Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire
- Downloads：9267
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-19 17:21:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Katja Hoyer
- ISBN：1643138375
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In this vivid fifty-year history of Germany from 1871-1918—which inspired events that forever changed the European continent—here is the story of the Second Reich from its violent beginnings and rise to power to its calamitous defeat in the First World War。
Before 1871， Germany was not yet nation but simply an idea。
Its founder， Otto von Bismarck， had a formidable task at hand。 How would he bring thirty-nine individual states under the yoke of a single Kaiser？ How would he convince proud Prussians， Bavarians， and Rhinelanders to become Germans？ Once united， could the young European nation wield enough power to rival the empires of Britain and France—all without destroying itself in the process？
In this unique study of five decades that changed the course of modern history， Katja Hoyer tells the story of the German Empire from its violent beginnings to its calamitous defeat in the First World War。
This often startling narrative is a dramatic tale of national self-discovery， social upheaval， and realpolitik that ended， as it started， in blood and iron。
Before 1871， Germany was not yet nation but simply an idea。
Its founder， Otto von Bismarck， had a formidable task at hand。 How would he bring thirty-nine individual states under the yoke of a single Kaiser？ How would he convince proud Prussians， Bavarians， and Rhinelanders to become Germans？ Once united， could the young European nation wield enough power to rival the empires of Britain and France—all without destroying itself in the process？
In this unique study of five decades that changed the course of modern history， Katja Hoyer tells the story of the German Empire from its violent beginnings to its calamitous defeat in the First World War。
This often startling narrative is a dramatic tale of national self-discovery， social upheaval， and realpolitik that ended， as it started， in blood and iron。
Reviews
Doug
，
A helpful overview of German history up to the close of ww1。 Written at a very high level， it lacks human interest stories。 so much like a traditional history book I’ve heard the author on several podcasts and am charmed。 Will continue to follow her writings
Dave
，
This is a well written account of the beginning of Germany as a nation， the unifying power of blood and iron and the problems that mentality created。 Overall a good introduction however at times it felt repetitive。 I would recommend to history fans for sure none the less。 Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through edelweiss。
Liam MacDiarmada
，
Very goodA thoroughly enlightening and enjoyable study of the rise and fall of the German Empire。 It gives sufficient information for me to grasp the essentials of the period 1871 to 1918。 Very accessible and helpful。 Recommended。
Nicola
，
This is a great read for anyone interested in the history of the Second Reich。 It is compact， clearly set out and lucid， yet contains a lot of information on a topic I have not studied in depth。 There is certainly more than one nod to the many school programmes I have watched on the causes of the First World War。 But the idea that the empire was forged and destroyed with “blood and iron” （Bismarck） is highly effective and to me， unique。 I have read a lot of books in between starting and finishin This is a great read for anyone interested in the history of the Second Reich。 It is compact， clearly set out and lucid， yet contains a lot of information on a topic I have not studied in depth。 There is certainly more than one nod to the many school programmes I have watched on the causes of the First World War。 But the idea that the empire was forged and destroyed with “blood and iron” （Bismarck） is highly effective and to me， unique。 I have read a lot of books in between starting and finishing this one， the length of time taken does not reflect the length， readability or quality of this book。 I learned a lot of new information from Hoyer and I am thinking hard about how I can use this in the classroom。 The section on the First World War: “catastrophe” clearly set out both the impact and story of the war from the German standpoint and I found this a useful counterpoint to the history I have read until now。 The explanation around how the war was funded was excellent。 I couldn’t help thinking， what an extraordinary gamble this war was （from the German perspective）。 The final part on democracy set out the impact of the generals and old elite in the revolutions， peacemaking and events that followed the armistice。 But I don’t think that word was actually used！ The timing of Wilson’s Fourteen Points and Trotsky’s Brest-Litovsk was astonishing！ The detail on Red Rosa will never be forgotten。 This will be useful for those studying the aftermath and looking for the origins of the next conflict that ripped Europe open。 。。。more
