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A ground breaking account of the eighteenth-century’s “world war”.
"Both scholars and students will be most grateful to Szabo for having provided them with a compact and well-written summary of the present state of knowledge."
Michael Hochedlinger, Austrian State Archives
Franz Szabo: the Seven Years War
In this groundbreaking new work, based on a thorough re-reading of primary sources and new research of the Austrian State Archives, Franz A. J. Szabo presents a scholarly but eminently readable and stimulating reassessment of the continental war - the first in nearly a century.
Professor Szabo challenges the well-established myth that the Seven Years War was won through the military skill and tenacity of the King of Prussia, often styled 'Frederick the Great'. Instead he argues that Prussia did not win but merely survived the Seven Years War, and did so despite and not because of the actions and decisions of its king. The Seven Years War was not the “cabinet war” that history has written it to be but a war that drove all participants to near collapse and, in doing so, changed the face of Europe.
With balanced attention to all the major participants and to all conflict zones on the European continent, this volume describes the strategies and tactics of the military leaders on all sides, analyses all the major battles of the war, and illuminates the diplomatic, political and financial aspects of the conflict. By providing a clear analysis of English, French and Prussian, as well as Austrian, Russian and Swedish policies and actions, the book offers a new perspective on the war as a whole.
Franz A.J. Szabo is Professor of History and Director of the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Among his publications are Kaunitz and Enlightened Absolutism, 1753-1780, which won both the Barbara Jelavich Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and the Austrian Cultural Institute Prize for best book in Austrian Studies. He has been awarded the Austrian Order of Merit for the Arts and Sciences for his contributions to Central European scholarship.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent view of the war, with a disturbing and oft incorrect bias.,
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This review is from: The Seven Years War in Europe: 1756-1763 (Paperback)
Dr Franz A.J. Szabo creates a very different and interesting picture of the Seven Years War in this book. His accounts of the political situation in Europe during this key formative period in history are fascinating and in depth. Unfortunately, he allows his very apparent bias against Prussia, specifically Frederick II to be an annoyingly repetitive theme in an otherwise excellent history of the war. The Prussian army is admitted to be the most competent fighting force in europe, but otherwise Prussians are "Infamous", "Overconfident" and "Brutal." Much is made of the occupation of Saxony, which was no more or less brutal than many other occupations of the period. The effective Canton system of recruiting men into the Prussian army is labeled immoral, and Austrian generals are frequently excused from their mistakes. While accurate civilians casualties are reported for allied countries, any mention of the 400,000 Prussian civilian losses is suspiciously absent. There is minimal attention given to Russian atrocities against civilians, which were acknowledged by most nations of the time as being horrendous.
In addition to the overall Anti Prussian bias, the attacks made on Frederick of Prussia are in some places accurate, but in most places over the top and distracting from the overarching picture. Szabo descirbes Frederick as a "thief", and his invasion of Silesia is rightly condemned, but certainly not deserving of anymore attention than the other wars of conquest undertaken by monarchs of the 16th-18th centuries. More distracting than this is his thinly veiled accusations of cowardice, his complete derision of Fredericks tactical capabilities, and non-relevant disparagement of Fredericks poetry, Hygienic habits, and musical ability. Any slightly heroic action on Fredericks part is dismissed as a propaganda play, and victories are invariably the result of other Prussians, not Frederick, while defeats are his sole responsibility. I quote from page 24: "Frederick more directly was personally responsible for Prussia's failures, if, ironically, not its successes." Any authors slightly less critcal of Frederick are lambasted as "Apologists for Frederick" including respected Historian and Author Christopher Duffy. Finally, Frederick is blatantly blamed for the actions of Nazi Germany during the 20th Century, and HITLER is described as "Lacking Fredericks capacity for ruthlessness." In closing, this excellent overview of the war is marred by the open animus of its author. For a overview of the war, as well as excellent logistical and economic information, it is second to none. However, the pro Austrian viewpoint (Szabo dedicated the book to his two Austrian grandfathers, both veterans of World War 1) would not be distracting without the attacks on Prussia which, instead of convincing the audience, leaves them wondering why Szabo has such a chip on his shoulder.
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The only book in english that covers the entire European theater,
By
This review is from: The Seven Years War in Europe: 1756-1763 (Paperback)
A solid single volume study of the war in the European theater, with a balanced depiction of personalities, politics, campaign and battle anecdotes, and economic backstory. Particularly useful in that it is the only book in english that covers both the Hanoverian-French conflict in Germany and Frederick's Prussia-Austria-Russia campaigns. Note -- the battle coverage does not go down to the detail level of Christopher Duffy's books on Frederick the Great, and few battle maps are provided. As the other review mentions, its more critical view of Frederick and his quirky/cranky personality, vanity, and tendency to blame others for ills of his own making, was for me a refreshing take compared to the many other SYW/Frederick books I have read that are draped in mild idol worship.
Overall, the book is an excellent first read for anyone new to the Seven Years War.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting reassessment,
This review is from: The Seven Years War in Europe: 1756-1763 (Paperback)
Professor Szabo has done everyone a favor by offering an interesting reassessment of the continental aspects of the Seven Years War based upon a thorough reading of primary and secondary sources. His work is a major contribution to a large body of literature concerning the nature of eighteenth century warfare. While other reviews have correctly emphasized the author's anti-Frederick interpretation, mention should also be made of Professor Szabo's argument that the Seven Years War was not a 'limited-war' in any sense of the term. This places him in agreement with scholars such as Jeremy Black and Denis Showalter who have critiqued the myth of eighteenth century warfare as limited in intent and scope. This reader found Professor Szabo's assessment of Frederick II interesting and, ultimately, convincing. His coverage of the complex diplomatic history of the European powers was thorough and easy to understand. Furthermore, his ability to integrate the military and diplomatic history of the period was simply magisterial. For those accustomed to viewing Frederick II as a military genius (as I once was), it is imperative that you read this book...no matter how much it might hurt! :)
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