Customer Reviews

The Germans (Meridian)

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Written in 1982, before the Berlin Wall fell or the Cold War ended, this question is the essential one of the book. It often sits in the background, undisturbed, but it is always present. What Craig means by this is, will West Germany turn out to be a failed experiment in democracy, as the Weimar Republic did?

Although we can assume fairly safely that it will not (the conclusion Craig came to as well), this is a marvelous and fascinating book. Craig is a diplomatic historian by profession, and in any study of European politics, the underpinnings and history of Germany have to play an important role. The book is organized by topic, beginning with a three-chapter brief history. The second part has chapters on religion, money, relations with Jews, sexual relations, educational relations, literature, the military, and the unique situation of Berlin, among others. It even has an appendix on "The Awful German Language". The chapter on Berlin in particular was fascinating, although if that is your interest, I would recommend Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin by Alexandra Richie.

This is an excellent book. I originally picked it up because of my deep respect for the author (see my review of Force and Statecraft: Diplomatic Problems of Our Time) and my fascination with all things foreign. I didn't put it down for any length of time until I finished. Perhaps the best way to understand the German phenomenon short of living in Germany.

Gordon Craig's scholarly books on German history are still among the best available, and the extent of his knowledge of modern Europe is astounding and usually very reliable. This book, "The Germans," is, as he says in the Preface, based on observations he began making when he first was a student there back in 1935! Full of cultural and historical references that range far beyond some writers' obsession just with the Nazi past, this book conveys to the thoughtful reader quite a bit of the depth and breadth of the recent German experience. But the book is getting old; it was originally written nearly 20 years ago, and contains only a tiny, added section on the unification that took place in 1989-90. Imagine relying on a book about the United States published early in the Reagan era, and written by a foreign observer: no matter how sensitive or thoughtful, it could not touch on many current national trends. In the German case, the dramatic changes underway since 1990 have given the country a verve, dynamism, and self-confidence unimaginable when this book came out. A new set of problems and possibilities have taken Germany well beyond where it was then, so readers should supplement Craig's work with more recent analysis.

This book is an excellent overview of the history of Germany before the fall of the wall. True it needs to be updated and it isn't so easy to get through, but it is interesting and it gives you a better understanding of why Germans today act and work as they do. I had been living in Germany for 2 years when I read this book, and learned a multitude of things that helped me identify with the society I was living in. I strongly recommend this book if you are planning to move to Germany or spend a large amount of time there.

The book is a scholarly insight into many of the interesting aspects of Germany. It explains many social and cultural trends I would not otherwise understand. It is written as a collection of long essays, which makes it interesting to read, but not really suitable as a quick reference on Germany.
The book is the accumulation of Craig's rare and scholarly insight into Germans and their behavior.

"The Germans" by Gordon Craig is an excellent book about German History and Culture. The format is easy to read and enjoyable, it is not dry at all. My one complaint is the completely inadequate index. You might as well throw a dart in the dark, rather than attempt to use this limited index to find anything.

Overall a good book however.

One of the most insightful introductions to Germany - and a very entertaining one in addition. The author is one of the great authorities on the history of Germany in the 19th century, has lived in Germany in various periods, and obviously kept his eyes open without ever loosing his firm connection to his Anglo-Saxon roots. A great book for every one who wants to get beyond the clichees of Lederhosen, huge beer mugs and Nazi troopers with polished black riding boots.

A brief history of Germany, with a comprehensive Bibliography for anyone who wishes to further their reading on the subject. This book was written in 1982, with an Afterword written by Gordon Craig in 1991, addressing the unification of East and West Germany. As a novice to the subject of German history, I found this book to be a basic introduction, with many things referred to within the book not given a clear definition, and therefore to get a better understanding one would absolutely need to read other material.

I liked that chapters were divided into subjects such as "Religion", "Women", and "Literature and Society", but not knowing more about the different time periods that are referred to (such as the Weimar Republic), I was left feeling that the book was incomplete as a general history.

There are some interesting points made, emphasized by Craig as
I have not seen before, with interpretations which are interesting to say the least, such as the rejection by several Cathbolic churchmen in Germany and the excommunication of at least one bishop for rejection of the 1870 decree by convention of the doctrine of Papal Infallability. Craig finds in this rejection more than doubt based upon absence of Biblical or Logical support, but an attempt by a Foreign Power (Papacy) to dominate Germany on the eve of Unification via the War of 1871-72. With no discussion of the reaction to the doctrine elsewhere, it is unclear if Germans took the matter seriously while other countries with substantial Catholic populations simply accepted the decree or thought it too silly to think about.

The discussion of the Thirty Years War in Germany and the concerted policy by major European countries that Germany remain a collection of minor states to avoid German domination of the Continent are worth reading. The causes, life in and during and effects of WW I are hardly touched upon.
The enormous damage done to Europe by US foreign policy under Wilson is not mentioned, nor is the generalized fiction about Germany in the US and UK during this period. A hint at the origins of modern Anti-Semitism is provided by a discussion of a handfull of Jewish swindlers leading to the Panic (Depression) of 1873. The role of war reperations from France due to the 72-73 victory by Prussia/Germany is discussed. A point worth thinking about, but whose validity is not backed-up. There is not a word concerning how rhe Depression of 1873 contributed to the cultural environment into which Hiter was born about 20 years later. Perhaps such influence can be neither proved or inferred. Considering how until the 1950s at least Southern children grew up hearing stories of Great-Grandpa's fight with the Yankees an hundred years before, the depression's effect on Hitler as a child must have existed. Craig is a bit more realistic about Jews in Germany than most so-called historians who paint a picture of virgins amongst bandits. There is no meaningful discussion of Germany's purposes after the Weimar Republic. There is no discussion of the analyses, especially Spengler's, of the struggle to preserve European (including American) civilization. The fiction that the UK and France attacked Germany in 1939 to answer aggression in Europe is not given the lie to. (Russia had attacked and annexed parts of Finland earlier during the 1930s.) There is hardly any discussion of the Hitler period. As there are no worthwhile histories of the period in English, it is probably as well. The horrors visited upon the Germans by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill are hardly mentioned. The hostility, even hatred that many present-day Germans have for at least elements of US troops on German soil is unmentioned.

The one chapter in the book I found most disappointing is entitled "The Professors." What I found most lacking is the origins of the German mindset, which Bertrand Russell claimed was shared by Jews who fled Hitler, and he characterized as abstract and complex instead of the British mindset which Russell thought more immediate, practical and simple. The German invention of history as science in the 19th century is hinted upon. The subject's regression into nonsense, propaganda and moralisms goes unlamented.

"The Germans" is a fun book to read. It presents few challanges aside from a few untranslated quotations. It sheds a bit of light.

This is an interesting book. I would suggest it for anyone wanting to learn German. It shipped fast.

Over all the books on Germany I have read, Gordon A. Craig has written the most fascinating book comprehendable. It exceeds far beyond the crude and stereotypical portraits that are displayed in many other books, but instead looks deeper into the study of european history and culture. Craig's introductions are insightful and entertaining. The book is composed of a collection of long essay's which prove Craig's neutral outlook on a country that is foreign to him. This book is the best way to better understand the German phenomenon explained by the greatest diplomatic historian of Germany, Gordon A. Craig.