Gerald Wright
，
Excellent！ I've listened to Katja Hoyer on a few history podcasts， and her book was as intelligent， engaging， and enjoyable as I'd been led to believe。 I'm so glad to finally understand a little better this complicated 19th-century German history。 Hoyer covers a lot of ground in a short book， and she manages to provide important details as well as a big picture view。 Excellent！ I've listened to Katja Hoyer on a few history podcasts， and her book was as intelligent， engaging， and enjoyable as I'd been led to believe。 I'm so glad to finally understand a little better this complicated 19th-century German history。 Hoyer covers a lot of ground in a short book， and she manages to provide important details as well as a big picture view。 。。。more
Liam J。
，
This is a fine history of the second or Wilhelmine German Empire but there is something lacking。 It is not an exciting read - but the fault lies not with the author - whose writing is clear and scholarship excellent - but the subject itself。 The German Empire was very much the creation of Bismarck and the system designed for governing was made for Bismarck working with the first Kaiser。 Unfortunately Bismarck could not work with the Kaiser's grandson， and the empire could not really work without This is a fine history of the second or Wilhelmine German Empire but there is something lacking。 It is not an exciting read - but the fault lies not with the author - whose writing is clear and scholarship excellent - but the subject itself。 The German Empire was very much the creation of Bismarck and the system designed for governing was made for Bismarck working with the first Kaiser。 Unfortunately Bismarck could not work with the Kaiser's grandson， and the empire could not really work without him。 As the empire existed for such a short time and was so much wrapped up in the lives of the man who created it， Bismarck， and destroyed it， Kaiser Wilhelm II， hat I can't help but recommend anyone to read one of the recent new biographies of Bismarck or Wilhelm II。I am sorry to appear to be negative about this work， it just didn't have any real 'buzz' or excitement。 An excellent history - but very flat。 。。。more
Rich Wilcox
，
Great Read I couldn’t put this book down。 An incredibly readable story of a major turning point in European history。 Thoroughly recommended。
John Keith
，
Excellent short general history of the Second Reich。 Brought me up to date on recent scholarship。
Roza Hartmann
，
A perfect introduction to the careering， intrigues and vanities of the Second Reich。 State building， welfare and hubris are here in equal measure， providing a keen insight into how Germany's bloody 20th Century shaped and her myths were misused。 A perfect introduction to the careering， intrigues and vanities of the Second Reich。 State building， welfare and hubris are here in equal measure， providing a keen insight into how Germany's bloody 20th Century shaped and her myths were misused。 。。。more
John Stephen
，
I greatly enjoyed reading this book。 It was an easy to understand description of the creation of Germany。 I particularly liked how Katja structured the book explaining different elements of the history in separate sections。 The final section providing a summary of the Great War is the best quick overall summary of the event that I have ever read。
Sarah Bath
，
The author writes at a breathtaking speed， which will be familiar to fans of Simon Sebag Montefiore。 So if you like your history snappy you’ll enjoy this account of “what went before”。 If you’ve already been reading about European history it will definitely provide some of the missing bits of the jigsaw。 Equally， if you’re interested in today’s Europe this gives a good foundation for understanding fellow-Europeans。
Maya
，
A gripping and lucid read This is an excellent book。 Clear， concise， and at times reads like a thriller。 The battle between conservatives， liberals， and socialists under the tutelage of Bismarck， then Kaiser Wilhelm II has lessons that can be learned in today's fractious politics。 A gripping and lucid read This is an excellent book。 Clear， concise， and at times reads like a thriller。 The battle between conservatives， liberals， and socialists under the tutelage of Bismarck， then Kaiser Wilhelm II has lessons that can be learned in today's fractious politics。 。。。more
Celia
，
Would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in either of the World War’s。 Covers such a key period that influenced the thoughts and make up of a country。 Well written and easy to read considering it is packed with information。 Will definitely be looking in the bibliography and would love to see what Katja Hoyer writes next。
David
，
Fascinating。 An insightful historical account of a country I know so little about。
