Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-speaking Peoples Since 1500

Product Information

It’s 5 stars if you want extreme detail of everything from belt buckles to leader whims in a generalized broad summary of the time and region covered. Prussia, meanwhile, invested in militarization but maintained a part-time army well into the nineteenth century. Iron and Blood is a startlingly ambitious and absorbing book, encompassing five centuries of political, military, technological and economic change to tell the story of the German-speaking lands, from the Rhine to the Balkan frontier, from Switzerland to the North Sea.

Wilson masterfully navigates through the complex web of the Holy Roman Empire and the Thirty Years' War, shedding light on the divergent paths taken by the various German-speaking states. Yet it also goes deeper, explaining how professional armies, technology and tactics developed, and how experiences of war and soldiering over a period of five hundred years profoundly shaped German society.

The scholarship of this book is breathtaking [and] Wilson relates it with a command of his subject that is unparalleled. Broken down into five sequential eras of military history, Wilson introduces the era, supplies extensive details embedded in a general telling of the history, and then closes the section by examining themes previously introduced along with analysis. That's not to say that there is no coverage of important aspects of military history--we get an excellent section on the design of warships, for example--but while battles are referred to, they are not detailed as in purely military histories. It encompasses five centuries of political, military, technological and economic change to tell the story of the German-speaking lands, from the Rhine to the Balkan frontier, from Switzerland to the North Sea. Professor Wilson's work suggests very convincingly that this leads to a kind of myopic focus on Prussia to the detriment of the much bigger historical forces in play.

Context is often crucial and it is quite possible that some broad stories have not been told linking military history in German to military history in the broader European context.Wilson goes through painstaking detail to describe the ever-changing political landscape of Europe leading up to World War I and II…A fascinating study. However if you’re looking to experience the history, the people and compile a working understanding of the interwoven strands then look elsewhere. The received wisdom is that Germany, flanked by potential enemies and imbued with a Prussian “iron and blood” tradition of militarism, developed a uniquely aggressive culture that provoked not just the two world wars but most other major European conflicts since 1750. He provides a nuanced and balanced perspective, avoiding simplistic explanations while shedding light on the profound consequences of these events on the German psyche and global politics. Looking beyond Prussia to German-speaking Europe across the last five centuries, Wilson finds little unique or preordained in German militarism or warfighting.

The book delves deep into the intricate tapestry of history, politics, culture, and society, providing readers with a captivating and thought-provoking journey through centuries of German history. Both the empire and the Swiss Confederation were largely defensive in orientation, while German participation in foreign wars was most often in partnership with allies. Wilson belongs to a new generation of historians for whom military history is far more than a chronicle of commanders, campaigns, and decisive battles. Iron and Blood is a timely book , arguing powerfully that 'German history should not be read backwards'.Of course this reading of history was bollocks and this, as well as Peter Wilson's other books on the Holy Roman Empire and Thirty Years War, are a reminder that history should never be written 'after the fact'.

Germany, their argument goes, was naturally predisposed to bellicosity thanks to its place at the heart of Europe. Keep in mind that most books examining the evolution of German military thought and practice virtually ignore Switzerland and give equally short shrift to the Holy Roman Empire. Iron and Blood describes the martial actions behind the major political upheavals in this territory. While many conflicts and specific battles are referenced in passing here, the author's themes are far grander in design.Recovering the complexity of German military history gives us a fresh perspective—one that is especially welcome at the current moment, when Germany is debating what its role should be as cannons fire and bombs drop yet again in Europe. There was no long-term plan for how to wage war if the initial strike did not achieve immediate victory.