Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947

Christopher Clark's history of Prussia is, to say the least, comprehensive. It's also interesting, covering as it does the whole period from 1600 until the end of World War II. Occasionally, it gets a little dry, but most of the time it is a well written portrayal of not just the royal court, but also of peasants, burgers, aristos, merchants and the emerging of the working class.

Although the book charts the rise and eventual fall of the Hohenzollern dynasty, it does so within the framework of the geopolitics of a state that was peculiarly vulnerable to attack for most of its existence. It also traces the two influences that defined the Prussian state - militarism and a progressive and enlightened liberalism.

Fascinating, and fundamental to understanding the 20th Century history of Europe.

A good book - but not popular history (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is a well-researched book covering a fascinating period, but shouldn't be described as popular history. Many sections - indeed entire chapters - have little interest for the general reader. This is a shame, as the good parts are excellent. If you are tempted, be aware that you have 688 pages of compact type to negotiate!

Too much talk not enough action... (5/7 people found this helpful)

They say never trust a book by its cover and this book is a great case in point. The paperback oozes the military confidence and strangely warlike nature of Prussia. This promised to be a book that in equal measure dazzles you with military prowess and then the cultural achievements of Prussia all to end in the inferno of World War 2...but then you actually start reading it.

Everything here is well written, thoroughly researched and highly readable. I will give Christopher Clark 5 out of 5 for giving dry bureaucratic issues enough verve to get you to care. This book is one of those great titles that fills in the blanks around areas which most people know about- Frederick the Great WW1, WW2 (all be it discussed in a heart beat) etc are all present and correct but I had never even heard of Frederick William before and I am now suitably impressed by his abilities.

Where it falls down however is it is largely a cultural and sociological book. Nothing wrong with that per se but that isn't mentioned anywhere in the title and of course Prussia wasn't just renowned for its tax systems and pretty buildings. Even when the author gets to talking about the military it's more about the canton recruitment system than the actual fighting done by the army. It's almost like Christopher Clark finds the huge wars that engulfed Europe as dull but can't get enough of the importance of grain silo rebuilding which is (to be polite) a little odd.

If you are the sort of person who argues that social history is more important to the average man than battles, well I cannot argue with your logic, but I read history to not only learn but to be entertained too so to have the Franco-Prussian war distilled into 5 pages with only one of those on the battles I find disappointing particularly when you compare it to the endless information on the political repercussions of the 1848 uprisings.

Saying this misses the point is a little harsh but either there should be less detail on the structure of the bureaucracy to allow a little more on the Prussian military victories or perhaps it should have been a longer book giving the various conflicts as much depth as something as dull as the draining of the Oder estuary. The final option is just be honest and rename this "A social history of Prussia"- that way my negative comments are all irrelevant and I could have saved £7.99.

Going back to my title this could have done with less talk and more action.

More to Prussia than you thought! (4/5 people found this helpful)

Iron Kingdom is an extremely stimulating work. Thoughtful enquiry and taut analysis produce remarkable insight and conclusions. It is a work of causal relationships rather than events. The interactions of cultural, socio-economic, dynastic and constitutional tensions are clearly pointed within the shifting geographic patchwork of Brandenburg Prussia. The relative ebbs and flows of influences such as religion, enlightenment, militarism, political and national ideologies and the preferences of dominant personalities stand out, helping to explain why events took particular courses. So the emerging tragedy in post-1870 Imperial and Weimar Germany can be identified. The reader is given plenty to reflect on what might have been in Prussia.
All this has been achieved in a well written work. The language register is rigorous (at 70, I was occasionally driven to the dictionary) but there are quotable sentences and sources to savour. I feel revived by a refreshing example of historians' discipline.

The Rise and Downfall of a Great Book (5/5 people found this helpful)

I've given this work 4 stars with a few reservations.

On the plus side, it is a well-written, expertly researched masterpiece of modern history in a classic style (that is to say, it's honestly intellectual, scientifically rigorous and lacking in patronising gimmickery - hooray).

And the story of Prussia is very well told, in a weave that includes rulers, soldiers, politicians, philosophers, scientists, churchmen, and even the ordinary citizen, in buckets.

It is enormously informative as a result, and left me better educated, which should be the point, but...

Well, it's about those bizarre gaps that have irritated at least one other reviewer.

The first one occurs right at the start, when the author asks how it was that Prussia came to be at all, all things considered. It's a good question, and Mr Clark properly weighs some of the considerations. Then he forgets all about it, and starts his narrative proper with a fait accompli. Bizarre.

There is at least one other example of this in the text, before reaching the 20th Century and the rather odd non-mention of the Great War, although the author has by this time already skimmed over several important military events, like the Franco-Prussian War (believe it or not). It's rather as if the book is running out of steam.

Yet, I can understand that Mr Clark might be trying to concentrate exclusively on Prussian history - perhaps German Imperial history is not so important to him, although Bismark nevertheless IS, while William II is not. Nor is the Weimar Republic, nor Hitler, nor the Federal German Republic, other than in terms of a few reflections and musings.

SO you'll need to take this work as a very particular spotlamp, and have your hands on some other works to fill in the shadows (Massie's Dreadnought, for example).

Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947

Christopher Clark

Reader Reviews:

Comprehensive and thorough (0/0 people found this helpful)

A good book - but not popular history (1/1 people found this helpful)

Too much talk not enough action... (5/7 people found this helpful)

More to Prussia than you thought! (4/5 people found this helpful)

The Rise and Downfall of a Great Book (5/5 people found this helpful)

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