Anglo-American viewpoints in the modern era. Overall, an afternoon on Wikipedia will yield more historical insight on Germany than this book.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an easy read covering the history of Germany succinctly. There’s not much analysis but once you’ve read it, you’ll be well informed. For a British reader, there’s something of an absence of much commentary on the relationship bearing in mind that the British throne has been occupied by a German dynasty for 300 years. Otherwise it’s worth reading. The absence of maps from the kindle edition is a serious criticism and in consequence it loses a star.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could say I’m much wiser from reading this book but I’m so confused! There’s something to be said for diagrams and family tree lines, especially when everyone has the same or similar names. Even WW1 and Hitlers reign were so lightly dealt with I am only a little more informed than previously. It wasn’t a complete waste of my time, I have taken a few things of interest away. I am sure there are far more comprehensive histories of this nation.

[Guðmundur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book for its purpose.

Provides a good summary of the whole German political history. A history that is somewhat to focused on the two world wars. Short but covers the most important details. I think it makes the book even better.

I was kind of hoping it give more insight into how the life was for people in different era's of German History... but it kind of only talks about political anr religious structure.

[Kevin O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for a trip in Germany, I picked up this volume to refresh my mind on German history. I is a survey of the kind that says "so-and-so did this, then someone else did something else," so I would not suggest it gives you any great insight, but for what I wanted it was perfectly serviceable. I may follow up at some point with something that has more depth to it.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I dazed and dozed through most of this audio book. This is less a reflection on the author's work, and more my tolerance for straightforward historical facts dictated in a soothing voice on a C130.

[Cora P Bartemes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding today’s Germany

This fascinating account of the Central European tribes and their eventual gathering together to form modern Germany is compulsory reading for historians both professionals and amateurs. The use of maps would have helped immeasurably.

[Maria Cloos · Rating 5 out of 5]

helpful

Dry but thorough account of Central European history from the decline of the Roman Empire until reunification following the fall of the Soviet Union. Period maps would have been extremely helpful.

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. It wasn't what I was looking for. I was hoping on some info of pre-Roman and more info on Roman era history.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative German history primer but really needed maps.

[Spen Cer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and somewhat complex. But gives a good account of how we got here and what that means.

[Kevin W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish, put down around 1/3 completed. Too much information without much substance.
It's a short book if you want to give it a try.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, a brief skip through history, well told

[Radicle5]

I have always been fascinated by European history and even more by German history. This history starts with the germanic tribes in northern Europe and ends with the reunification of Germany. Some of the history is difficult to follow. So many kings and emperors with the same names: Henry, Louis and Frederick and et cetera was confusing without some kind of graphic aid. In all this book is a fairly interesting overview of the history of Germany.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chronology

A very concise history, mostly chronological treatment of German history. A good overview from ancient times until until reunification of Germany.

[Deborah Heley]

Excellent read.

[Catherine Cronin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast-paced history of the structure of Germany. The writing style is easy to read, but this cannot be considered a holistic account. It focuses solely on who was in power, wars, battles and conflicts. We learn nothing about daily life in Germany. As other reviewers have noted, the total absence of maps makes the narrative difficult to follow. As such, it can only be considered a starter text for those who want to learn in depth about Germany.

[Margie Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, concise history of the lands that became Germany. It would benefit greatly from some historical maps and family charts of the royal dynasties to help keep all the information straight.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written book, nicely paced and easy to read. Unfortunately it is hobbled (at least in the Kindle version) by a complete lack of maps or any other visual aid.