The Long Nineteenth Century

The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany 1780-1918 by David Blackbourn, 497 pages

This book covers the history of Germany during the period from the outbreak of the French Revolution to the end of the First World War.  From "Germany" the author deliberately excludes Austria after the Austro-Prussian War, a decision which is entirely defensible, but still disappointing.  The book does presume a certain minimal knowledge on the part of the reader (that 1848 was a year of revolutions throughout Europe, for example).  Blackbourn is far less interested in politics than in economics, which, while entirely justified by the importance of urbanization and industrialization in this era, does make for some dull reading.

 

Much of the book consists of qualifications - the bourgeoisie may have taken on certain habits of the old aristocracy, but this was more often an assertion of their pride as bourgeois than an attempt to escape their class, likewise even as the socialists struggled to overturn the existing order they still saw themselves as patriotic Germans, and the artistic glories of German romanticism were balanced by widespread crass materialism and the celebration of wealth and power.  This adds considerable nuance to an era that is often oversimplified by terms like "Industrial Revolution", "Prussianism", and "Blood and Iron".  In turn, these poorly understood contradictory aspects would continue to shape German history through the Great War and beyond.

Excellent history, and well worth reading, even if a little dull at times.