Nick
，
This book is fantastic。 It comes across as the author knowing what she wanted to write and has a masterful knowledge of the subject。 It is succinct yet detailed and at no point did I feel thay it suffered for being shorter than your average history non fiction book。 She perfectly lays the scene of the build up to WW1 from a German point of view and through her writing you can see how the war was almost inevitable for 100 years before the event。 Was gripped for the 239 pages。
Dale
，
Hoyer provides a solid political history of the German Empire。 It's is a concise and easy to digest narrative of the formation and downfall of the Kaiserreich。 I came into this book with a fair amount of background knowledge in German military development， the Balkans wars， Morrocan crises， Weltpolitik， and kulturkrieg。 Further a solid knowledge of the Franco-Prussian conflict and the development of the series of events leading to great war。 This book provides an excellent backdrop given the kno Hoyer provides a solid political history of the German Empire。 It's is a concise and easy to digest narrative of the formation and downfall of the Kaiserreich。 I came into this book with a fair amount of background knowledge in German military development， the Balkans wars， Morrocan crises， Weltpolitik， and kulturkrieg。 Further a solid knowledge of the Franco-Prussian conflict and the development of the series of events leading to great war。 This book provides an excellent backdrop given the knowledge base I had。 It glosses over， not in a negative way， many of the military adventures of the second Reich and focusses more upon its domestic politics， foreign policy， and societal history。 Which is excellent given the wide availability of literature based upon German militarism。 Very concise and easy to read I would highly recommend this book as either an introductory piece on the development of Germany， out of the ashes of the holy Roman Empire and the recessing of the influence of the French under Napoleon。 But， also， I would advise it to the student who has studied 19th and 20th century European conflicts and wishes to gain a solid background in the development of German nationhood and politics。Thanks for reading 。。。more
Toby
，
A short and sweet overview of an interesting period of history。 The book provides a interesting take on each of the "main characters" in the story， developing their personality beyond what is normal in this type of account。 Bismark and Wilhelm are particularly well described。It is always interesting to read about the rise and fall of a society， especially whilst observing and drawing parallels with the societies of today - both those on the rise and those moving in the other direction。 There are A short and sweet overview of an interesting period of history。 The book provides a interesting take on each of the "main characters" in the story， developing their personality beyond what is normal in this type of account。 Bismark and Wilhelm are particularly well described。It is always interesting to read about the rise and fall of a society， especially whilst observing and drawing parallels with the societies of today - both those on the rise and those moving in the other direction。 There are certainly similarities with today's world。Ultimately， this account rightly dispels of any notion that the grear war came from unrelenting German warmongering， and instead - like most wars - from externalised internal conflict。Very readable - perhaps a touch too short。 。。。more
Dropbear123
，
5/5 Highly recommendReally good。 It packs a lot of detail into only 240 pages and is accessible to read with good writing。 Despite the title saying 1871 the book begins in 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars。 This first chapter is mainly about the emergence of a German nationalist movement and Bismarck’s actions in the 1860s before Germany was unified。 The second chapter is about Bismarck’s Germany and covers it in a thematic style， beginning with the political structure before moving onto 5/5 Highly recommendReally good。 It packs a lot of detail into only 240 pages and is accessible to read with good writing。 Despite the title saying 1871 the book begins in 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars。 This first chapter is mainly about the emergence of a German nationalist movement and Bismarck’s actions in the 1860s before Germany was unified。 The second chapter is about Bismarck’s Germany and covers it in a thematic style， beginning with the political structure before moving onto the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf/culture war and the economic situation and how this effected socialism。 This chapter also covers the treatment of minorities like the Poles and French in the German Empire before finishing with Bismarck’s foreign policy。 A very short 3rd chapter for the period after Kaiser Wilhelm I’s death until the resignation of Bismarck。 