The Shortest History of Germany

From Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel: A Retelling for Our Times

By: James Hawes

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

2,000 years of history in one riveting afternoon

A country both admired and feared, Germany has been the epicenter of world events time and again: the Reformation, both World Wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall. It did not emerge as a modern nation until 1871 - yet today, Germany is the world's fourth-largest economy and a standard-bearer of liberal democracy.

"There's no point studying the past unless it sheds some light on the present", writes James Hawes in this brilliantly concise history that has already captivated hundreds of thousands of readers and listeners. "It is time, now more than ever, for us all to understand the real history of Germany."

©2019 James Hawes (P)2019 Tantor

Critic reviews

“An excellent little book . . . [Hawes] has a sense of humour, and a sharp eye for similarities between then and now.” (The Spectator)

Lively and insightful

This is the long view of German history, tracing continuities from Roman times to 2019. Note: as of 1/25, Audible’s chapter listing is comically wrong. The 2019 postscript is closer to 3 minutes than the indicated 3 hours.

Best Perspective on German History

This book puts forth historical comparisons of east vs west German with American north vs south that I have never previously considered. An excellent book.

interesting

interesting view on Germany sub regional politics. a nice short overview of German history

The narrator can’t pronounce German

I am happy with the content of the book, but unfortunately the narrator can’t pronounce German names and words, which makes listening painful to me.

I learned a great deal.

My German history was lacking. I now have a context for German & European news.