David Wetzel – författare

These essays by nine distinguished historians deal with prominent personalities in German history over the last two centuries; and they are dominated by two themes. First, they trace the growth and flowering of German culture in areas like print and architecture and painting and how this transformed relationships and procedures in everyday life. Second, they follow the rise of a political consciousness on the part of the Germans, and the consequences this consciousness had for nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. In throwing light on the art of Schinkel and Liebermann, on the undertakings of Lichtwark, on the policies of Bismarck, and on the ordeals of Rathenau and Hitler and Beck and Faulhaber and Brandt, these nine essays offer a salutary guidepost to a past that is as rich as it is terrifying.

Questions of international politics, as they relate to German history, are explored in this authoritative and controversial volume. Of the seven essays that constitute the book, four—those by Schroeder, Lauren, Rupieper, and Abenheim—center on diplomatic history and international politics, while the other three—by Barclay, Chickering, and Post—illuminate related political and cultural transformations. The Afterword by the two editors, Wetzel and Hamerow, deals with the works and philosophy of Gordon Craig, the preeminent historian of Germany to whom the book is dedicated. Craig's achievement has been to bring knowledge and interpretation into narrative history and to show that history is a self-sufficient and self-contained discipline, important for its own sake. These essays are bold and provocative; they can rightly claim originality, new insights, hitherto unrecognized aspects, new techniques of analysis for the subjects they cover; and for these reasons, as much as for any other, they deserve the attention of all those who care about German or international history.

Combining impeccable scholarship and literary elegance, David Wetzel depicts the drama of machinations and passions that exploded in a war that forever changed the face of European history.The clash of two extraordinary personalities—Otto von Bismarck and Napoleon III—drives this engrossing account of the events leading up to the Franco-Prussian War, one of the most momentous and decisive conflicts in the history of Europe.An accomplished and eloquent historian, David Wetzel tells how this utterly avoidable war unfolded in the brief, eventful days of July 1870, ushering in an era of power politics that would reach its apocalyptic climax in World War I. Hotheaded militarists, high-minded statesmen, scheming opportunists, impassioned nationalists, and sensationalist newspapers all played their part as the European powers of the era—France, Germany, England, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Russia—jockeyed for advantage. Amidst this swirl of national and personal ambitions Wetzel brings Bismarck, Napoleon III, and their intimate circles to life, depicting for present-day readers the tremendous strains working upon them, their preoccupations, motives, judgments, and their ultimate decisions.Indispensable reading for every student of the nineteenth century, A Duel of Giants offers a wealth of telling detail drawn from personal memoirs, official records, cabinet minutes, journalistic accounts, private notes, and public statements, presented in dramatic and enjoyable style.

A History of Germany, 1800 to the Present is a commanding survey of modern German history that guides you from the turn of the 19th century right the way through to Germany’s continuing world-power status today. Covering the revolutions of 1848-49, Bismarck, the World Wars, the Cold War and the progress of a reunified Germany, the 5th edition of this classic textbook provides an authoritative exploration of the country across the whole period like no other.This edition includes:* A new first chapter covering 1800-1815* A greatly expanded chapter on the re-unification in 1989-90* An absorbing final chapter on the political, economic, and social developments in the ‘new’ Federal Republic from 1990 to the present, including a comprehensive analysis of the financial crisis of 2008-2010* Additional content throughout on: the political activism and engagement of women from 1848-49 to the present; the significance of German colonialism from 1884 to 1919; the origins of WWI; the Third Reich; and the GDR* Biographical textbox vignettes of key actors* For the first time, 40 images and 9 mapsRich with insights into the key historiographical debates, this book offers a thorough introduction to Germany's complex modern history.

A History of Germany, 1800 to the Present is a commanding survey of modern German history that guides you from the turn of the 19th century right the way through to Germany’s continuing world-power status today. Covering the revolutions of 1848-49, Bismarck, the World Wars, the Cold War and the progress of a reunified Germany, the 5th edition of this classic textbook provides an authoritative exploration of the country across the whole period like no other.This edition includes:* A new first chapter covering 1800-1815* A greatly expanded chapter on the re-unification in 1989-90* An absorbing final chapter on the political, economic, and social developments in the ‘new’ Federal Republic from 1990 to the present, including a comprehensive analysis of the financial crisis of 2008-2010* Additional content throughout on: the political activism and engagement of women from 1848-49 to the present; the significance of German colonialism from 1884 to 1919; the origins of WWI; the Third Reich; and the GDR* Biographical textbox vignettes of key actors* For the first time, 40 images and 9 mapsRich with insights into the key historiographical debates, this book offers a thorough introduction to Germany's complex modern history.

Raising new questions and offering provocative new interpretations, Schroeder encourages historians and political scientists alike to reconsider their long-standing beliefs about the evolution and dynamics of modern diplomacy.