Iron Kingdom

The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947

By: Christopher Clark

Narrated by: Shaun Grindell

Length: 28 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

In the aftermath of World War II, Prussia - a centuries-old state pivotal to Europe's development - ceased to exist. In their eagerness to erase all traces of the Third Reich from the earth, the Allies believed that Prussia, the very embodiment of German militarism, had to be abolished. But as Christopher Clark reveals in this pioneering history, Prussia's legacy is far more complex.

What we find is a kingdom that existed nearly half a millennium ago as a patchwork of territorial fragments, with neither significant resources nor a coherent culture. With its capital in Berlin, Prussia grew from being a small, poor, disregarded medieval state into one of the most vigorous and powerful nations in Europe. Iron Kingdom traces Prussia's involvement in the continent's foundational religious and political conflagrations: from the devastations of the Thirty Years' War through centuries of political machinations to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, from the enlightenment of Frederick the Great to the destructive conquests of Napoleon, and from the "iron and blood" policies of Bismarck to the creation of the German Empire in 1871 and all that implied for the tumultuous 20th century.

©2006 Christopher Clark (P)2017 Tantor

A good book poorly read

Much good information, but the reader had a terrible time with German words and many English ones. "Cologne (Koln)" and "cadre" were particularly poorly pronounced.

Best history book

I know the size of this book can be intimidating, but it is worth the time commitment if you love European history. Clark gives lush detail while avoiding bias or getting bogged down in pointless minutiae.The narrator is also pleasant to listen to. Put simply Iron Kingdom is best history book I've read this year and I read a lot of them.

Uneven Pace

I originally was looking for a history of the Franco-Prussian War and when I found this, I assumed I would get that and a lot more. I was wrong. While this book does cover the full history of Prussia, The time spent on certain stages of that history varies wildly. Nearly a half of the book covers Frederick the Elector and his grandson Frederick the Great. However World War One is only given five minutes! The Franco Prussian War, the original reason for my purchase happens almost as a passing afterthought. The pace slows down toward the end and there is a good amount of time spent on the Weimar Republic but then it speeds up again as soon as World War II breaks out and it ends. Ultimately, After 26 hours of listening, I still don’t know anything more about the Franco Prussian War.

good listen but slightly biased

Good overview of the history of Prussia. like most books on one historical subject, seemingly slightly biased in favor of is subject

Interesting enough

This book would be better if it focused on the colorful stories that make up parts of Prussian history, or if it took a more conceptual view of its subject. As it is, Iron Kingdom occupies a dry middle ground where it is sometimes a dull catalogue of relations between various interest groups in Prussia, and sometimes a riveting account of fascinating figures and events. It's interesting enough. The narrator is fine.

Fantastic work; beware the mispronunciations

This history of Prussia is perfect for the serious but non-expert student. I can’t say enough about how delightfully nuanced and yet lively Clark’s writing is. Grindell, however, should never have been asked to read a scholarly work, let alone one about German history. Not knowing how to pronounce “etiolated” is one thing. Mispronouncing “cadre” and “hegemony” over and over is another. And that’s before you get to the German. Steel yourself against the many, many times Grindell has to murder “Hohenzollern” and buy the book anyway. You won’t be sorry.

A long and difficult book

This is a long and complicated book that would be difficult for anyone to read. Grindell’s reading is adequate but certainly not spectacular. He efforts to pronounce German words were sometimes humorous and sometimes incomprehensible. One would need to have some knowledge of Prussian history to grasp the people and concepts he was trying to convey. Still, the scholarship of Christopher Clark makes the book well worth listening to.

A sociological analysis

Rather than a linear history, the book analyzes Prussia's governance and society. Still interesting for that, though

Heady

I started off determined to keep listening without needing to comprehend everything, avoiding the rewind button even if I had zoned out for a while. Eventually I got comfortable with the academic language, the book became enjoyable to listen to on commutes, and I learned a lot. I also *missed* a lot... but that's why I'll probably re-listen to it some day in the distant future, after I've recovered from the marathon of intellectual exercise.

A Scholarly Book

This is a sense history, hindered in places with inaccessible, scholarly jargon and a cadence that must have proved difficult for the narrator, as they struggled in many places with placing pauses and emphasis. the information is in depth and thorough. I had some trouble following in places the chronology of events due to a style that seemed to alternate between simple chronology and organization by subject or topic.