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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
GENIUS AT WORK, June 21, 2003
I'm glad I read Thomas Levenson's EINSTEIN IN BERLIN in spite of its atrocious publisher's blurb: "In a book that is both biography and the most exciting form of history, here are eighteen years in the life of a man, Albert Einstein, and a city, Berlin, that were in many way the defining years of the twentieth century." What "the most exiting form of history" may be is never explained. Fortunately, the book is better written than its jacket. Levenson, a documentary filmmaker who produced a two-hour biography of Einstein for Nova, can paint memorable pictures with words too. In general, he does better by Einstein than he does by Berlin. Levenson strikes a good balance between the details of Einstein's private life, his scientific work, and his political activities. The book's greatest strength is its rendering of Einstein's contributions to theoretical physics into a form digestible even by a scientific illiterate. Levenson shows the process as well as the final result; the failures as well as the triumphs. He explains the ongoing debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over arcane aspects of quantum mechanics. I was intrigued by the "mind experiments" Einstein used to test his theories and those of other phyicists. The chapters summarizing Einstein's life before and after Berlin give the reader sufficient context for understanding his "defining" years. Some aspects of his personal life get short shrift: his activity as an amateur musician, for example. We learn that his friendship with Queen Elizabeth of Belgium began when they played chamber music together, but we never are given a glimpse of him playing, nor any sense of the time he devoted to this pastime. Levenson is more impressionistic in his portrayal of Berlin. It is not so much Einstein's Berlin we are shown as that of his friend Count Harry Kessler, a liberal bon vivant whose Diary of a Cosmopolitan is quoted extensively. The reader learns almost nothing about the university that employed Einstein for eighteen years beyond the small circle of scientists with whom he associated. Levenson describes the nightlife and popular culture of Berlin at length, but shows little of its high culture. Much space is devoted to Josephine Baker and Fritz Lang, but Schonberg, Schnabel, Kadinsky and Lotte Leyna are mentioned only when they became refugees. Levenson is thorough in detailing political and economic events in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany, but provides little insight into the daily life of ordinary Berliners. Levenson gives the reader more of WWI and Adolf Hitler's part in it than seems necessary for this book. Details of the major battles and of Corporal Hitler's medals are unnecessary to an understanding of Einstein's opposition to the war or of Berlin's experience during the war. It was Hitler the politician, not Hitler the soldier, who impacted Berlin and Einstein so profoundly in later years.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What History Should Be: Truth, Illuminating the Present, September 14, 2005
This review is from: Einstein in Berlin (Paperback)
Albert Einstein. Adolf Hitler. Germany. The two iconic figures of the 20th century, shaped and nurtured, alternately embraced and rejected by the one nation. Posthumous competitors for the honor of TIME's "person of the century", Levenson's book details the progress and transformation of both men and their nation through the critical period from 1914 to 1932, while Einstein lived in Berlin.
The portrayal of Einstein here is of a great but flawed man, not quite the usual hagiography, despite the imagery reminiscent of the Christmas story at the start. Why did Einstein come to Berlin, the heart of Prussia, after renouncing Germany for Switzerland as a teenager? Why did Germany's extreme climate of militarism not repel him, at this time immediately before the great war? Levenson details the scientific inducements: German physics at the time was unparalleled, and Einstein in Berlin could enjoy the company of the established Max Planck and younger colleagues like Max Born and Lise Meitner, later Heisenberg and many others. But the offer of money and prestige was perhaps as important - Einstein would direct his own "Kaiser Wilhelm" institute of physics. Official Germany wanted to claim Einstein as its own, and Einstein, with just a touch of patriotism, accepted.
