• 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
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (21 ratings)

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Iron and Blood  By  cover art

Iron and Blood

By: Peter H. Wilson
Narrated by: Rory Alexander
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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

What listeners say about Iron and Blood

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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.

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4 people found this helpful

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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

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3 people found this helpful

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incredibly detailed

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

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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

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2 people found this helpful