Dreadnought - Robert K. Massie

[Xerxes]

Robert Massie is just amazing. He wrote the Romanov series. In this two-volume book called Dreadnought and Castle Of Steels, he covers the decades leading to the Great War. Each about 1,000 page long. 
 

We know about the Age of Bismarck, the Halls of Versailles, elevation of King of Prussia to Kaiser, and rivalry that ignited into total war.
 

This book describe in details, the political machination in London and Berlin, the change in the cast of characters working behind the scenes. Great Britain emergence from the “splendid isolation” where it stayed totally away from any European alliance. 
 

Of interest, is Bismarck himself. You might think of him as an expansionist. Far from it. His only desire and goal was the unification of German people. But he was overruled by Moltke. Thus, French territory were seized, Paris humiliated and the rest is history. The French would do the same to Germans in 1920. 
 

Another is the internal debate on the elevation of the first Wilhelm to the imperial throne. Wilhelm was not interested. He felt that Prussian spartan way of life will be diluted by the “south Germans”.
 

Ultimately the title of emperor was more like a “Federal President” than a royal title. It was Wilhelm II that really embraced it. 
 

Here are some excerpt from the book. It is a great read. I am reading now how von Tirpitz pushed through bills to build up the German fleet. 
 

[UK]

1 hour ago, Xerxes said:

Robert Massie is just amazing. He wrote the Romanov series. In this two-volume book called Dreadnought and Castle Of Steels, he covers the decades leading to the Great War. Each about 1,000 page long. 
 

We know about the Age of Bismarck, the Halls of Versailles, elevation of King of Prussia to Kaiser, and rivalry that ignited into total war.
 

This book describe in details, the political machination in London and Berlin, the change in the cast of characters working behind the scenes. Great Britain emergence from the “splendid isolation” where it stayed totally away from any European alliance. 
 

Of interest, is Bismarck himself. You might think of him as an expansionist. Far from it. His only desire and goal was the unification of German people. But he was overruled by Moltke. Thus, French territory were seized, Paris humiliated and the rest is history. The French would do the same to Germans in 1920. 
 

Another is the internal debate on the elevation of the first Wilhelm to the imperial throne. Wilhelm was not interested. He felt that Prussian spartan way of life will be diluted by the “south Germans”.
 

Ultimately the title of emperor was more like a “Federal President” than a royal title. It was Wilhelm II that really embraced it. 
 

Here are some excerpt from the book. It is a great read. I am reading now how von Tirpitz pushed through bills to build up the German fleet. 
 

Serious stuff!

[schin]

6 hours ago, Xerxes said:

Robert Massie is just amazing. He wrote the Romanov series. In this two-volume book called Dreadnought and Castle Of Steels, he covers the decades leading to the Great War. Each about 1,000 page long. 
 

We know about the Age of Bismarck, the Halls of Versailles, elevation of King of Prussia to Kaiser, and rivalry that ignited into total war.
 

This book describe in details, the political machination in London and Berlin, the change in the cast of characters working behind the scenes. Great Britain emergence from the “splendid isolation” where it stayed totally away from any European alliance. 
 

Of interest, is Bismarck himself. You might think of him as an expansionist. Far from it. His only desire and goal was the unification of German people. But he was overruled by Moltke. Thus, French territory were seized, Paris humiliated and the rest is history. The French would do the same to Germans in 1920. 
 

Another is the internal debate on the elevation of the first Wilhelm to the imperial throne. Wilhelm was not interested. He felt that Prussian spartan way of life will be diluted by the “south Germans”.
 

Ultimately the title of emperor was more like a “Federal President” than a royal title. It was Wilhelm II that really embraced it. 
 

Here are some excerpt from the book. It is a great read. I am reading now how von Tirpitz pushed through bills to build up the German fleet. 
 

 

"would arrive at the Castle eager to describe...." What a cliff hanger?  Can you give us 500 more pages of it, so I find out how it ends? LOL.

 

Definitely will look into the book! Great recommendation!

[Xerxes]

19 hours ago, schin said:

 

"would arrive at the Castle eager to describe...." What a cliff hanger?  Can you give us 500 more pages of it, so I find out how it ends? LOL.

 

Definitely will look into the book! Great recommendation!

hahaha  I don’t think there was big cliffhanger after the castle

[Xerxes]

The year : 1902

Reformer: Lord Fisher, First Sea Lord

Target: a bloated Royal Navy

 

 

 

By 1907, the Navy was costing £31 million pound. About £5 million pound less when the reform commenced in 1902. 
 

All that even as the fighting capacity of the Navy increased, both through introduction of new hardware, re-allocation of resources, elimination of fiefdoms and removing old ships which till then was used to “show the flag”. 
 

I think Lord Fisher would have been a good portfolio manager. 

 

 

 

[Spekulatius]

Seems like great book. Boy did Fisher have a way to cut through BS- classifying ships in “Sheep”, “Llamas “ and “goat”, “ Bath chair flotilla”. Maybe his reincarnation should run the  Pentagon. I am sure he would give HII’s management an earful in that role.

Edited yesterday at 05:33 AM by Spekulatius

[Xerxes]

8 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Seems like great book. Boy did Fisher have a way to cut through BS- classifying ships in “Sheep”, “Llamas “ and “goat”, “ Bath chair flotilla”. Maybe his reincarnation should run the  Pentagon. I am sure he would give HII’s management an earful in that role.

 

Fantastic book and long. So it is my long-read book in the background on slow burn.

 

Read that chapter that I posted just this past week. Timely I think with what will be happening (or not happening) in the Pentagon.

 

[Spekulatius]

51 minutes ago, Xerxes said:

 

Fantastic book and long. So it is my long-read book in the background on slow burn.

 

Read that chapter that I posted just this past week. Timely I think with what will be happening (or not happening) in the Pentagon.

 

It is also timely in term of what is happening on the political stage with respect to our era becoming a Neo imperialistic era. Others call it multipolar.

 

The nice thing about studying history is that you realize everything has been there before, not exactly the same way but close enough that it rhymes.