Levenson portrays those war years, and the Weimar Republic that followed, with great poignancy. The German people were itching to prove their greatness. Planck and other scientists declared their strong support for the war, and even Einstein tried to help with research on aircraft and more significantly on the gyrocompass. Einstein's close friend Fritz Haber was the Edward Teller of chemical weaponry, developing lethal gases in the same building where Einstein worked out general relativity. All of Europe suffered as the war was prolonged; Einstein himself falling ill to poor nutrition in 1918. Levenson shows how the replacement of the Kaiser by a new republic led by "social democrats", who acquiesced to the Versailles Treaty, divided Germany and would soon threaten the world again. On one side of the divide were those on the left, including Einstein: pacifists, Jews, intellectuals, seemingly now in control. On the other side, the right wing and the remnant of the armed forces; those who still thought the war could have been won, who decried Germany's fall.
Levenson tracks the growth of Einstein's celebrity status, starting in 1919 with the confirmation of General Relativity. The worldwide press, stimulated by the war years and the new movie industry, pounced on the photogenic and genial scientist, and Einstein did not shy away.
Levenson discusses Einstein's stunning contributions to physics in reasonably brief, accurate, and generally accessible terms. Even though his most important work predated 1914, Einstein still helped discover Bose-Einstein condensation, raised awareness of quantum problems, and founded general relativity theory and the theoretical basis for cosmology during his stay in Berlin. Berlin also saw Einstein embark on two quixotic quests that would occupy him to his deathbed: fighting against random chance in the quantum mechanics he helped create, and the search for a unified theory of everything, a pursuit that still engages physicists today. Levenson gets very close to Einstein's essence in describing these ultimately futile efforts - the confidence with which, every year or two, he proclaimed he had found a unified theory, and the humility that inevitably came some months later.
But Levenson's focus is not just Einstein, but the culture of which he was part, and which he partly inspired. Relativity fed into ongoing radical changes in the arts of the time: music, architecture, movies, writing. Some of this was a reaction to the war years and the release from authority the new republic brought. The tragedy and poverty of the trillion-fold hyperinflation period is here - Einstein suffered less than most through funds he had laid aside abroad. Levenson's collection of black and white photos of the period illustrate the range of radical change and questioning: two photos of nudists are featured opposite a seated Einstein. The immorality of the age (Einstein's womanizing was at least Clintoneseque) may have been hyped by the new media - certainly the stories of serial killers and slasher novels are disturbing to us now.
The problems, from hyperinflation to "girl shows", were natural grist for the mill of right-wing outrage at "foreign influences", Jews, and left-wing intellectuals. Levenson details the background of hatred that existed here well before Hitler came along, becoming increasingly strident as the Nazis gained influence. Einstein's reaction to this was an increasing identification with his fellow Jews. While never considering himself a Zionist, Levenson shows Einstein's selfless nature in working to raise money for people he never personally knew; there is a sad contrast with Einstein's poor treatment of his own family.
As a historical work the writing is often somewhat dry; Levenson spent nine years on the book, and has extensive end notes. Starting the book at the end of a long day, I was fast asleep by page 40. But the narrative is excellent, and at times thrilling - we know the outcome, but what Levenson does is show the gradual destructive changes within the German people of the time. The account recalls a quote from Soviet gulag survivor Alexander Solzhenitsyn - "the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years." Einstein was imperfect, as we all are; Levenson shows Hitler's self-justification striving for a moral society - the shades of gray here abound. But 1914-1932 saw Solzhenitsyn's oscillation magnify and become almost coherent across the people of one nation, rejecting those like Einstein who were out of phase. Secrecy, lack of respect for human life, fostered hatred of "others" (communists, blacks, Jews), and Hitler's demagoguery were key ingredients. Levenson's text in places suggests dangers in our current world, where we see truth replaced by ideology, that we would be well to watch out for.
If it is easy to see a bit of Einstein's genius and geniality in ourselves, it is also easy to see the shadow of Hitler in those we disagree with. Internet discussions are notorious for descending into cries of Nazism. This brief period of history in Germany is critical to understanding both the best and worst parts of our own nature. There are other books that will tell you more about Einstein's life. There are certainly more comprehensive books on Hitler and the roots of World War II. But
Levenson, combining the two iconic subjects, provides a valuable and unique lens with profound implications for understanding ourselves.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Einstein's genius and personal flaws, September 9, 2004
There is a view of human history that believes that the trends are so strong, that no one person can significantly alter what is destined to occur. An opposing view is that there are so many potential paths that the differences that drive movement from one path to another are very small. Not only can one person provide the impetus from one path to another, but also the differences between the paths can be enormous. This book is primarily about Albert Einstein, one who had a dramatic effect on history. His development of new physics in the first decade of the twentieth century completely altered our view of the universe and was revolutionary.