Chapter 4 covers the prewar Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Germany through a mix of chronologically following the various chancellors and thematic subsections on topics like Weltpolitik， culture， and the Kaiser’s embarrassing moments。 Finally， chapter 5 covers WWI， including a summary of Germany’s war， the spirit/mood of 1914 as the war economy and the sacrifices of the German people before finishing with the collapse of the empire and the Kaiser’s abdication。 The book has some historiography in it saying what other historians think and where they may be wrong or outdated。 The book is more positive towards the German Empire and especially more positive towards Bismarck than from what I’ve seen elsewhere。 。。。more
John
，
An excellent debut novel by Katja Hoyer。 Presumably a project that was born out of her Masters in history （with distinction）， it is a good example of how some people’s time and energy is better spent turning their Masters dissertation into a book rather than pursuing a PhD！Hoyer’s book is a highly readable account of how Bismarck used the age-old strategy of fighting an external threat with “blood and iron” in order to foster a shared concept of nationhood that could override political， cultural An excellent debut novel by Katja Hoyer。 Presumably a project that was born out of her Masters in history （with distinction）， it is a good example of how some people’s time and energy is better spent turning their Masters dissertation into a book rather than pursuing a PhD！Hoyer’s book is a highly readable account of how Bismarck used the age-old strategy of fighting an external threat with “blood and iron” in order to foster a shared concept of nationhood that could override political， cultural and religious differences amongst numerous disparate smaller states and bring them together to form the unified Germany in 1871。 Hoyer’s narrative then follows the arc of the rise and fall of this new Germany spanning 50 years。 The young nation moves from Bismarck’s focus on internal consolidation， buttressed by economic gains， through to young Kaiser Wilhelm’s foreign expansion of the “Empire”， and ending with the disastrous push into WW1 and its massive and futile loss of life。 However， as Hoyer concludes， “The war brought down [the German Empire’s] crown， it’s borders， it’s military — but Bismarck’s legacy would live on。” Hoyer’s writing moves along at a fast pace that skilfully combines a lightness of touch with numerous interesting details that evidence the depth of her research and support the clarity and courage of her interpretations。 I did not know much about this period of European history and enjoyed learning more through this book。 。。。more
Shahul
，
Brilliantly captured！
A J
，
Whistle Stop Tour of the Second ReichA great first publication by the talented Katja Hoyer。 The book was so engaging that I couldn't put it down and finished it within two days。 Hoyer is fair in her analysis and comes from the more modern school of thought that Germany and the Kaiser were not warmongers prior to the First World War although there were uncontrollable evens and structures which did contribute。 Some of this bled into causing the Second World War， but as she points out the German Em Whistle Stop Tour of the Second ReichA great first publication by the talented Katja Hoyer。 The book was so engaging that I couldn't put it down and finished it within two days。 Hoyer is fair in her analysis and comes from the more modern school of thought that Germany and the Kaiser were not warmongers prior to the First World War although there were uncontrollable evens and structures which did contribute。 Some of this bled into causing the Second World War， but as she points out the German Empire was not destined to create Nazi Germany！ The book is short， but excellently written and fast paced。 And even though only 224 pages I learned quite a lot， such as Bizmarcks political genius and structures， some of which still survive today。 Refreshing read， great author。 。。。more
Philip Grimes
，
Succinct and engrossing。 Shows incisively how the Second Reich shaped Germany's twentieth century。 Succinct and engrossing。 Shows incisively how the Second Reich shaped Germany's twentieth century。 。。。more
John Marshall
，
Given that so much of European and world history stemmed from the unification of Germany following the Franco Prussian War， something only hugely extended by the Great War， so little attention is given in the English speaking world to the Second Reich， the Kaiser’s Germany。 This history is a good primer for those wanting to understand where Germany and so Europe came from and will help understand what followed。
Chris Ross
，
A very concise and well-researched book，definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about how Germany came into being a country and how German culture merged together。 I certainetly will be keeping an eye out for whatever Katja Hoyer writes next。
