بسمارك: حياة مكافح

by Emil Ludwig, عادل زعيتر (Translator)

Text extracted from opening pages of book: A M C K THE STORY OF AFIGHTER By EMIL LUBWXG Translated from the German by EDEN and CEDAE PAUL BLUE RIBBON BOOKS New York Foreword A chiaroscuro form, fully equipped, shines forth from the twilight. Bismarck resembles the faces painted by Rembrandt, and must be so depicted. For the last eighty years, partisan hatred has flashed its lightnings round him. In his lifetime he was little loved, because he loved little; after his death he was con demned to figure as a statue, because his inner man remained hard to penetrate. Thus among the Germans he became a Roland carved out of stone. The aim of this book is to limn the portrait of a victorious and errant warrior. Here Bismarck is depicted as a character filled with pride, courage, and hatred the basic elements from which his actions resulted. To-day, when part of our nation ad mires him with partiality while another part condemns him, we must make a profound study of the history of his spirit. Since Bismarck, as a personality, played the part of destiny to the Germans, the German nation must learn to understand the char acter of this man, to understand him as he really was, and not as distorted by worship and by hatred. The historical man is always more organic than his system, and more complicated than his monument. Instead of following the academic method, and burdening the portrayal with notes, we think it proper in our day to make public characters plastic, as an example and a warning to every one. The man and the politician are inseparable; feelings and actions determine one another mutually; private life and public life run concurrently. The task of the artist is to construct a whole out of the data furnished by the investigator. By the beginning of the thirties, Bismarck's inner development was practically finished. During a decade and a half prior to that time he had had to endure the most violent agitations. All that followed, throughout his career, was no more than a deepening viii Foreword of the elementary lines already traced. That is why his youth, which most of the biographers dismiss in a few pages, must be dealt with at considerable length his youth, the time before his political activities began. The only writer who has succeeded in producing a psychography of Bismarck is the misunderstood Klein-Hattingen, who had to work with the documents that were available in his day. In the year 1911 I myself tried, in what I called a ** psychological attempt , to counteract the legend of the Iron Chancellor by the depiction of an enigmatic nature. Ten years later I wrote a trilogy wherein I hoped to present Bismarck dramatically on the German stage. This new likeness is entirely different from my earlier attempt, which was non-political. Nothing that I wrote in that first book is reproduced here, where the figure is presented in a new light. The only common element in the two works is the fundamental concept of an enigmatic character. Besides, various circum stances have rendered a new and more critical depiction neces sary; the post-war epoch has brought with it a fuller knowledge of what was involved in Bismarck's career ; a number of memoirs and other relevant documents have been published; and the per sonal development of the author has contributed to the need for a fresh presentation. By the new lights, the chiaroscuro surroundings of Bismarck's figure have become even more striking. One who is not trying to carve a monument but to trace the career of a fighter, stands amazed before this life, which was perpetual struggle, occasional victory, unceasing passion, never satisfaction, for the most part sagacity, at times error, but invariably characterised by genius even when mistaken. Table of Contents PAGE FOREWORD vii LIST or ILLUSTRATIONS xi CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE xiii BOOK ONE: 1815-1851 THE WANDERER 1 BOOK TWO: 1852-1862 THE STRIVER 121 BOOK THREE: 1862-1871 THE BUILDER 201 BOOK FOUR: 1872-1888 THE RULER 399 BOOK FIVE: 1888-18

Genres: Biography, History, German Literature, European History, Politics, Nonfiction

648 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

Emil Ludwig (originally named Emil Cohn) was born in Breslau, now part of Poland. Ludwig studied law but chose writing as a career. At first he wrote plays and novella, but also worked as a journalist. In 1906, he moved to Switzerland, but, during World War I, he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Berliner Tageblatt in Vienna and Istanbul. He became a Swiss citizen in 1932, later emigrating to the United States in 1940.

At the end of the Second World War, he went to Germany as a journalist, and it is to him that we owe the retrieving of Goethe's and Schiller's coffins, which had disappeared from Weimar in 1943/44. He returned to Switzerland after the war and died in 1948, in Moscia, near Ascona.

During the 1920s, he achieved international fame for his popular biographies which combined historical fact and fiction with psychological analysis. After his biography of Goethe was published in 1920, he wrote several similar biographies, including one about Bismarck (1922–24) and another about Jesus (1928). As Ludwig's biographies were popular outside of Germany and were widely translated, he was one of the fortunate émigrés who had an income while living in the United States. His writings were considered particularly dangerous by Goebbels, who mentioned him in his journal.

