History of Prussia: A Captivating Guide to the Kingdom of Prussia and Its Role in the Napoleonic Wars, Franco-Prussian War, and Unification of Germany in 1871 (Exploring Germany’s Past) Paperback – July 24, 2021

This book tells of the rise of the Hohenzollern family to become the kings of Prussia and the leaders of the German world. Through the ups and downs they revolutionized Prussian military and made many reforms which raised the economic level of the citizens throughout their kingdom.The Hohenzollerns started with a small estate in Switzerland then gained land with seaport access which made them more powerful. Later they received Brandenburg and with it the title of elector in the Holy Roman Empire. Next they acquired West Prussia.As they became more powerful their foreign affairs took some down turns as their neighbors tried to check their expansion. When they were beaten they made reforms to the military which allowed them to win battles against their neighbors and they expanded territory and gained needed resources.Some of the succeeding rulers let the military stagnate and fall behind and again they were humiliated by major defeats, even losing territory. Some reforms of the military were made but the path to recovery was difficult. Through diplomacy and war Prussia expanded into Poland and into the Austrian Empire gaining territory with more citizens and resources with which to expand their growing industries. They formed a trading Confederation of German states which grew into a political Confederation. The southern German were still aligned with Austria so they were separate but Prussia with the northern German states became a major power in Europe.When Bismarck became prime Minister he modernized the military and trained them in modern warfare and gave them modern weapons. He used trains to transport the troops. He engineered reasons for war against neighboring countries and gained desired territory. He opened trade relations with the northern German states to make them receptive to political relations. When all was in place he provoked France into declaring war which unified all the German states under the Prussian king and he became the first emperor of the Prussian Empire.The Prussian Empire lasted until 1918 when they were defeated in World War I, a war they were complicit in starting.To learn the details of the saga of the Hohehzollern dynasty and the Prussian Empire this is a good book. I recommend it as former history teacher.

This is a short synopsis of the modern Germany, principal player being Prussia. A must read if one wants to discuss the relative short history of Germany.

Captivating History presents Prussia in this publication that chronicles an underdog rising to greatness. This nation, founded out of the Hohenzollern dynasty, follows as the publication claims, the classic tale of a small guy who makes it in the world but in this case, a small country in a mishmash of medieval German states to a nation-building European power in the late 19th century.This brief history adds to the tapestry of the history of Europe by recording the militarism, expansionism, and nationalism of Prussia. Matt Clayton presents an objective reading of Prussia by simply retelling its story. He recognizes that Prussia made a substantial mark on Europe and the evolution of modern Germany.The publication reaches back to the 11th century to provide a framework where the Prussian state started as a distinct political and cultural entity which finds its roots, like other European nations, seeded by the Holy Roman Empire.The History of Prussia discusses personalities and intentions which influenced the politics of Prussia and its neighbors. I particularly enjoyed a passage which described Frederick William's strategy which doubled the size of his army without imposing an economic burden on the state.Prussia deemed basic education a necessity and proclaimed compulsory basic education, one of the first acts of this nature in history.Practices of this nature moved Prussia from its medieval roots into modernity and allowed the small country to keep pace with the other European states. The History of Prussia provides a detailed accounting of how Prussia became the most influential Germanic state and overshadowed Austria.A short bibliography is provided at the end.

I LOVE history, but this book is full of dry facts that made me fall asleep too many times. I understand the desire for some people who like history to understand the facts behind the history, but for me this book is too much.

Interesting book on how a small third rate country could grow into one of the powers in Europe. A head of its time, militarily, economically and educationally.

The modern history of Prussia centres on a short but pivotal Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Long-standing resentments between the French and Prussian nations came to a head that year, exposing French political and military weaknesses and highlighting the rising industrialization and modernization of Prussia. The ultimate result was humiliation for the French, which laid the seeds for paying back the Germans in the First World War with the punitive Treaty of Versailles. The War also led to the creation of the modern unified German Empire under the leadership of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This resulted in Germany rising from an also-ran to a major player on the world stage, second only to the British Empire in its scope and influence. Read this book to learn more about how the War could have prevented, its lasting effects and the lessons learned from the conflict.

There aren't many books that catch my eye or I have a hard time putting down....but this book keep me interested from start to finish. So much of the history of Prussia was unfamiliar to me, like the Hohenzollern dynasty and the relationship with the Holy Roman Empire. The religious Reformationthat started the split of Catholics and Protestants was very intriguing to me. I could go on and on, but I'll just agree with other reviewers....if you want a good in-depth history of Prussia then this is the book to read.

I knew very little about Prussia and now I know more. These Captivating History series books are a wonderful way to learn about history.