Konrad Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany [Hardcover]

Charles Williams (Author), Company (Author), Brown Little (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471407372 | ISBN-13: 978-0471407379 | Publication Date: January 5, 2001 | Edition: 1

Critical Acclaim for ADENAUER

"A gripping narrative . . . brings to life an intriguing historical figure . . . an enthralling perspective on the processes that shaped the postwar world." --Daily Telegraph (London)

"Charts the ironies of Adenauer's complicated life. This is the story of a marathon man, but it is narrated at the pace of a sprinter and with the elegance of a hurdler."--The Times (London)

"Lucid and engaging. This is a well-researched and elegantly written volume which deserves a wider readership than the purely political."--The Herald (Glasgow)

"A highly readable, thoroughly reliable, intelligently critical life-and-times. . . . This portrait does justice to a man who is often invoked as a prophet of a United States of Europe, but who was in truth the greatest of German patriots."--Literary Review (London)

"Well-researched and admirably written . . . reveals Adenauer the man--with all his authority and strength, his persistence and endurance, and his streak of ruthlessness and political cunning."--The Independent (London)

THE LAST GREAT FRENCHMAN

"Knowledgeable, lucid . . . the best English biography of de Gaulle."--The New York Times Book Review

"Charles Williams has matched a great subject by something near to a great book."--Daily Telegraph (London)

Editorial Reviews

Review

** '(Adenauer) is well-researched and admirable written. It puts the German statsman 's extraordinary career into historical perspective. Above all it reveals Adenauer the man-with all his authority and strength, his persistence and endurance and his streak of ruthlessness and political cunning' - INDEPENDENT ** 'The best biography I read this year' - Antony Howard, NEW STATESMAN --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Konrad Adenauer––the man who has become known as the father of the New Germany––was one of the truly great leaders of the twentieth century. In an astonishing political career that spanned six decades, this extraordinary statesman lifted Germany out of the ruins of the Second World War and helped shape the modern political landscape, both of his own country and of Europe.

Marvelously well written by esteemed biographer Charles Williams, this authoritative portrait captures the complex man who, as West Germany’s first chancellor, brought the land of the Rhine out of the devastation wrought by wartime defeat to amazing prosperity and acceptance on the world scene. Difficult yet determined, Adenauer not only instilled his homeland with both economic prosperity and democratic principles, but also succeeded in defusing the tensions between France and Germany that had dominated much of their recent history, paving the way for the Treaty of Rome and the establishment of the European Economic Community.

Born in 1876 in Cologne, Adenauer was a devout Roman Catholic who rose from obscurity when he was elected mayor of that city, a position he held for sixteen years. He went on to achieve national prominence in the Weimar Republic but was imprisoned in a concentration camp when the Nazis came to power. Years later, he organized the Christian Democratic Union and became West Germany’s first chancellor, retiring after three consecutive reelections in 1963, a few years short of his ninetieth birthday.

Williams draws on hitherto untapped sources from the former Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic for this new biography. In this unforgettable life story of one of history’s great statesmen, Williams captures the glory, the triumphs, the failures, and the enduring legacy of this exemplary figure.

A penetrating epic tale that bears testimony to this most singular of nations, Adenauer is as much about the making of modern Germany as it is about one of the twentieth century’s foremost statesmen.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471407372
• ISBN-13: 978-0471407379
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Biography On One Of Europe's Finest Statesmen, February 23, 2002

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Konrad Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany (Hardcover)

"Adenauer: The Father Of The New Germany" is a fascinating, often spellbinding, account of the life of West Germany's greatest chancellor, Konrad Adenauer. Adenauer's iron-willed personality is successfully recounted by Williams' excellent prose. To his credit, Charles Williams offers us a balanced account of Adenauer's life, yet nonetheless shows how Adenauer almost singlehandedly restored Germany's honor within the world community in the aftermath of World War II and the savagery of the Nazi regime. Williams provides us with a complex portrayal of a man governed by his deep-seated Catholic convictions, who eventually championed the vision of a tranquil, united Europe. He does a splendid job covering Adenauer's career as Cologne's mayor, his internal "exile" during the Nazi regime, and finally, his duties as the Federal Republic of Germany's first chancellor. This splendid book is one of the finest biographies of a distinguished statesman I've had the pleasure of reading; it certainly rivals David McCullough's "John Adams" for its wealth of information and spellbinding portrayal of its subject.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful biography on one of Germany's great leaders, March 12, 2003

By 

"objectivereader" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Konrad Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany (Hardcover)

This book is the biography of the great Konrad Adenauer, the long serving German Kanzeller charged with rebuilding a shattered Germany following WW2. His childhood, education, and involvement in the Köln government are all described in detail. He is shown in an honest light and at times comes across as egotistical, greedy, and unfaithful. But he was also very determined, highly competent, and utterly committed to seeing Germany reunited under a peaceful, democratic government.

Overall, the book is a worthwhile read but tended to be a bit dry and sometimes got bogged down in detail. The complex issues facing him after the war and how he dealt with them are really the most important parts of this book and I would have liked to have seen this covered in a bit more detail. For those looking for an informative and comprehensive history of Herr Adenauer, this should do.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A heavy reliance on secondary sources., December 6, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Konrad Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany (Hardcover)

When I bought this book I had high expections. The cover photograph is awesome! The book however, turned out to be a disapointment. In terms of research, it's similar to an undergraduate paper. Williams uses very few primary sources, relying instead on the work of others. It's kind of a cut and past job. An examination of the citations will confirm this.
I was especially looking forward to a discussion of what many consider Adenauer's finest hour. His decision, despite intense opposition, to push for reparations for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Williams barely mentions the reparations and dosn't even attempt to examine Adenaurer's motivations.
In terms of of giving an overview of Adenauer's life the book's ok. But this giant of the 20th Century deserves better.