Status Updates From Gold und Eisen: Bismarck un...

End of the text. I have survived this book!

End of chapter nineteen, the last chapter. Only an epilogue remaining.

End of chapter eighteen about the 'new' anti-semitism. I think this chapter lifts the quality of the book overall but still I have the feeling that Stern did not find his theme in this book, it's neither a revisionist history of Bismarck and the unification of Germany Nor a study of two men nor an analysis of Jews in Germany, but has something of each.

The term anti-semitism first appears in Germany in the 1870s. Stern describes a new anti-semitism developing at that time with increased agitation that Jews corrupted economically, morally, genetically, & sexually. Bleichroder was portrayed as prime evidence of this.
Also coming together of anti-capitalism and anti-semitism.

End of chapter seventeen which was generally about Bleichroder & family and anti-Semitism. I thought a little about the career of Disraeli in the UK ( conversion to Christianity plus marriage to a Christian) vs the language used to describe him, also literary characters like Melmotte (sp?) In Trollope

Bleichroder's children would try three strategies to gain/maintain a place at the highest levels of society: military rank, marriage into a "good" Christian family, & conversion to Christianity.

Bleichroder was by far the richest man in Berlin, in Germany as a whole it was thought that only Alfred Krupp might be wealthier.

He was worth 36-40 million marks, & had an income of about 3.3 million.

All of which calls a lot of the book into question, because if you are the richest banker in a country - how can you not be involved in politics?

Stern writes that Bleichroder was a Jew by birth and a German by choice. Yet from the whole book to this point, there is no sense of a choice. Bleichroder's loyalty to the land of his birth seems more self-evident and powerful than his connection to his religion at least in how Stern has narrated this history

End of part two. Three chapters left

End of chapter fifteen, another disappointing and dissillusioning one. For me Stern lacks the evidence and possibly needed collaborators to address the topics here adequately. It's all very suggestive, but Stern isn't able to offer any conclusions about the relationship of finance and politics.

1888 France manages to coordinate financial attacks on Italy - 'une guerre sourde' as a counter measure to Italy's alliance with Germany. Germany is able to offer tariff free access to its markets for Italy, but Italy remains dependant/ integrated into French financial system. Does this mean that over time it was inevitable that Italy would politically reorientate towards France & away from Germany?

Stern writes of Bleichroder's & Bismarck's involvement in obtaining German colonies that both almost certainly felt it was important for German industry to gain access to overseas markets. Hard to believe that anyone ever thought that Nambia, or even Samoa, would be a worthwhile market for German industrial produce in the 1880s.

End of chapter fourteen which deals with Romania. Lots of interesting material, but rather unfocused.

End of chapter thirteen, mostly how Bleichroder's international contacts plus relationship with Bismarck functioned as an informal diplomatic service providing both information and back channel contacts

Bankers as an alternative and informal diplomatic network.

End of chapter twelve. Mixed bag on Bismarck's finances, complicated accounting - he underpaid on taxes - even though they were barely 3% of income in any case. But what is the point of having power of you don't use it?
I feel this book is more a collection of essays than a study with a single unifying theme or topic. It's very loose, you could read a chapter at random without problems.