The best measure of how revolutionary is the oft-repeated statement of astronomer Arthur Eddington. When told that he was one of only three people in the world who understood relativity, Eddington seemed puzzled. He was asked if he disagreed with the statement and he responded, "No, I was just trying to think of who the third person would be." Such revolutionary ideas that describe nature will eventually be discovered, but it is clear that Einstein was decades ahead of everyone else in his understanding of the universe.
Another one of the unforgettable people who changed the course of history is a secondary topic of the book. That person is of course Adolph Hitler, whose pathological Nazi movement eventually forced the Jewish Einstein from Germany. In 1913, as a consequence of Einstein's incredible work while a patent clerk in Switzerland, Walther Nernst and Max Planck went to visit Einstein. Their purpose was to offer him the best scientific job in the world, a professorship with no teaching responsibilities at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. The offer was an incredible one, but it was fitting, given Einstein's stature. He accepted and arrived in Berlin shortly before the outbreak of World War I. Outside of his traveling, he stayed there until forced out when Hitler rose to power.
This is a chronicle of Einstein, but it is also a history of Germany in the years from 1914 until 1932. While the events in Europe as a consequence of the rise of Hitler are well known, the situation in Germany during those years is not well known. Few people are aware of the social tension due to deprivation that took place in Germany from 1914 until the rise of Hitler. Near-starvation was universal in the last two years of the First World War, and there was chaos immediately after. The hyperinflation of the early twenties was incredible, it is hard to believe that things were so bad that the exchange rate was one Trillion marks to the dollar. After a few years of relative stability, the onset of the depression at the end of the 1920's once again reduced a large percentage of the population to destitution. There are documented cases of people growing rich by killing people and marketing their flesh as pork. No wonder so many people were willing to surrender their freedom to starve to death and their political freedom for the opportunity to eat regularly. In his criticisms of the German people, which often happened, the well-fed and secure Einstein displayed a social naivete.
Even though it does not cover his entire life, this is one of the best biographies of Einstein the man. While no biography can avoid his physics and this one does not, there is an emphasis on his other activities. The image we have of him now is that of a transcendent genius with wild hair and a wise, grandfatherly manner. He was one of the first celebrities of the media age, and he played to the public fairly well. The personal Einstein was often not a pleasant man. His sudden fame doomed his first marriage to Mileva Maric, and his actions in casting her off were crude at best. Even years after their separation and divorce, he referred to her in very derogatory terms, even to people who were friends to both of them. Throughout his life, even after his marriage to his cousin Elsa, he entertained a sequence of mistresses. His attitude towards Elsa was that she had to leave him to do what he wanted, her feelings in the matter were of little consequence. Her purpose was to cook, keep house and accompany him when needed. Einstein's relationship with his children was also strained at best. He did try to be a part of their lives, but never seemed able to empathize with the problems in their lives.
Einstein is often characterized as strictly a theoretician; it was refreshing to learn that he had real mechanical ability. He received several patents, two of which were for a navigational device for ships and the other for a refrigerator. The international royalties from the patents were one of the ways he was insulated from the monetary disaster of the early twenties.
While the saintly genius that we all know comes through in this book, the other aspects of Einstein's life will likely change your attitude towards him. Yes, he was a great man, perhaps the greatest intellectual genius of the last three hundred years. However, after his rise to prominence, he was largely incapable of forming emotional relationships beyond friendship and at times, he showed a tendency to be contemptuous towards the German people. While some of that was deserved, the Germans were no different than others and many of them were just trying to stay alive.
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