Captivating History Germany

Germany is one of the richest and most influential countries in the world, which is amazing when you consider that the nation is only about the size of the US states of Oregon and Washington combined. It’s even more astounding when you consider that at the end of World War II, every major German city (and many minor ones) had been flattened by the Allied bombing campaign. Still more amazing is that the country has gone from international pariah and home of the Holocaust to one of the most well-regarded and humanitarian nations on Earth.

Have you ever wondered how a man like Adolf Hitler could have come into power? How he legally became a dictator by using a democratic process? Or what events led up to his reign of terror? The answers lie in the Weimar Republic. Amid the devastation of World War I, Germany’s monarchy provided no answers. A democratic government seemed the only way to appease Allied nations and solve the many disasters that were already at the country’s doorstep.

This audiobook will take you on a thrilling ride through history, starting with the modest origins of Prussia and its Hohenzollern dynasty. You will be amazed at how they traversed the historical barbwire of late medieval times, unwillingly entangled in wars with greater powers and religious reformation. You will learn of their struggles against the Habsburgs and Austria, France and Napoleon, and many other adversaries in the countless wars in which the Prussians found themselves - wars which weren’t always won by them.

Explore the rise of Adolf Hitler. Was Hitler, as Ian Kershaw asked, a natural consequence of German history, or an aberration? Not that Hitler had been in hiding, waiting to attack. The Führer had actually been following an aggressive and savage foreign policy for almost 10 years, and been named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1938.

Germany is a relatively young nation-state. United in 1871, it's even younger than the United States. However, the territories inhabited by the Germanic people have a rich history that reaches far back in prehistory and antiquity. Located in the heart of Europe, Germany witnessed centuries of conflicts, immigration, and negotiations. Consequently, its shape, size, and ethnicity changed throughout history. The territories which constitute Germany today were often war zones, and at times they would join forces against a common enemy or break apart due to internal conflicts.

Though the men of Versailles (and they were overwhelmingly men) had arrived in Paris to put an end to World War I, by the time the conference ended, the main goal of the diplomats and national leaders had turned into ending wars for all time. Obviously, that did not work, and as a matter of fact, the end result of the Paris Peace Conference - the Treaty of Versailles - would likely cause more wars than any of its authors could have possibly dreamed of, including World War II.

This audiobook will transport you to the late 19th century, allowing you to “witness” one of the seminal moments of modern history. You’ll learn what events preceded the confrontation between the waning old European power of France and the up-and-coming Prussian state, and how a war led to the unification of Germany into an empire. Through this guide, you’ll find out how significant the famous “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck was in preparing the ground for a conflict, and how his political genius allowed Prussia to spearhead the German union.

Der Vertrag zur Beendigung des Ersten Weltkriegs, auch bekannt als der „Krieg, der alle Kriege beendete“, wurde im Schloss von Versailles unterzeichnet, das bis 1789 Sitz der französischen Könige war und bis heute eines der schönsten Bauwerke der Welt ist.

The first World War was one of the most devastating conflicts in our history. The tumult and chaos that remained in the wake of the first World War had far-reaching and devastating consequences, not just for Europe and the survivors of the war, but for the entire world. The ruins of Europe provided a fertile breeding ground for fierce nationalism, which led to the rise of the Third Reich and allowed the evil of Adolf Hitler to go unchecked for far too long.

Deutschland ist ein relativ junger Nationalstaat. Mit seiner Gründung im Jahr 1871 ist er sogar jünger als die Vereinigten Staaten. Die von Deutschen besiedelten Territorien verfügen jedoch über eine vielfältige Geschichte, die weit zurück in die Antike und Vorgeschichte reicht. Im Zentrum Europas gelegen, war Deutschland Zeuge jahrhundertelanger Konflikte, Einwanderung und Verhandlungen. Infolgedessen wandelte sich seine Gestalt, Größe und seine Ethnie über seine gesamte Geschichte hinweg.

¿Fue Hitler, tal y como preguntó Ian Kershaw, una consecuencia natural de la historia alemana o una aberración? No es que Hitler hubiera estado escondido, esperando para atacar. El Führer realmente había estado siguiendo una política exterior agresiva y salvaje durante casi diez años, y fue nombrado Hombre del Año por la revista Time en 1938.