Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-speaking Peoples Since 1500

Product Information

The title, "Iron and Blood," aptly captures the essence of the German experience, encapsulating the indomitable spirit and tumultuous history that have shaped the German-speaking peoples.

He fails to note the Dunghan Revolt of Muslims (and others) in China or the southern Panthay Rebellion which both also had a huge butcher's list (p364). However if you’re looking to experience the history, the people and compile a working understanding of the interwoven strands then look elsewhere. Astonishingly ambitious and detailed…An absorbing overview of how slowly changing societal forces—such as fiscal systems, scientific and technological capabilities, ideological and cultural beliefs, and the social background of soldiers—have transformed the use of military force across modern times. Nor can I pretend that I have read all of this book - I have tried twice and have abandoned it not through any other reason than lack of time and also a failure to become as engaged with its subject as I had with his earlier books.

Both the empire and the Swiss Confederation were largely defensive in orientation, while German participation in foreign wars was most often in partnership with allies.

Its military experience has also been extraordinarily varied: threatened and threatening; a mere buffer-zone, and a global threat.The author of definitive books on the Holy Roman Empire and the Thirty Years War, Peter Wilson has with Iron and Blood written his masterpiece. Broken down into five sequential eras of military history, Wilson introduces the era, supplies extensive details embedded in a general telling of the history, and then closes the section by examining themes previously introduced along with analysis. Its long view of Germany’s military history, magisterial detail and acute analysis provide a new understanding of what was once Europe’s warring heart. From the Enlightenment and Romanticism to the cultural boom of the Weimar Republic, the author captures the vibrancy and complexity of German cultural contributions.

The author has clearly mastered the subject matter, but sometimes seems to have trouble organizing his thoughts. The received wisdom is that Germany, flanked by potential enemies and imbued with a Prussian “iron and blood” tradition of militarism, developed a uniquely aggressive culture that provoked not just the two world wars but most other major European conflicts since 1750. This is an ambitious book which was badly needed given that so much of our recent history has been dominated by both the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns and the consequences of their demise…Required reading for serious military historians. Wilson delves into literature, art, and philosophy, exploring how these expressions of German identity evolved over time.A very comprehensive tour of German military history from the Middle Ages to modern times (including GWOT). The country now seen as a bastion of peace spends heavily on defense in comparison to its peers and is deeply invested in less kinetic contemporary forms of coercive power. The detailed description of weaponry, tactics and strategy of warfare and the dissemination of knowledge among the German-speaking people but also Europe through time is in itself highly interesting and worthwhile reading if one wants to understand how we went from having hundreds of thousands dead in a conflict spanning multiple decades to millions dead within just couple of years. Only after Prussia’s unexpected victory over France in 1871 did Germans and outsiders come to believe in a German gift for warfare—a special capacity for high-speed, high-intensity combat that could overcome numerical disadvantage. Granted, air power is not a factor before the 20th century, but sometimes, the in-depth breakouts aren’t consistent.