The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century
by:
Peter Watson (author)
From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable...
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From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Adolf Hitler and his disastrous Third Reich—a brutal legacy that has overshadowed the nation’s achievements ever since.In this absorbing cultural and intellectual history, Peter Watson goes back through time to explore the origins of the German genius, explaining how and why it flourished, how it shaped our lives, and, most important, how it continues to influence our world. Watson’s virtuoso sweep through modern German thought and culture will challenge and confound both the stereotypes the world has of Germany and those that Germany has of itself.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780060760229 (0060760222)
Publish date: June 22nd 2010
Publisher: Harper
Pages no: 992
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
History,
European Literature,
Cultural,
Science,
Culture,
Philosophy,
German Literature,
Music,
European History,
Germany
Watson’s enormous book is bracketed by an introduction where he defines the problem he wants to solve and a concluding chapter setting out his findings. The vast quantity of material in between is not conducive to a rational judgement. I would have preferred a much more selective and economic pres...