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Title: Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France 1870-1871, Revised Edition by Michael Eliot Howard ISBN: 0-415-26671-8 Publisher: Routledge Pub. Date: 09 November, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: an authoritative treatment of a complex conflict
Comment: Howard does a masterful job in detailing the the military preparations of both sides before the conflict, describing the war itself, and even going into some detail about the increasing importance of technology in "modern" warfare (especially transport). However, there are some shortcommings - the chief among them are the maps. While they are useful in giving the reader an idea of what happened where, they really needed to be more detailed, showing troop movements and positions. I also thought the lack of perspective on the war was disappointing - after all, the Franco-Prussian war was instrumental in the creation of German nationhood, the birth of the Fourth republic, and a foundation stone of the First World War. None of these important after-effects were discussed in any detail whatsoever. As a book of pure military history, though, Howard's book is beyond reproach.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Franco Prussian War
Comment: The Franco Prussian War of 1870-1871 was one of the most important wars of The Nineteenth century. This war would set the stage for what European wars would be like from then on. It also optioned for Germany a respect and imitation for years to come. In this book many subjects are discussed. First the different technologies and reforms of the French and Prussians are chronicled. Then the different mobilizations of both sides, their battle plans and the concentrations of the armies before fighting started. Then the first engagements are described in great detail. Then the great battle of Sedan is laid out for all to see. Then the siege of Paris and the war in the south and west of France is told in great description. Lastly the last battles of Orleans are described and then the following peace treaty is laid out. In conclusion the Franco Prussian War by Michael Howard is a good book for anyone interested in history or politics. If the book has any problems it may be the lack of translation of French and German in the text and in the footnotes. Despite this problem the book represents the Nineteenth century very well.
Rating: 4
Summary: Military history as it should be written
Comment: The Franco-Prussian War is an unusual conflict in that it is in many ways a study in contrasts. Historically, it set the stage for two twentieth century conflagrations even as it settled scores from the early nineteenth century. Politically, it marked the zenith of French national influence, and the ascendancy of a united German power. Finally, militarily, it offered the first widespread use of breech-loading rifles and modern artillery, even as it often languished in the tactics of an earlier age.
It takes a broad brush to capture all of these elements, and in this book, Michael Howard has succeeded admirably. He has taken an often overlooked conflict and placed it squarely at the crossroads of modern Europe, and a new, more terrible type of war. For while the American Civil War (or even the Crimean War) is often referred to as the first modern war, it is in fact in the Franco-Prussian War that we see all the key elements of modern warfare: national mobilization, citizen soldiers under the guidance of a professional general staff, and the ascendancy of industrialization in both transport and new, more destructive, weapons. At the same time, newer, more insidious developments in the form of guerrilla warfare and the targeting of civilians centers for strategic reasons first make their appearance on a large scale.
Arising out of French objections to the Prussian selection of the Spanish monarch, this war, like many before and since, arose out of a complete lack of French appreciation for the changes that had overtaken the battlefield. While the French had relied on a small, professional army, the Prussians had adopted a model of mandatory service that allowed them to raise massive, reasonably competent forces with unprecedented speed. Thus, when hostilities broke out the French, who had assumed an easy victory, were caught on their heels and never regained the initiative.
Thus from the summer of 1870 through the depths of winter and into 1871, the story of the Franco-Prussian War is the story of the courage of the French soldier being failed utterly by inept leadership. It wasn't in the strength of Prussian arms, or in the courage of its soldiers that the war was won; rather, it was in the ability of the centralized Prussian command structure to adapt rapidly to events when their French counterparts were still in the dark that victory was secured.
Thus, while Howard's writing on the actual combat is vivid, it is in his appreciation of the fundamentally new Prussian way of war that he is most successful. From the king, through the Bismarck and Moltke, and on down through the rest of the senior command, he paints a vivid portrait of Prussian ideals and ambition. Conversely, he is equally successful at capturing the decrepitude and ineptness of a fragmented French government that lost the war in its opening days, and then prolonged it, to the never ending suffering of its soldiers, long after all hope was lost. Likewise along these lines, Howard nicely illustrates the increasing conflict that inevitable comes between politicians and the military in an era of total war.
That said, I do have a few minor complaints. The first is that Howard almost never translates quotes from the original French or German, and while I was just barely able to muddle through with what I remember from high school and college, any one who hasn't been exposed to these languages would certainly be frustrated. Secondly, as anyone familiar with European politics knows, nothing happens in a vacuum, and yet Howard spends precious little time discussing the implications of the conflict within the international system of the time. Finally, while Howard offers many maps, they offer little to know information about troop positions and lines of march, which leaves the reader flipping back rather than digesting a detailed map at a glance.
However, these are minor complaints about an otherwise eminently successful work. Howard has packed a tremendous amount of research into a readable and digestible volume. His appreciation of the politics and personalities is matched only by his understanding of the weapons of war and the nature of combat. Not only is this a successful history of the Franco-Prussian war, but also a model of what good history writing should be: balanced, well researched, and above all, readable. Finally, Howard's success elevates the Franco-Prussian War to its rightful significance as one of the root causes of the tensions that led to WWI, and hence, to WWII. Thus the student of history should appreciate this work not just for its success in considering immediate events, but for providing a bridge from the Great Power politics of the nineteenth century to the wars of the twentieth.
Jake Mohlman
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Title: The Austro-Prussian War: Austria's War With Prussia and Italy in 1866 by Geoffery Wawro ISBN: 0521629519 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: The Franco-Prussian War: The German Conquest of France in 1870-1871 by Geoffrey Wawro ISBN: 0521584361 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Crimea: The Great Crimean War, 1854-1856 by Trevor Royle ISBN: 1403964165 Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Battle of Koniggratz: Prussia's Victory over Austria, 1866 by Gordon Alexander Craig ISBN: 0812218442 Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert K. Massie ISBN: 0679456716 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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