A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People – Beyond World War II: Germany's Full Portrait from Antiquity to Present

A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People – Beyond World War II: Germany's Full Portrait from Antiquity to Present

The word "German" was being used by the Romans as early as the mid–first century B.C. to describe tribes in the eastern Rhine valley. Nearly two thousand years later, the richness and complexity of German history have faded beneath the long shadow of the country's darkest hour in World War II. Now, award-winning historian Steven Ozment, whom The New Yorker has hailed as "a splendidly readable scholar," gives us the fullest portrait possible in this sweeping, original, and provocative history of the German people, from antiquity to the present, holding a mirror up to an entire civilization -- one that has been alternately Western Europe's most successful and most perilous. “Readable and absorbing. An enjoyable and well-done work that is ideal for the general reader.” - Booklist “Brilliant. A highly stimulating book and a pleasure to read, combining serious scholarship with verve and good storytelling.” - The Washington Times “Clever and fascinating.” - The Chicago Tribune “Insightful. . . . Persuasive. . . . Remarkable.” - First Things “A masterly synthesis. (It) fizzes with bold hypotheses and subtle allusions. A heroic feat of scholarship.” - The New Criterion The word "German" was being used by the Romans as early as the mid–first century B.C. to describe tribes in the eastern Rhine valley. Nearly two thousand years later, the richness and complexity of German history have faded beneath the long shadow of the country's darkest hour in World War II. Now, award-winning historian Steven Ozment, whom The New Yorker has hailed as "a splendidly readable scholar," gives us the fullest portrait possible in this sweeping, original, and provocative history of the German people, from antiquity to the present, holding a mirror up to an entire civilization -- one that has been alternately Western Europe's most successful and most perilous. Steven Ozment is McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History at Harvard University and the author of The Bürgermeister's Daughter; Flesh and Spirit; Ancestors; Protestants; and The Age of Reform, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Schaff History Prize. He lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts.