The Shortest History of Germany Quotes

“It’s a seminal moment in the history of Germany and Europe. Stopping at the Elbe is not a normal military-political decision; it’s one dictated by higher powers. Crossing the Rhine is fine; but the Elbe marks the end of reasonable ambition.”
― James Hawes, The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History): From Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel―A Retelling for Our Times

“Anyone who thinks of the Germans as a naturally bellicose people should recall that Prussia-Germany was the only one of the continental powers in the run-up to 1914 whose elite seriously feared that if they had their war, their people might refuse to fight it.”
― James Hawes, The Shortest History of Germany