Bismarck : A Life

English

ISBN: 0199782520

EAN: 9780199782529

Category: Biography & Autobiography / Historical/Biography & Autobiography / Political/History / Europe / Germany/

Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated

Release Date: 04/12/2011

Synopsis: This riveting,New York Timesbestselling biography illuminates the life of Otto von Bismarck, the statesman who unified Germany but who also embodied everything brutal and ruthless about Prussian culture. Jonathan Steinberg draws heavily on contemporary writings, allowing Bismarcks friends and foes to tell the story. What rises from these pages is a complex giant of a man: a hypochondriac with the constitution of an ox, a brutal tyrant who could easily shed tears, a convert to an extreme form of evangelical Protestantism who secularized schools and introduced civil divorce. Bismarck may have been in sheer ability the most intelligent man to direct a great state in modern times. His brilliance and insight dazzled his contemporaries. But all agreed there was also something demonic, diabolical, overwhelming, beyond human attributes, in Bismarcks personality. He was a kind of malign genius who, behind the various postures, concealed an ice-cold contempt for his fellow human beings and a drive to control and rule them. As one contemporary noted: the Bismarck regime was a constant orgy of scorn and abuse of mankind, collectively and individually. In this comprehensive and expansive biography--a brilliant study in power--Jonathan Steinberg brings Bismarck to life, revealing the stark contrast between the Iron Chancellors unmatched political skills and his profoundly flawed human character.

Awards: BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction – null  PSP Prose Awards – null 

Bismarck : A Life

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.8 inches

Width: 9.3 inches

Length: 6.5 inches

Weight: 32.28 oz

Pages: 592