Bismarck.

Bismarck. By Edgar Feuchtwanger. Published by Routledge. London. UK. 2002. ISBN 0415216141. New 7.7 x 5.1 inches softcover. 312 Pages. Illustrated. Notes. Further reading. Edgar Feuchtwanger studied history at Cambridge and taugh British and German history at the University of Southampton and has been visiting professor at the University of Frankfurt. His major publications include From Weimar to Hitler (1995) Disraeli (2000), Imperial Germany 1850-1918. Edgar Feuchtwanger has written a synthesis of the recent British scholarship on Otto Bismarck and his place in the story of the foundation of the German empire. The author has a gift for clarifying nineteenth-century German and Prussian politics, a necessity for any biography of Bismarck. That analytical clarity should be welcome to professional historians and intelligent general readers alike. Do not be deceived by the brevity of this work; it is a respected contribution to the historiography on Bismarck and Imperial Germany. This is not "great man" hagiography but rather a sophisticated political biography. The unpleasant and petty aspects of Bismarck's personality are not ignored here. A particular strength of this work is the analytical skill Feuchtwanger brings to the vexing question of Bismarck's relationship to popular nationalism. He asks the right questions. What did national liberals gain from the Bismarckian settlement? Why did legitimist conservatives (and their modern defenders like Henry Kissinger) find him to be such a disturbing and treacherous figure? Why did his version of a unified German state endure so long? A final strength of this book lies in the way Feuchtwanger connects Bismarck's foreign policies with Prussian domestic politics. This is a book containing many bold and challenging points of interpretation. ---- [inv.laf.EC[ ---- No International Sales. ----- $2.99 Shipping within USA