Bismarck and Germany 1862-1890

Seminar Studies in History

by David G. Williamson

This study provides students with a concise, up-to-date and analytical account of Bismarck's role in modern German history. Williamson guides readers through the complex events leading to the defeats of Austria and France in 1866 and 1870 and the subsequent creation of a united Germany in January 1871. He then explores the domestic and foreign problems Bismarck faced up to 1890 in consolidating unification.

Genres: History, Germany, European History, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

About the author

David G. Williamson is the former head of history and politics at Highgate School.

Reviews

[Matt Roe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear, concise, scholarly look at late 19th-century German/Prussian politics. It’s decent. But if you’re interested in Bismarck himself, then it won’t whet your appetite.

[Alexander Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid little book on Otto von Bismarck and the role he played in the creation of the 2nd Reich.

In terms of content, the book is -- as it is advertised throughout -- something between a full historical text and a scholarly article. The actual written text was something in the ballpark of 70 pages, focusing mostly on the period between 1862 and 1890. There is very little focus given to Bismarck's life prior to the Chancellorship and very little focus given to his life after retirement. Research informs me that stuff like this was expanded in later versions (the one I had was the 1st edition).

That said, the text is a solid starting point for anyone curious about someone whose legacy has experienced a variety of ups and downs over the last century. Naturally with many of these debates, it's likely that the real legacy of Bismarck is halfway between 'he was just a good politician and the father of modern Germany' and 'he was a monster who helped set up Germany to help start two world wars'.

What I liked about the text was there's a lot of referencing to texts and diagrams located in the back. A lot of these figures and snippets of primary sources are referenced various times, which I imagine is why they're all packed into the back of the text, rather than included throughout. Nevertheless, this book succeeds in its role as a starting point for further research, and it allows the reader to whet their palette enough to determine whether they want to go and read a dedicated biography or not.

[Nael_5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information, a good political analysis of Germany.

[Fred Ayres · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth history of Germany leading up to Bismarck and the wide-reaching effects of his regime.

[Eloise Anagnost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this was actually really well written and there were photos yay

[Peter Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not flashy, just a concise summary of Bismarck's political role in the unification of Germany, which is exactly what I was looking for.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a typical history book. It explains the history of germany from 1862-1890 very well. I do however find it a little hard to follow because i am not an expert on the time or an expert on the vocabulary the author uses. I can fallow the millitary and political aspects pretty well but when it starts to talk about the economic aspects of Germany i get lost. I have learned a lot from the book though. It does talk about Bismarck but i wish it would talk about him more and his political savvy. I would tell people who are interested in Bismarck should read it but only if they have prior information on the subject.

[Ari Malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative, but horribly dull.