Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
Modern War Studies
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Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
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Narrated by:
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Nigel Patterson
About this listen
An in-depth, finely detailed portrait of the German Army from its greatest victory in 1871 to its final collapse in 1918, this volume offers the most comprehensive account ever given of one of the critical pillars of the German Empire - and a chief architect of the military and political realities of late 19th-century Europe.
Written by two of the world's leading authorities on the subject, Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918 examines the most essential components of the imperial German military system, with an emphasis on such foundational areas as theory, doctrine, institutional structures, training, and the officer corps. In the period between 1871 and 1918, rapid technological development demanded considerable adaptation and change in military doctrine and planning. Consequently, the authors focus on theory and practice leading up to World War I and upon the variety of adaptations that became necessary as the war progressed - with unique insights into military theorists from Clausewitz to Moltke the Elder, Moltke the Younger, Schlichting, and Schlieffen.
Ranging over the entire history of the German Empire, Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918 presents a picture of unprecedented scope and depth of one of the most widely studied, criticized, and imitated organizations in the modern world.
©2018 The University Press of Kansas (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JWW
- 22-06-20
A brilliant engrossing history, very well read
This history of the German army in the run up to WW1 cannot be bettered.
The finest army ever seen at the start of the war, encompassing all the traditional German virtues of thoroughness, technical competence, obedience and will, it lay in ruins four years later, only to repeat the whole process in WW2.
And what a pointless waste, because if the country had remained at peace Germany could have achieved an economic success greater than anything it might have won from war.
At the heart of it all, lies the notion that post Bismarck Germany understood things but not people, and tactics but not strategy.
Has this changed? Let’s hope that the Eurozone does not play out as a similar tragedy. Life is an art and not a calculation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Derrick
- 04-04-25
Brilliant study of the Prussian/German Army
Like other reviewers, I admire this book very much. The depth of scholarship is worn lightly, but underpins an authoritative book that I learned a lot from. I find it constantly surprising that although I have been reading military history for 50 years, a book can come along that fundamentally impacts my understanding of a subject I have read about for that long. This is a case in point.
The key is that the authors almost exclusively mine German language sources; both primary and secondary. As a result, I have learned more about the German perspective on this period and subject than I think I ever have. There are three important areas that I really value.
The first is a thorough understanding of how Prussian military thought progressed from Clausewitz and Scharnhorst (well before the stated period of this book) through to 1918; a very different story than one might expect and certainly very different to the British experience over the same period. Within this, the concept of aufstragtaktik sits within a long tradition of both tactical and operational thought. Along the way, the idea of Germany expecting a short war in 1914 is vigorously rejected. The Germans expected a long war that they believed they would lose, so sought a short decisive war, but whilst the Kaiser boasted of a quick victory, his General Staff were far less sanguine.
Second is the myth of the Schlieffen Plan; described as a minor thought-piece that is taken way out of context in English-speaking sources. This alone is worth listening to this book.
Third is a really interesting and insightful narrative of the development of the stormtroop tactics of 1918; describing their development from as far back as 1915, drawing upon the tradition of autonomous action by front command but refining it to a modern context. Also described are the steps taken to disseminate these tactics throughout the Western armies, particularly after the arrival of the Eastern Front divisions late in 1917 and early 1918.
Well written and well read, this is superb military history.
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