The Armies of Bismarck's Wars

The Armies of Bismarck's Wars PDF Author: Bruce Basset-Powell
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612002293
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
The riveting story of the nineteenth-century rise of the Prussian army—a key factor in the unification of Germany—with maps and illustrations. On July 3, 1866, a Prussian force overwhelmed and defeated an Austrian army near the fortress city of Königgrätz in a bloody battle that lasted all day. At a stroke, the foremost power in Germany and central Europe had been reduced to a second rate player. The event caused anxiety and alarm in the capitals of the western world. How was an upstart country like Prussia able to upset the balance of power in Europe? Only sixteen years before, it had been put in its place by Austria with the treaty of Olmütz. Its performance as an Austrian ally had been less than stellar in the Second Schleswig War of 1864, despite its defeat of the Danes at Düppel. Yet within five years, a Prussian-led army would humble France and a Prussian king would be crowned emperor of a united Germany. The history of the world would be changed forever. This book tells the story of this army, chronicling its growth from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the reforms of the 1860s, then offering a full account of the wars against Denmark in 1864 and Austria in 1866. The author shows how the confluence of three men’s lives—King William I, Helmuth von Moltke, and Otto von Bismarck—provided the essential ingredients that created this victorious army. The growth and influence of the General Staff is examined, along with the recruitment and training of officers and men. Powell fully describes the organization of the army and the fledgling navy, as well as the weapons with which they fought.

The Armies of Bismarck's Wars

The Armies of Bismarck's Wars PDF Author: Bruce Basset-Powell
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612002293
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Get Book Here

Book Description
The riveting story of the nineteenth-century rise of the Prussian army—a key factor in the unification of Germany—with maps and illustrations. On July 3, 1866, a Prussian force overwhelmed and defeated an Austrian army near the fortress city of Königgrätz in a bloody battle that lasted all day. At a stroke, the foremost power in Germany and central Europe had been reduced to a second rate player. The event caused anxiety and alarm in the capitals of the western world. How was an upstart country like Prussia able to upset the balance of power in Europe? Only sixteen years before, it had been put in its place by Austria with the treaty of Olmütz. Its performance as an Austrian ally had been less than stellar in the Second Schleswig War of 1864, despite its defeat of the Danes at Düppel. Yet within five years, a Prussian-led army would humble France and a Prussian king would be crowned emperor of a united Germany. The history of the world would be changed forever. This book tells the story of this army, chronicling its growth from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the reforms of the 1860s, then offering a full account of the wars against Denmark in 1864 and Austria in 1866. The author shows how the confluence of three men’s lives—King William I, Helmuth von Moltke, and Otto von Bismarck—provided the essential ingredients that created this victorious army. The growth and influence of the General Staff is examined, along with the recruitment and training of officers and men. Powell fully describes the organization of the army and the fledgling navy, as well as the weapons with which they fought.

The Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War PDF Author: Michael Howard
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134972199
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
In 1870 Bismarck ordered the Prussian Army to invade France, inciting one of the most dramatic conflicts in European history. It transformed not only the states-system of the Continent but the whole climate of European moral and political thought. The overwhelming triumph of German military might, evoking general admiration and imitation, introduced an era of power politics, which was to reach its disastrous climax in 1914. First published in 1961 and now with a new introduction, The Franco-Prussian War is acknowledged as the definitive history of one of the most dramatic and decisive conflicts in the history of Europe.

Bismarck's First War

Bismarck's First War PDF Author: Michael Embree
Publisher: Helion & Company Limited
ISBN: 9781906033033
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 486

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Book Description
This book chronicles the final conflict over the now almost forgotten "Schleswig-Holstein Question", once a pivotal issue for the great powers of Europe. The campaign of Schleswig and Jutland was also the first of Otto von Bismarck's Wars of German Unification, which together created a united German Empire under Prussian leadership. The detailed story of this, the last of the "Cabinet Wars", is told here for the first time in English, compiled from numerous published and unpublished sources, including many contemporary and first hand accounts, as well as official reports. This is an invaluable resource for any student of the mid 19th Century. Key topics include: * The historical background to the conflict. * The political crisis of 1863, the intervention of the "German Parliament" and the build-up to war. * Full descriptions of all military and naval forces involved. * The first phase of the war - the defense and withdrawal from the Danewerke. * The siege and defense of the Dybbøl position. * The Allied invasion of Jutland, and the naval war including the Danish blockade of north Germany ports. * The First Armistice, the London Conference attempts at peace talks and their failure. *The final phase of the conflict, including notably the Prussian conquest of the island of Als. The book includes: * Comprehensive orders of battle for the various stages of the war. * Informative maps, many adapted from early sources. * Numerous illustrations and photographs * Many informative charts and diagrams. * Detailed analysis of contemporary and later sources.