Ludwig interviewed Benito Mussolini and on December 1, 1929 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. His interview with the founder of the Republic of Turkey appeared in Wiener Freie Presse in March 1930, addressing issues of religion and music. He also interviewed Joseph Stalin in Moscow on December 13, 1931. An excerpt from this interview is included in Stalin's book on Lenin. Ludwig describes this interview in his biography of Stalin. What was originally an omitted section of the interview by Joseph Stalin himself, Professor of Montclair State University Grover Furr had finally published an English version of it.

Ludwig's extended interviews with T.G. Masaryk, founder and longtime president of Czechoslovakia, appeared as Defender of Democracy in 1936.

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this was written in the ‘30s…I wonder how unbiased it is

So this was not for me. Nothing really wrong with it. I think it’s just dated? Perhaps ? The few bios I’ve read that are aged seem more basic than what I’m used to. Like the author is afraid to air the dirty laundry. So it’s not biased, it’s just bland.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 2 out of 5]

This particular biography is not easy to engage. The style is rather historical and factual making the reading pretty difficult to follow. Bismarck comes across as a diplomat, aware of his noble lineage and careful in making decisions. At a very early age he becomes very individualistic challenging both religion and liberalism. So when he started his career as a diplomat, he followed a realist strategy, instead of an ideologist path.

Bismarck throughout his life seems to impose his own ideas and his own principles, whether in opposition or when in power. His tactics is simple, he calculates and waits for the right opportunity to strike instead of impatiently forcing his decisions through, which is the mark of a true diplomat.

Trouble with reading political stories is that they have to be relatively current, if like this particular biography, they are old than I find impossible to follow with much interest.

[Peter Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thorough and rich biography of Otto Von Bismark. I think some background in 19th Century Central European politics may be helpful for some readers. The book requires some understanding of German cultural practices and social structure prior to the Industrial Revolution. It's tough to recommend.

[Cole Brumwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bismarck: The Story of a Fighter by Emil Ludwig was an enjoyable history of the formation of Germany and Otto Von Bismarck's climb to power. My lack of knowledge in early Prussian/German political and social systems led to some confusing parts during the book however it did not effect the read and it was very enjoyable none the less. The story starts with Bismarck in his childhood where he develops his sense of pride for from his lineage, and also develops a sense of pride and nationhood for Prussia. This time in his life was, Ludwig claims, was one of the most influential times of his life and was very important for his future life and career. It continues on to his student life where he meets one of his life long friends. During his time as a student he develops his drive and fighting mentality, these years turn him into the great statesman he became. This book is filled with vivid imagery of Bismarck's life, this is done by using Bismarck's letters and the letters of colleagues throughout his career. Bismarck successfully balanced the Prussian monarchies interests, his own interests, and the interests of his fellow statesman allowed him to successfully create a greater Germany, led by Prussia, as he had always dreamed. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in politics and foreign policy. While it would be recommended to have a basic knowledge of Prussian history there I would not call it a prerequisite for this book. Emil Ludwig gives a great description of Bismarck, shows that he is a great Poet, well read, a fighter and above all else a statesman for his country. How deep Ludwig delves into Bismarck's character makes this book worth the read in itself. For further reading into this subject I would need to read some literature on Austria, Russia and France during their time and dealings with Bismarck's Prussia.

[Lorenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to read and antiquated, but better than Bismarck: A Life by Jonathan Steinberg.

[Sir Badgerly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had such an obvious bias against the man.

[Dr.Chinmay Kulkarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very less is known about this great statesman of 19th century Europe. How a diplomatic ruler creates an empire is a fascinating history to know. However, a tough leader in foreign affairs uses same tough strategy in internal affairs which leads to him becoming a tyrant. His showdown by Kaiser Wilhelm 2 is a sad part to know. Bismarck created the German Empire which went through degradation under Wilhelm 2. So really interesting to know rise and fall of an Empire in such a short span of time.

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compressive personality critique

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rated this book on how I felt about it, If your are s student of German history theN you might think it a 5 star work. I am sorry I ever started it, a very slow difficult read for me. I felt like I was reading a high school history book. Lots of facts. I had read Ludwig's NAPOLEON which I liked very much giving it 5 stars. disappointed.