The Fall of Eagles: The Death of the Great European Dynasties

by Cyrus Leo Sulzberger II

Remainder spray on the bottom edge of the book. The dust jacket is price clipped.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, Biography, Royalty, War, Historical

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Cyrus Leo Sulzberger II (October 27, 1912 – September 20, 1993) was a U.S. journalist, diarist, and author, and a member of the family that owns the New York Times. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was that newspaper's lead foreign correspondent.

Reviews

[George Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rather old book (published in 1977) chronicles the decline of the Habsburg (Austria - Hungary), Hohenzollern (Prussia - Germany), and Romanov (Russia) royal families from the 1848 European Revolutions until the end of World War I when all three Empires collapsed. The book does not go into any detail on the many wars fought in Central and Eastern Europe during the period or evolving social standards other than to chronicle their impacts on the three royal families.

The BBC produced a mini series based on this book in the late 1970s; I bought the book in after viewing the series, but never got around to reading it until last week.

All three empires failed due to their inability / unwillingness to understand and accommodate their subjects desire for republican government and basic human rights, combined with a series of emperors with large egos and/or limited intellectual capacities and grandiose imperial ambitions. At the beginning of World War I, Franz Joseph (Austria - Hungary) was a doddering old man, Wilhelm II was an egotistical, reality deprived hot head, and Nicholas II was a dull and weak leader dominated by his German wife controlled by the crazy monk Rasputin. The book does not cover World War I in any detail, primarily covering the strategic mistakes of the Central Powers emperors that caused them to lose the war, and Wilhelm's decision to send Lenin and his inner circle back to Russia, resulting in 1917 Bolshevik revolution. At the time the book was written, several of the final emperors' grandchildren were still living, and the author interviewed them and recorded their recollections of the emperors and the final days of their empires. My main criticism of the book is that the author does not provide any background on how the 1848 European revolutions and how they contributed to the decline of absolute monarchies in central and Easterner Europe.

Given current world events, I found the behavior and personality of Wilhelm II to remarkably similar to that of Valdimir Putin.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had seen the very good BBC miniseries dramatizing the events surrounding the last decades of the three great empires of Central and Eastern Europe and thought I should follow up by reading the accompanying book. Sulzberger identifies key failings of the people and policies of the German, Austrian and Russian Empires with precision but his overall thesis that each dynasty was blinded by centuries of mediocrity and incompetence to the coming storm of World War I is very cynical and very republican. It is indisputable that the Hohenzollerns, the Hapsburgs and the Romanovs did the exact opposite of what they needed to do if they were to successfully save their thrones under constitutional monarchies but to argue that this was simply the result of bad blood is folly. The fate of Germany, Austria and Russia after the war is certainly due to a failure of their respective emperors to adapt; however like so much scholarship on this era, Sulzberger applies liberal doses of hindsight to people who were simply responding to events the only way they knew how: a fault not confined to Wilhelm II, Franz Josef and Nicholas II. There is scant detail or historical scholarship to reinforce the claims made in the book and the personal actions of the royals profiled are rarely, if ever, placed in historical context.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a readable journalistic account of the end of several dynasties. Sulzberger demonstrates a complete lack of sympathy with the institution of monarchy, moreover, and shows no understanding of it. His emphases are primarily on human interest rather than on interpreting a difficult period--thus he spends two chapters on Rasputin and never mentions the Balkan Wars. His account of the rise of Lenin, blaming the German strategy of sending him to Russia in 1917, is portrayed as one of history's great crimes. While I found the book readable its' value pales when compared with other well-written works on this period and its personalities for the general reader (Crankshaw, Tuchman, Cowles). This collection of anecdotal portraits is what may be called history lite, but for the buff who wants total coverage the journey may be worth the time.

[Andrew Sterne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true old man book recommended to be by an old man. Good reminder of Teutonic despot history (German empire throwback). Sulzberger is definitely inserting some heavy editorial skew, but I guess it’s nice to spice it up

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly this is difficult to find now. The British TV production, starring Patrick Stewart as Lenin (among many other fine actors) is a much neglected series that should be reissued. Detailing the empires of Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary, the wheels are set in motion for the reckoning of the Great War, which destroys the old order. One of the more interesting characters in this book is Princess Vicky, daughter of Queen Victoria and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. With her more liberal husband Frederick, she sees her husband succumb to cancer months into his reign as Emperor, and sees her vainglorious son lead Germany down a destructive path. Well worth reading should you find this.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently, I was a teenage hate-reader. I devoured Fall of Eagles more than once, savoring its caustic view of the Romanovs, Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns as a pack of idiots. Later on, I recognized that the sour narrowness of the author's view made it all suspect. I've since gone on to much more balanced accounts. The BBC series is entertaining, though, and much more sympathetic.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are two types of people who should never write history books: those who despise their subject and those who are in love with their subject. This is the former.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that not only describes the background and conditions leading up to World War I, but takes great care to describe the reasons and personalities behind the War.
Describing the falls of three empires and royal houses, the author frequently makes the reader feel like he's a fly on the wall during the Austrian, German, and Russian leaders' meetings - both personal and military. The leaders' attitudes and beliefs are described enough that the reader, despite knowing the eventual outcome, finds himself slowly nodding at times, and thinking, "Ah - *that's* why that happened the way that it did - the emperor/czar didn't have much choice because of the way he was..."
A great study of the Great War, history buffs should find plenty to digest, and solid explanation for why it cost the leaders their empires, and for Nicholas, his life.
Especially interesting was an interview that the author had with Kaiser Wilhelm's grandson, who it turns out, seemed to foresee the European Union long before it ever became what it is now.

[Jim Ogden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A window into the lives and views of the three great European dynasties that died with WWI. Monarchy is so strange and this very different world is illustrated well in this. The author interviewed as many relatives as he could for accounts about the last survivors (this was written in the 70s).

I finished it, but it seems a bit too focused on the personal and character of both leaders and nation's and bloodlines. Perhaps that was more common in histories back then (and especially royalty focused ones) but it seems crazy and off. As a history it seems a bit too informal and doesn't adequately provide context in some areas. But maybe it is my own fault for reading it half a century later!

[AR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of out of date, but has several interesting insights regardless. I liked the short interviews that the author managed to have with the existing heirs to all three dynasties in the end. They were the most revealing parts of the book, by far.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick overview of the ends of the Romanov, Hapsburg and Hohenzollern dynasties as a result of World War I. The last chapter, which interviews descendants of the last emperors is especially interesting.