The Wars of German Unification (Modern Wars)

By Dennis E. Showalter

Book Overview

Taken together, three wars fundamentally altered the balance of power in 19th-century Europe: the Schleswig-Holstein conflict of 1864; the "Six Weeks' War" of 1866; and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. They marked the establishment of Prussian hegemony in central Europe, the creation of the Bismarckian Reich in 1871, and as a by-product the reduction of Habsburg influence and the collapse of Napoleon III's Second Empire. Showalter gives a full account of the international context as well as of the wars themselves and their consequences.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340580178
• ISBN13: 9780340580172
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Hodder Education Publishers
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.1" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent overview

Dr. Showalter has done us a great service, both summing up the scholarship on the wars of 1864, 1866, and 1870-1 while adding his own insights and judgements. His empathy and refusal to endlessly find fault makes this work an invaluable corrective to Wawro's two deep, well written, but flawed works on 1866 and 1870. If this material interests you, this is a book you must read.