Rui
，
Era aquilo que eu queria。 Uma biografia sintética e com uma escrita escorreita sobre o período fundador da atual Alemanha， que curiosamente nasceu e morreu nos arredores de Paris。 Recomendo vivamente。
Matt
，
Having unsuccessfully trying to find an accessible volume on the German Empire for some time， this book by Katja Hoyer brilliantly outlines the origins of the Kaiserreich。 From its beginnings in the North German Confederation， patronage of Bismarck， the naivety of Wilhelm II and the disastrous slide into the Great War which would eventually see the death of the Kaiserreich and Prussian hegemony， Hoyer's 'Blood and Iron' is *the* single volume for a fascinating era of European history。 Having unsuccessfully trying to find an accessible volume on the German Empire for some time， this book by Katja Hoyer brilliantly outlines the origins of the Kaiserreich。 From its beginnings in the North German Confederation， patronage of Bismarck， the naivety of Wilhelm II and the disastrous slide into the Great War which would eventually see the death of the Kaiserreich and Prussian hegemony， Hoyer's 'Blood and Iron' is *the* single volume for a fascinating era of European history。 。。。more
Laff
，
The author explains clearly how the Second Reich came about and how Germany was allowed to drift into a position whereby war was unavoidable by 1914， but thereafter， there is very little about what was happening in Germany during the war and hardly anything about what the Kaiser actually did。
Neil Fox
，
Historian Katja Hoyer’s first book is a readable， lucid and comprehensive account of the Second Reich， the crucial formative period in modern German history which stretched from unification following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 up to the end of the First World War， but whose story began to unfold following the seismic shake-up in European power politics after the Napoleonic Wars。 The central character of the period is Bismarck。 Hoyer deftly paints a three dimensional portrait of the great Historian Katja Hoyer’s first book is a readable， lucid and comprehensive account of the Second Reich， the crucial formative period in modern German history which stretched from unification following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 up to the end of the First World War， but whose story began to unfold following the seismic shake-up in European power politics after the Napoleonic Wars。 The central character of the period is Bismarck。 Hoyer deftly paints a three dimensional portrait of the greatest statesman of his time， a canny， cunning practitioner of Realpolitik and silver-tongued schemer who craftily carved out a German National identity following unification from previous division and fragmentation。 The central theme of Hoyer is that German Unity was forged in the fires of blood and iron， which influenced and conferred a predestination on all that was to come up to the First World War。 Hoyer skips over details of the Wars of reunification of the 1860’s culminating in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War which saw the birth of the new German Empire， and moves on to a detailed description of the economic， political and social progress under Bismarck from 1871-1888 during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm I， as a sense of German National identity was carved out。 She then moves on to the period 1890-1914 during the reign of Wilhelm II when Bismarck was forced aside by the self-aggrandizing and pompous Wilhelm， a peculiar mix of swaggering overconfidence and obvious insecurity， easily flattered and manipulated with disastrous results。 During 1890-1914 Wilhelm fostered the rise of militarism allied with Nationalism which took the form of rapid armament and colonial adventurism。 Hoyer takes a balanced view as to the degree of blame for the First World War that deserves to be laid at the door of Wilhelm and Prussian militarism; she is obviously inspired by the nuanced works of Christopher Clark on this， who is referenced throughout， but does not shy away from apportioning responsibility where it clearly lies， and avoids any apologist tendency for Germany’s share of the blame for the calamity that brought a Nation of proud thinkers， inventors and scientists as well an an economic and military superpower to it’s ruin。 In that， she concludes with the theme that runs throughout， that the German Empire， whose birth was forged in blood and iron， was always destined to end in the same manner。 。。。more
Mark
，
Eminently readable and very economical。 Another plus is that it's not hampered by foreshadowing of what followed but is squarely concerned with the Kaiserreich era。 Eminently readable and very economical。 Another plus is that it's not hampered by foreshadowing of what followed but is squarely concerned with the Kaiserreich era。 。。。more
Adam Windsor
，