Product Description

Prussia began as a medieval backwater, but transformed itself into a major European power and the force behind the creation of the German Empire, until it was finally abolished by the Allies after the Second World War. With great flair and authority, Christopher Clark describes Prussia's great battles, dynastic marriage and astonishing reversals of fortune, its brilliant and charismatic leaders from Frederick the Great to Bismarck, and the military machine and progressive, enlightened values upon which it was built.

Iron Kingdom is a compelling account of a country that played a pivotal role in Europe's fortunes and fundamentally shaped our world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4395 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 816 pages

Daily Telegraph Books of the Year
`A terrific book ... the definitive history of this much-maligned state'

Antonia Fraser, Guardian Books of the Year
`Written with great clarity and vigour ... I was completely hooked'

Financial Times
A magisterial history of Europe's only extinct power, nuanced, dispassionate and utterly gripping'

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive and thorough
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
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...
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.