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A History of Modern Germany since 1815
Germany has fascinated its own people as well as onlookers in the twentieth century because, unlike the history of other European states, its very being has been posed as a question. Why was there no unified German state until late in the nineteenth century? How did Germany become an industrial power? What responsibility does Germany bear for the two world wars? This accessible but authoritative study attempts to answer these and other fundamental questions by looking at the economic, social, political and cultural forces that have created modern Germany.
The 1848 revolutions ushered in an age of Realism that saw rapid economic development and the creation of the Bismarckian empire. However, by the early twentieth century Germany's economic expansion and position as a world power began to fracture and growing internal, economic, social, and political contradictions led it, with disastrous results, into the First World War and the subsequent Weimar Republic. Hitler and the Nazi movement proposed a "revolution" and the creation of a "German style" and the Second World War/Holocaust is, arguably, the defining event of the twentieth century. The Americanization of the German economy and society, the "economic miracle" and euphoria of reunification have in recent years rapidly given way to disillusionment as the major political parties have failed to master outstanding social and environmental problems. The "German question"—Germany's place within the European Union—continues to be unanswered even within an EU where it is the dominant economic power.
The 1848 revolutions ushered in an age of Realism that saw rapid economic development and the creation of the Bismarckian empire. However, by the early twentieth century Germany's economic expansion and position as a world power began to fracture and growing internal, economic, social, and political contradictions led it, with disastrous results, into the First World War and the subsequent Weimar Republic. Hitler and the Nazi movement proposed a "revolution" and the creation of a "German style" and the Second World War/Holocaust is, arguably, the defining event of the twentieth century. The Americanization of the German economy and society, the "economic miracle" and euphoria of reunification have in recent years rapidly given way to disillusionment as the major political parties have failed to master outstanding social and environmental problems. The "German question"—Germany's place within the European Union—continues to be unanswered even within an EU where it is the dominant economic power.
- GenresHistory
751 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 28, 2013
Wonderful book, overall. I've detailed many thoughts in the status updates, but I'll add a few here as some ending thoughts.
In the last few chapters, I'd say the last three or four, when Tipton delved into economic topics, lost me. This was not necessarily because economics and stats are not my strong suit, but because I believe statistics are supposed to tell a story, and it is the job of the author/presenter to create a story for these figures. Tipton did not. His charts communicate little to a visual person like myself, and it should not be a part of reading the book to stop and analyze these data. He did try in places to make a better story out of those numbers, but it sometimes fell short.
My other big criticism of the book is an unintended consequence of Tipton's structure. Chronology, in many places, is nearly impossible to follow. Tipton organizes chapters by "generations," which he defines not as biological, but as ages of shared experience. I, for one, love this conception of generations. It could help a little to add some time frames to these titles and generations. It is in the subsections, however, where chronology really gets difficult. These headers are also themed to the generation, grouped almost every time in political, economic, social, and cultural contexts. I also like this structure, but Tipton often bounces back and forth in time, and I found myself often lost, wondering what year I was "in." Some rereading did help.
Finally, the beginning trope of the book, to identify a work of art that typified and explained each of Tipton's generations was original, illustrative, and enjoyable, as a tour through German art. There were times I fell off of this bandwagon, thinking that the particular choice did not fit, or I didn't understand the connection very well, but, I suppose, that is my problem.
Again, a great book. Original, informative, inviting to the moderately knowledgeable reader, certainly not a text for Everyman, however. But a great scholar's book for scholars.
The frequent references of historians and their work, including thorough summaries of their theses, was a treasure, both in understanding the historiographical debates at hand, but also in discovering personally unknown works and historians, many of whom will be valuable sources to my own study and work.
In the last few chapters, I'd say the last three or four, when Tipton delved into economic topics, lost me. This was not necessarily because economics and stats are not my strong suit, but because I believe statistics are supposed to tell a story, and it is the job of the author/presenter to create a story for these figures. Tipton did not. His charts communicate little to a visual person like myself, and it should not be a part of reading the book to stop and analyze these data. He did try in places to make a better story out of those numbers, but it sometimes fell short.
My other big criticism of the book is an unintended consequence of Tipton's structure. Chronology, in many places, is nearly impossible to follow. Tipton organizes chapters by "generations," which he defines not as biological, but as ages of shared experience. I, for one, love this conception of generations. It could help a little to add some time frames to these titles and generations. It is in the subsections, however, where chronology really gets difficult. These headers are also themed to the generation, grouped almost every time in political, economic, social, and cultural contexts. I also like this structure, but Tipton often bounces back and forth in time, and I found myself often lost, wondering what year I was "in." Some rereading did help.
Finally, the beginning trope of the book, to identify a work of art that typified and explained each of Tipton's generations was original, illustrative, and enjoyable, as a tour through German art. There were times I fell off of this bandwagon, thinking that the particular choice did not fit, or I didn't understand the connection very well, but, I suppose, that is my problem.
Again, a great book. Original, informative, inviting to the moderately knowledgeable reader, certainly not a text for Everyman, however. But a great scholar's book for scholars.
The frequent references of historians and their work, including thorough summaries of their theses, was a treasure, both in understanding the historiographical debates at hand, but also in discovering personally unknown works and historians, many of whom will be valuable sources to my own study and work.
February 7, 2019
Tipton is an economic historian, and his history of Germany demonstrates his skill in using economic history to tell the story of Germany. While on the surface, this seems to be the formula for a dull narrative, the economic data is supplemented by political and cultural data to enliven the narrative. Describing the other material as data is deliberate, as the author analyzes those facts the same way he analyzes the economic facts. This grants his history a greater perception of objectivity, which becomes especially important in dealing with the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust. This is not an ideal history for those who are looking for either a detailed history of the nearly two centuries covered by the book, or for those who are seeking an elementary examination of German's history. However, for those who are looking for a high level overview of the period with a broad examination of the variety of factors that influenced the outcome of events, this is a great resource.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews