Friday, February 28, 2014

“A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People”, by Steven E. Ozment


432 pages, Harper Perennial, ISBN-13: 978-0060934835

If you’re looking for a detailed cataloging of German history from the early tribes through the modern era, then A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People is not the book to read. Ozment is writing to an audience (it seems to me, anyway) that is already somewhat familiar with the major topics, events, and people of German history. That allows him to focus more on certain themes than on details, such as: the relationship between church and state and how it evolved in Germany; obstacles to centralized authority in Germany; how Germans have come to see themselves and foreigners throughout the centuries; the German balance between order and freedom; and, finally, the difficulties of writing about German history for historians in the post-Nazi era. On developing these, I think Ozment does a good job, and overall the book goes into wonderful detail in some areas, needless detail in others, and is painfully vague on the rest.

For example, he writes about seven pages on the Saxon Elector Frederick the Wise, one of Luther’s biggest supporters, while also spending about the same amount on the revolution of 1848, arguably one of the most pivotal events in German – and European – history (although he does refer back to it later, when discussing interwar and post-WW2 German governments). On the other hand, his discussion of Hitler’s rise to power is very well written, giving the reader a better understanding of the conditions in which the Third Reich arose, and what exactly many Germans found appealing about Hitler.

What I enjoyed most about the book was Ozment’s continual discussion of the German balance between individual freedom and autonomy, and the need for strong authority to prevent anarchy and ensure prosperity. Historically, Germans have seen freedom from chaos as being equally important as freedom from tyranny. His analysis of the German reaction to the French Revolution was excellent. He also aptly explains the German multilayered identity, with strong inclinations toward the local and the regional; this had been fostered by centuries-long existence of free cities and powerful dukes and princes. In the centuries when English, French, and Spanish monarchs were becoming more powerful, Germany’s monarchs were often preoccupied with foreign involvement, causing their absence and neglect of German affairs. That allowed Germany’s princes to become even more powerful, partially explaining why the country never centralized the way the others did.

Overall, the book’s analysis of German history is often lopsided, focusing too much on some areas, while being too skimpy with others. But Ozment develops and supports his themes with a well-researched and written book that will, at the end of the day, leave most readers better informed about Germany.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

“Hernando De Soto: A Savage Quest in the Americas” by David Ewing Duncan


570 pages, Crown Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-0517582220

David Duncan has written a full and detailed account of the life of Hernando De Soto, and although the Florida expedition that consumed the last few years of his life is what he is best (only?) remembered for, it’s interesting to see the man during his earlier life and how it made him what he was. Born in Spain in 1500, little is known about his childhood: he went to Panama as a teenaged soldier and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a leader in the conquest of Nicaragua (one chronicler has stated that De Soto had great skill in “slaying Indians”); he went with Pizarro to Peru to conquer the Incas and then returned to Spain a very wealthy man which enabled him to attain the governorship of Cuba and the right to claim Florida where, with 600 men, he landed somewhere near Tampa Bay and began his conquest of what would later become the southeastern area of the United States.

De Soto’s methods were brutal (thus the word “Savage” in the title), though typical of the Spanish conquistadors. Natives were either a means to material riches or would be slaughtered; best would be first the one, then the other. Anyway, the expedition wandered north through Florida to the panhandle (Tallahassee is the only sure place anyone knows with certainty that De Soto actually visited, thanks to archeological finds made a few blocks from the state house) and then through the heart of Georgia and South Carolina, west through North Carolina, south through Alabama to near Montgomery, then west again through Mississippi, where on May 8, 1541, he discovered the Mississippi River, perhaps just west of present-day Walls or near Friars Point (the mouth of the river had actually been discovered and mapped by unnamed sailors decades earlier). For the next year the expedition roamed through Arkansas before turning back to the Mississippi, where De Soto died (perhaps poisoned, though Duncan admits the evidence is skimpy to non-existent) on May 21, 1542, and was entombed in the river. (In a half-page epilogue, Duncan brings the expedition, reduced by then to 300 men, safely to Mexico 18 months later.)

The tragedy of this expedition, as Duncan makes clear, is not that the “material riches” so long sought after were never found, but that so many “real riches” (the rich, fertile land in particular) went unappreciated. Duncan believes that De Soto wasn’t interested in gold by then anyway (he was already fabulously wealthy); what really drove him was an insatiable ambition to be the greatest conquistador of them all. Duncan’s biography is interesting and vibrant, and offers the reader a clear picture of the man and his times. The research is thorough and wide-ranging and includes official documents and first-hand accounts. The book cleverly incorporates maps, charts, paintings, and other graphics into the text; furthermore, although it may be tempting to skip the footnotes due to the length of the text, the reader is well advised not to do so. Buried in these footnotes are clever thoughts, insights and explanations.

Duncan sees De Soto as neither a hero nor a villain, only a man consumed by the need to succeed. And in that he certainly wasn’t a unique individual in the annals of history.

Monday, February 24, 2014

“What If? The World's Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been”, edited by Robert Cowley


415 pages, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, ISBN-13: 978-0399145766

Did you know the Kaiser volunteered to be shot at by Annie Oakley? What if she had shot him instead of what she did hit? Or how about a New York Taxi-Driver than came within inches of fundamentally altering the 20th Century? Or how one blow of a battle-axe caused disorientation of he who was hit, but the second blow, having been prevented by a bodyguard changed history. Big events do alter History, and this book demonstrates how totally unforeseen events, individual action, or the smallest detail or mistake can have the same impact as an event thought to be a major turning point.

History, like everything else, has fads that come and go, but one fad that never fades away is counterfactual history, the endless game of “what if this happened” or “what if that never happened” that occupies students and teachers of history the world over. This is just the sort of exercise presented in What If? The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. Interesting, informative, and thought provoking, but is it useful? I believe it is, but not from the point of view of the historian, because history, no matter how you want to put it, is about things that happened not about things that didn't happen.

What if? is useful from the point of view of the decision maker, and to be more specific, from the point of view of the decision making process. Some essays contained in the book base their assumptions on circumstance, or a chance, like the famous “lost orders” that influence the outcome of the US Civil War. Other essays – the ones that are really useful – explore the decisions behind the historical events. Only these essays serve a wider purpose, not only of entertainment, but of greater insight into things that truly could have been different. There are events described that are familiar, but there are many that unless a good deal of prior knowledge is brought by the reader, the full benefit of a given essay is missed. On balance this is a great read.

One note of caution: there are authors who make value judgments about a given Culture/People that may clash with a belief a reader may hold dear, but these are the exception and not the rule. It did seem at times inappropriate to make value judgments about History even if an alternate one is proposed: as it was still being treated as an History if not the History, should not the same objectivity be maintained? An alternative outcome of events does not require a value judgment or an editorial to be admitted or even needed. I am not advocating a view, rather stating that no personal views by the Author are needed. Tell us your theory, not who or what you may not like about who is involved.