Gordon A. Craig Knihy

Recognized by historians and politicians as a model for European unity, Switzerland is nonetheless a difficult country to understand as a whole. Whereas individual Swiss cities have strong identities in the international political, cultural, and economic arenas, the country itself seems to be less than the sum of its parts. To capture the elusive spirit of Switzerland, four eminent writers explore the roots of its political unity and cultural diversity in a series of urban portraits. Their observations make for both good storytelling and insightful social commentary

In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann wrote that political activity was alien to the German spirit and that "in fact the political element was absent from the German concept of education." The Politics of the Unpolitical demonstrates the essential unreliability of this generalization by focusing on the political activity of ten of Germany's most widely respected writers in the period from the French Revolution to the founding of the Bismarck Reich in 1871.Gordon A. Craig's book shows how Goethe, Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Holderlin, and Heine were fascinated by the political issues of their day and reacted either by entering public service or threw themselves into efforts to change society for the better. In his study of ten of Germany's most important intellectuals Craig, focuses on their political views and activities and argues that they were not, in fact, representatives of the genre of the "unpolitical German."

Königgrätz, a city overlooking the river Elbe, was a western strongpoint of the Austrian Empire. On the morning of July 3, 1866, Prussia attacked the city against high odds and defeated the Austrian army in a single day, despite the Austrian advantage in heavy artillery and command of the high ground. The fall of Königgrätz transferred power over the German states from Austria to Prussia, marking the beginning of the German nation, a political consequence considered to be among the most important of any conflict in modern history.The battle for the city of Königgrätz—now called Hradec Králové, located in the Czech Republic—was the largest of its time, with nearly half a million troops involved. It was also the first battle where the outcome was directly determined by the availability of new technologies, including the railroad, telegraph, cast steel rifled cannon, and breech-loading rifle. It also marked a lesson in the fallacy of dependence on technology at the expense of sound strategy.In this full account, distinguished historian Gordon A. Craig discusses the state of political affairs surrounding the battle, the personalities involved, the weaponry, and the tactics in order to recreate the battlefield in all its complexity.

"First published in Germany to popular and critical acclaim, this is a unique portrait of the life and work of Theodor Fontane, the greatest German novelist of his age, as well as a major poet and theater critic and much loved travel writer. Gordon A. Craig interpolates a cohesive historical biography of Fontane with his own reflections on the art, culture, and politics of Fontane's world."--Jacket

One of the livelier debates amongst historians concerns the dates of the beginning and, particularly, the end of Prussian history. Eminent historian Gordon A. Craig explores the slow death of Prussia by examining several key individuals and their actions at four distinct periods of Prussian history. "Simply said, the book is a beautiful piece. Insightful and lucid. . . . The End of Prussia has the rare quality of being suitable for both the specialist and the more casual student of German history."—Wisconsin Academy Review

Suitable for upper division courses in Diplomatic History, Diplomacy and Statecraft, or history of foreign relations. This title is divided into three parts: the first section is a survey of international history and diplomacy; the second part is about specific problems; and the third explores ethics and other restraints on force and statecraft.

They have given mankind triumphs in science, literature, philosophy, music, and art. They have also produced Hitler and the Holocaust. They are romantic and conservative, idealistic and practical, proud and insecure, ruthless and good-natured. They are, in short, the Germans. Gordon A. Craig, one of the world's premier authorities on Germany, comes to grip in this definitive history with the complex paradoxes at the many contemporary institutions in German history and closely examines such topics as religion, money, Germans and Jews, women, professors and students, romantics, literature and society, soldiers, Berlin, and the German language. In his new Afterword, Professor Craig discusses the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of the two Germanies into a new democratic republic. In this classic work, now thoroughly updated, Gordon A. Craig offers invaluable insights into a people and a nation that have played a pivotal role in world affairs for over a century.

A history of the rise & fall of united Germany, which lasted only 75 years from its 1870 establishment by Bismark. Suitable for A Level & upwards. In the History of Modern Europe series. Preface The unification of Germany, 1866-71 The institutional structure of the empire The consolidation of the empire: politics & economics, 1871-79 Ideology & interest: the limitations of diplomacy, 1871-90 The campaign against social democracy & Bismarck's fall, 1879-90 Religion, education & the arts The new course & the deterioration of Germany's foreign position, 1890-97 Political parties, interest groups & the failure of the Reichstag, 1890-1914 Weltpolitik, navalism & the coming of the war, 1897-1914 The Great War, 1914-18 From Kiel to Kapp: the aborted revolution, 1918-20 Reparations, inflation & the crisis of 1923 Weimar culture Party politics & foreign policy, 1924-30 The end of Weimar The Nazi dictatorship: the instruments of power The Nazi revolution: economic & social developments Cultural decline & political resistance Hitler & Europe: foreign policy, 1933-39 Hitler's war, 1939-45 Appendix List of Books & Articles Cited Index

In this collection of 30 superb essays, Gordon A. Craig, distinguished historian of Germany, examines German politics and culture from the 18th century to the present. Topics range from the political history of Germany from 1770 to 1866, Bismarck, Emperor William II, Germany and the First World War, Thomas Mann, and the architects Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Gottfried Semper. He considers the Third Reich -- its political history, major figures, foreign policy and the coming of the war, and varieties of resistance to Nazism before and during the war. He also considers Jews in Germany in the 19th century, the Rothschilds, and the years of persecution as described by Victor Klemperer. He documents the remarkable rebirth of German democracy after 1945, including the cultural history and political significance of Berlin, and Germans' continuing struggle with the past.