• Iron and Blood

  • A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples Since 1500
  • By: Peter H. Wilson
  • Narrated by: Rory Alexander
  • Length: 34 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (32 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Iron and Blood  By  cover art

Iron and Blood

By: Peter H. Wilson
Narrated by: Rory Alexander
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.99

Buy for $7.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

German military history is typically viewed as an inexorable march to the rise of Prussia and the two world wars, the road paved by militarism and the result a specifically German way of war. Peter Wilson challenges this narrative. Looking beyond Prussia to German-speaking Europe across the last five centuries, Wilson finds little unique or preordained in German militarism or warfighting.

Iron and Blood takes as its starting point the consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire, which created new mechanisms for raising troops but also for resolving disputes diplomatically. The primary aggressor in Central Europe was not Prussia but the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, yet Austria's strength owed much to its ability to secure allies. Prussia, meanwhile, invested in militarization but maintained a part-time army well into the nineteenth century. Alongside Switzerland, which relied on traditional militia, both states exemplify the longstanding civilian element within German military power.

Only after Prussia's unexpected victory over France in 1871 did Germans and outsiders come to believe in a German gift for warfare. It took two world wars to expose the fallacy of German military genius. Yet even today, Wilson argues, Germany's strategic position is misunderstood.

©2022 Peter H. Wilson (P)2023 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about Iron and Blood

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Learned a lot

Top shelf documentary. Enjoyed the narration and learned quite a bit. It’s nice to hear so much about the 17th and 18th centuries

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Attention to detail in the pre-20th century chapters

I am an avid reader of history and all it entails. I see the First World War as what came to define the 20th century and shaping the world as it is now. Getting the knowledge of how the German speaking world came to fight the world wars from their perspective, and how the previous four centuries shaped their experience leading to the July Crisis, was fascinating. My only regret is that the chapters and knowledge of what happened in the 20th century were more general and not so detailed as the chapters that came before. While I learned a lot from these chapters, the depth of the details was more shallow than the chapters prior.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Great narration. Great overall military history of the German speaking countries from 1500s onwards. In form it jumps around a bit in time periods which might bother some but I thought was ok. Reinforces the fact that we often look at German history with the hindsight of Nazism and the Holocaust and this causes us to draw false equivalence to German history prior to the events, which we should be mindful of. Learned a lot and bought the print copy to study further.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Superb narration

The narrative on the whole is well researched and written, but I must say the narrator is absolutely first class, and brings what is otherwise a well researched tome to brilliance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

incredibly detailed

a tremendous amount of material, but it doesn't come across as a pile of facts and stats. Admirably organized.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful