Publishers Weekly
02/20/2023
Oxford historian Wilson (The Thirty Years War) delivers an encyclopedic survey of the “German way of war” as it developed in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from the 16th century to the present day. Pushing back against the notion that German-speaking states “followed a uniquely belligerent and authoritarian Special Path (Sonderweg) that deviated from the rest of Europe,” Wilson contends that the horrific violence of the Thirty Years War (1618–1648) was “the inevitable consequence of the repeated failure of all parties to pay and supply their armies properly,” and explains how the 18th-century Prussian king Frederick II’s preference for “invading rapidly with overwhelming force” was influenced by his admiration for French king Louis XIV and Swedish monarch Charles XII. Prussia’s victory over Napoleon III in 1871 and “widespread admiration” for Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz helped shape the notion, especially among outsiders, “that the Germans possessed a peculiar ‘genius for war,’ ” but Wilson highlights plenty of missteps and failures, including Austria-Hungary’s “over-hasty” declaration of war against Serbia in 1914 and Hitler’s doomed invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Wilson’s relentless march across five centuries’ worth of military and political history is not for neophytes, but he successfully upends a regiment’s worth of prevailing wisdom. It’s a monumental achievement. (Feb.)
BBC History Magazine - Jonathan Boff
A work of first-rate scholarship, rooted in broad and deep knowledge of the period and literature…Iron and Blood will become the starting point for all students of military history, not only of Germany but of Europe as a whole.
Aspects of History - Gordon Corrigan
Magisterial…A magnificent and very readable explanation of a grand sweep of history, which brings us right up to date and is unlikely ever to be bettered.
Aspects of History - Barney White-Spunner
This is an ambitious book which was badly needed given that so much of our recent history has been dominated by both the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns and the consequences of their demise…Required reading for serious military historians.
Financial Times - Robert Gewarth
Groundbreaking and highly accessible…The return of conventional warfare to Europe’s shores undoubtedly gives [Wilson’s] astute historical reflections on the conduct of war in central Europe an unforeseen, and unhoped for, topicality.
Wall Street Journal - William Anthony Hay
Wilson’s fascinating and comprehensive chronicle reminds us that the country’s vaunted reputation was of recent vintage anyway and failed to encompass the many Germanic traditions that had little to do with Prussia, which was dominant for only a limited period. Recovering the complexity of German military history gives us a fresh perspective—one that is especially welcome at the current moment, when Germany is debating what its role should be as cannons fire and bombs drop yet again in Europe.
Books for Congress - Lynn White
The book is as much a history of Germany as it is a military history. Wilson goes through painstaking detail to describe the ever-changing political landscape of Europe leading up to World War I and II…A fascinating study.
The Times - Oliver Moody
There is no grand unified theory in Iron and Blood—how could there be? Instead, it is an all-round purple patch of scholarship, chock-full of absorbing detail…History has returned to Europe, and Iron and Blood is an excellent place to start getting reacquainted with it.
Mars & Clio - Jeremy Black
There is no equivalent study of this quality for Germany, nor, indeed, really for any other European state, so Wilson deserves considerable praise for a work which should receive much attention…This brilliant book sets a model for other works.
Times Literary Supplement - Richard J. Evans
Hugely impressive…A determinedly analytical book, tracing in five lengthy, chronologically divided sections the development of strategy and tactics, military planning, finance and resources, the recruitment and social structures of the soldiery, weaponry and equipment, ideas about war and much more besides…The experience of Germany since 1945 demonstrates Peter H. Wilson’s point that German history, seen over the long term, consists of more than an endless series of wars.
Literary Review - Alexander Watson
The definitive account of Germany’s military history over the long durée…As the country enters a new military epoch, rearming against a resurgent Russia, this timely book offers an invaluable guide to Germans’ rich, long and complex martial history.
History Today - Katja Hoyer
Iron and Blood is also ambitious in its contextualisation of military history, drawing on political, economic, and social developments. An examination of civilian responses to conflict challenges the notion of Germans as uniquely war-like…A timely book.
The Telegraph - Simon Heffer
The scholarship of this book is breathtaking…No one interested in the history of Europe, and of the Germans in particular, can afford not to read this stupendous book.
The Economist
Iron and Blood delves into politics, economics, technology and social developments. Its long view of Germany’s military history, magisterial detail and acute analysis provide a new understanding of what was once Europe’s warring heart.
New York Review of Books - David Motadel
Wilson provides a bold survey of over half a millennium of warfare…His book is a masterful demonstration of the great potential of the new military history that has emerged over recent decades as scholars, distancing themselves from an older generation mainly interested in chaps and maps, have begun to pay more attention to the social, economic, and political aspects of war.
Foreign Affairs - Andrew Moravcsik
Astonishingly ambitious and detailed…An absorbing overview of how slowly changing societal forces—such as fiscal systems, scientific and technological capabilities, ideological and cultural beliefs, and the social background of soldiers—have transformed the use of military force across modern times.
Foreign Affairs - Andrew Moravicsik
Astonishingly ambitious and detailed…An absorbing overview of how slowly changing societal forces—such as fiscal systems, scientific and technological capabilities, ideological and cultural beliefs, and the social background of soldiers—have transformed the use of military force across modern times.
