Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-speaking Peoples Since 1500

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I think the book could've been edited down a lot with the stats moved to the footnotes since they didn't necessarily clarify the main points the author was making.

The book delves deep into the intricate tapestry of history, politics, culture, and society, providing readers with a captivating and thought-provoking journey through centuries of German history. Military buffs ought to be aware that this work doesn't focus on battles, operational details, or military nuts and bolts.Iron and Blood is a timely book , arguing powerfully that 'German history should not be read backwards'.

Instead, Wilson gives reasons why modern English-written works especially comb over well-trodden ground with respect to the history of military Prussia, while giving scarce attention to the leviathan that was the Holy Roman Empire during the 1500s-1700s. Context is often crucial and it is quite possible that some broad stories have not been told linking military history in German to military history in the broader European context.The book deserves all the plaudits heaped upon it is important and fascinating, the centrality and importance it gives to the Holy Roman empire between 1400 and 1700 and also Hapsburg/Holy Roman Empire/Swiss relations will probably be a revelation to most Englsih language readers as will the continuities over the centuries and the role of the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian empire within the story. German people and culture are not inherently more militaristic than other European nations, even if the years 1865-1945 might suggest otherwise. Throughout the book, Wilson emphasizes the interplay of power and governance, highlighting the rise and fall of great empires and the emergence of a unified German nation-state. Violence had stamped the German state since unification in the late 19th century and Heuss’s own republic had emerged in 1949 from the ashes of two devastating world wars instigated by German governments. There was no long-term plan for how to wage war if the initial strike did not achieve immediate victory.