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

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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.

Prussian could have been wiped from the face of the earth in the 1750s and the fact that it wasn't is only partly down to a flash of Frederick the Great's genius (a recklessness that got him into trouble in the first place). A very comprehensive tour of German military history from the Middle Ages to modern times (including GWOT).

strengths and weaknesses are inseparable from its very bulk and like his history of the Holy Roman Empire it is thematic rather than narrative. 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.

Iron and Blood describes the martial actions behind the major political upheavals in this territory. Why I finished it: This book was a chonker, and Wilson did an excellent job of keeping the pace, interest and details clear and consistent throughout the entire book. The concluding chapter didn't really bring the tome's major themes together and seemed an abrupt ending.From the Enlightenment and Romanticism to the cultural boom of the Weimar Republic, the author captures the vibrancy and complexity of German cultural contributions.