D. G. Williamson

Another topic from the series Seminar Studies in History. This is a well balanced work presenting Bismarck & his influence on uniting Prussia with German states to create Germany. Although Bismarck is controversial both in his time & after his death, what he accomplished was enormously impactive in Germany's creation with skill & manipulation of weaker individuals both within Prussia & outside of Prussia. Bismarck kept central Europe stable for as long as he remained in power but his system he had created unraveled after he was forced to resign. Lesser men afterwards blinded by ego & perceived grievances destroyed much of what Bismarck had put in place. Still, the author presents several perspectives using primary sources & historian thoughts both good & bad.… (más)

There are few textbooks in print that cover the history of Germany since Napoleon. This one is serviceable. It is extremely condensed. In barely 400 pages of text Williamson tries to cover all the standard topics of German history over the last 200 years. It assumes a cultural and linguistic sophistication many American undergraduates do not possess. Williamson uses such terms as Grunderjahre and fait accompli without any explanation. And American students will have to be told that when the author uses the word "corn", he means grain, not just American maize. Occasionally there are questionable interpretations or even factual errors. Unlike some authors, Williamson avoids any errors concerning the frequently misunderstood Prussian Three Class Voting System, but he is mistaken to refer to Ernst August as the "elector" of Hanover. The Electorship (Kurfuerstentum) of Hanover died with the death of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. When Ernst August went to Hanover in 1837 he was crowned "King" or Koenig. The translated excerpts from documents do not add much owing to their brevity. There are two misprinted dates. In the middle of p. 10, "French forces were driven beyond the Rhine in late 1812" should be 1813. In the box at the top of page 215, von Papen served as chancellor May-November, 1932, not 1931. Yet, overall, this is an acceptable textbook that will nonetheless require an American instructor to provide quite a bit of additional background and explanation.… (más)

I'm a big fan of the Access to History series of books but this is not one of the better ones that I have read. The simple problem is that the scope of the coverage is too ambitious for 140 pages. The writing style is fine but everything is covered in too little depth, not a problem that I've noticed to the same degree with others in the series that I have read.

That said, there are some very useful tables and flow charts designed to assist with remembering the key points in each chapter. Perhaps I would go as far as recommending this to anyone without the time to read 'The Peacemakers' by Margaret MacMillan and 'The Dark Valley' by Piers Brandon, which provide wonderful coverage of similar material in far greater depth… (más)