The Wars of German Unification - (Modern Wars) 2nd Edition by Dennis Showalter (Paperback)

About the Book

The Wars of German Unification is the definitive account of the three of the most decisive conflicts in the history of modern Europe. In this new edition, Dennis Showalter offers a thoroughly updated look at the wars and their context that will be invaluable for those interested in the military, social and political history of the period. Showalter explores how the Schleswig-Holstein conflict of 1864; the 'Six Weeks War' of 1866; and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 fundamentally altered the balance of power in 19th-century Europe. They marked the establishment of Prussian hegemony in central Europe, the creation of the Bismarckian Reich in 1871, the reduction of Habsburg influence and the collapse of Napoleon III's Second Empire. The Wars of German Unification offers a balanced and incisive account of the wars, their origins and their consequences, and firmly embeds these conflicts in their political, ideological and military contexts. This volume traces the transition from the 'cabinet wars' of the 19th century and shows how the conflicts that made up the wars of German unification provided the foundation for the birth of modern warfare.

Book Synopsis

The Wars of German Unification is the definitive account of the three of the most decisive conflicts in the history of modern Europe. In this new edition, Dennis Showalter offers a thoroughly updated look at the wars and their context that will be invaluable for those interested in the military, social and political history of the period.

Showalter explores how the Schleswig-Holstein conflict of 1864; the 'Six Weeks War' of 1866; and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 fundamentally altered the balance of power in 19th-century Europe. They marked the establishment of Prussian hegemony in central Europe, the creation of the Bismarckian Reich in 1871, the reduction of Habsburg influence and the collapse of Napoleon III's Second Empire.

The Wars of German Unification offers a balanced and incisive account of the wars, their origins and their consequences, and firmly embeds these conflicts in their political, ideological and military contexts. This volume traces the transition from the 'cabinet wars' of the 19th century and shows how the conflicts that made up the wars of German unification provided the foundation for the birth of modern warfare.

Review Quotes

"Magisterial. A work that has no equal and is unlikely ever to have any. This book contains all the qualities that have made Dennis Showalter one of the world's finest military historians." --David Wetzel, University of California, Berkeley, USA

"[A] magisterial synthetic narrative that is accessible to students, historians of Germany, specialists in military history, and even a general readership. Historians who regularly avoid military history and deem the genre too thematically narrow might well consult this wide-ranging synoptic analysis to test such a proposition." --Journal of Modern History

About the Author

Dennis Showalter is Professor of History at Colorado College, USA. Some of his recent publications include Armor and Blood (2013) and Hitler's Panzers (2010). He is also co-editor of The Cambridge History of War: Volume IV, War and the Modern World (2012).