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Belfer Center Studies in International Security
Fragile Rise: Grand Strategy and the Fate of Imperial Germany, 1871-1914
A series of solemn anniversary events have marked the centenary of World War I. Could history repeat itself in today's geopolitics? Now, as then, a land power with a growing economy and a maritime power with global commitments are the two leading states in the international system. Most ominously, the outbreak of war in 1914 is a stark reminder that nations cannot rely on economic interdependence and ongoing diplomacy to keep the peace.
In Fragile Rise, Xu Qiyu offers a Chinese perspective on the course of German grand strategy in the decades before World War I. Xu shows how Germany's diplomatic blunders turned its growing power into a liability instead of an asset. Bismarck's successors provoked tension and conflict with the other European great powers. Germany's attempts to build a powerful navy alienated Britain. Fearing an assertive Germany, France and Russia formed an alliance, leaving the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire as Germany's only major ally.
Xu's account demonstrates that better strategy and statesmanship could have made a difference -- for Germany and Europe. His analysis offers important lessons for the leaders of China and other countries. Fragile Rise reminds us that the emergence of a new great power creates risks that can be managed only by adroit diplomats, including the leaders of the emerging power. In the twenty-first century, another great war may not be inevitable. Heeding the lessons of Fragile Rise could make it even less likely.
In Fragile Rise, Xu Qiyu offers a Chinese perspective on the course of German grand strategy in the decades before World War I. Xu shows how Germany's diplomatic blunders turned its growing power into a liability instead of an asset. Bismarck's successors provoked tension and conflict with the other European great powers. Germany's attempts to build a powerful navy alienated Britain. Fearing an assertive Germany, France and Russia formed an alliance, leaving the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire as Germany's only major ally.
Xu's account demonstrates that better strategy and statesmanship could have made a difference -- for Germany and Europe. His analysis offers important lessons for the leaders of China and other countries. Fragile Rise reminds us that the emergence of a new great power creates risks that can be managed only by adroit diplomats, including the leaders of the emerging power. In the twenty-first century, another great war may not be inevitable. Heeding the lessons of Fragile Rise could make it even less likely.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published December 30, 2016
53 people want to read
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February 16, 2022
i think this book is decently written. not only it introduced well regarding the historical background and chain of events before WWI, the analysis is pretty clear and convincing. the part i find the most interesting is regarding how public consensus in the end hijacked the policy decisions and how easily the crowd is instigated by nationalistic propaganda. In the end, it is the self fulfilling prophecy that led to the fall of Imperial Germany. The hidden agenda behind this book is pretty clear (from its title and its contents), the author would like to use this book to draw lesson learned from Germany and possibly draw the analogy to rising China. But somehow i feel this book focused too much on those on the top and overly emphasizes on their impacts. also how he portrays those historical figures in the book is pretty standard and stereotyped.
Displaying 1 of 1 review