A Duel of Giants

A Duel of Giants PDF Author: David Wetzel
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299174941
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
Combining impeccable scholarship and literary elegance, David Wetzel depicts the drama of machinations and passions that exploded in a war that forever changed the face of European history.

Gambling on War

Gambling on War PDF Author: Roger L. Ransom
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781108454353
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
The First World War left a legacy of chaos that is still with us a century later. Why did European leaders resort to war and why did they not end it sooner? Roger L. Ransom sheds new light on this enduring puzzle by employing insights from prospect theory and notions of risk and uncertainty. He reveals how the interplay of confidence, fear, and a propensity to gamble encouraged aggressive behavior by leaders who pursued risky military strategies in hopes of winning the war. The result was a series of military disasters and a war of attrition which gradually exhausted the belligerents without producing any hope of ending the war. Ultimately, he shows that the outcome of the war rested as much on the ability of the Allied powers to muster their superior economic resources to continue the fight as it did on success on the battlefield.

The Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War PDF Author: Geoffrey Wawro
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521584364
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Wawro describes the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1, that violently changed the course of European history.

Coercive Diplomacy

Coercive Diplomacy PDF Author: Kenneth R. Kassner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Balance of power
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
Otto von Bismarck, Prussia's "Iron Chancellor," was arguably the dominant political figure in Europe during the nineteenth century. With acute political moves, he adroitly manipulated opportunities to achieve European hegemony for Germany and, thus, considerably altered Europe's political scene and balance of power. As the principal architect of German unification, he utilized subtle diplomacy, the formation of alliances, Prussia's formidable army, and a series of calculated -- albeit limited -- wars against his European neighbors to create Germany's second empire. As the archetypical statesman who espoused the power of the state in the international system, Bismarck recognized that a successful foreign policy and national strategy required the conscious integration of force and diplomacy in order to achieve his overarching goal of German unification. His political leadership thus succeeded because he understood that the use of force was a complement, and not alternative, to diplomacy. This paper examines Bismarck's manipulation of diplomatic and military instruments of national power to achieve his political goal, concluding that the fusion of force and diplomacy was the essence of Bismarck's statesmanship.

The Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War PDF Author: Stephen Badsey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472851358
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Illustrated with colour maps and images, this is an introduction to the Franco-Prussian War, a war that marked the beginning of the creation of modern Europe. The Franco-Prussian War started in 1870 when Otto von Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire under Napoleon III, as part of his plan to unite Prussia with the southern German states as a new Germany. Stephen Badsey examines the build-up, battles, and impact of the war, which was an overwhelming Prussian victory with massive consequences. The French Second Empire collapsed, Napoleon III became an exile in Britain, and King Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. In the peace settlement that followed, Germany gained the eastern French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come. Updated for the new edition with revisions from the author and new images throughout, this is an accessible introduction to the largest and most important war fought in Europe between the age of Napoleon and the First World War.

Bismarck

Bismarck PDF Author: Jonathan Steinberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199782660
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
This riveting, New York Times bestselling 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 Bismarck's 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 Bismarck's 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 Chancellor's" unmatched political skills and his profoundly flawed human character.

Sink the Bismarck!

Sink the Bismarck! PDF Author: C. S. Forester
Publisher: Rare Treasure Editions
ISBN: 177323840X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
In 1941, Hitler's deadly Bismarck, the fastest battleship afloat, broke out into the Atlantic. Its mission: to cut the lifeline of British shipping and win the war with one mighty blow. How the Royal Navy tried to meet this threat and its desperate attempt to bring the giant Bismarck to bay is the story C. S. Forester tells with mounting excitement and suspense!