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Rating: 
Summary: concise bridge from feudal states to nation
Review: I can't say I'm very interested in the national and indutrial development of germany prior to WWI. That's probably why I liked this book so much. Its short and to the point.I'm a casual reader of history and have mostly focused thusfar on pre-Napoleonic times. I've wanted to move on to WW1 era history but felt that I didn't really understand how Germany became such an international player in the intervening years. It always play a second fiddle to France and Britain. This book fills in the gaps quickly and concisely. I feel confident now to pick up a nice book on WW1 without complete ignorance of Germany's status and motivations prior to the war. I almost feel that this is the niche that the author intended to fill as there is a tragic sense of foreshadowing throughout the text. There are probably more complete (and much longer) books available on this part of German history, but this one suited my needs perfectly. A good answer to that age-old question - whatever happened to Prussia?
Rating: 
Summary: Good Basic Insight, Little Else
Review: Of course, one can't expect too much insight and theorizing on the part of Sturmer in this volume, due to the Modern Library's length limitation. However, I felt the book was just too hollow, a fairly dry rundown of European geopolitical strategy mixed with basic German interior numbers. The German Empire of 1870-1918 is one of the greatest tragedies in world history. At one time, due to the German peoples impressive work ethic, it appeared to many that the 20th century would be "Germany's century". Unfortuanetly for countless millions, it was, in a horrific way. Sturmer takes you though a culture analysis, setting the basis for the nations ultimate degeneration and its nightmarish revenge under Hitler. It's fairly interesting, but at times it felt like one was reading a text book. Again, Sturmer can't get all the blame, but other Modern Library writers have added enough personal insight and detail to make their books more interesting than Sturmers. To reiterate, this book is a good overview or introduction, but it is by no means a great read or very informative.
Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Insight, Little Else
Review: Of course, one can't expect too much insight and theorizing on the part of Sturmer in this volume, due to the Modern Library's length limitation. However, I felt the book was just too hollow, a fairly dry rundown of European geopolitical strategy mixed with basic German interior numbers. The German Empire of 1870-1918 is one of the greatest tragedies in world history. At one time, due to the German peoples impressive work ethic, it appeared to many that the 20th century would be "Germany's century". Unfortuanetly for countless millions, it was, in a horrific way. Sturmer takes you though a culture analysis, setting the basis for the nations ultimate degeneration and its nightmarish revenge under Hitler. It's fairly interesting, but at times it felt like one was reading a text book. Again, Sturmer can't get all the blame, but other Modern Library writers have added enough personal insight and detail to make their books more interesting than Sturmers. To reiterate, this book is a good overview or introduction, but it is by no means a great read or very informative.
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