Delbrück's Modern Military History

by Hans Delbrück, Arden Bucholz (Editor)

The period 1866–1920 saw the rise and ruin of imperial Germany, and Hans Delbrück (1848–1929) reported on the events of those years from a uniquely privileged position. A professor of history at the University of Berlin, editor of the Prussian Annals —the most famous journal of political commentary of his day—and a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, he also moved among political, cultural, and military elites. Delbrück pioneered the techniques of modern military history, studying tactics and technology as well as the social, political, and economic context of military operations. His four-volume History of the Art of War is a classic of German and military history.

 

This volume reveals the tension between Delbrück’s patriotism and his scholarship, which helped him to recognize German military failings. The twenty-four readings, comprising letters written to his mother while he served in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and essays, reviews, commentaries, and speeches on military figures, historians, and events through World War I, show his talents as a historian and political commentator. Arden Bucholz’s introduction and headnotes illuminate the context of Delbrück’s life and work.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, World War I, War, Military Fiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

German historian who looked at military history in the context of world history.

Sat in the Reichstag, was Professor of History at the University of Berlin and was a member of the German delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference after the First World War.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been improved by a little more editorial presence, for example a more thorough explanation of why these selections were chosen. Bucholz's couple of footnotes also let Delbrück off a little easy for his last act, a pre-death rant contesting German war guilt.