- Paperback: 608 pages
- Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (4 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0349113696
- ISBN-13: 978-0349113692
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 595,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Alongside Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, Konrad Adenauer was one of the big three leaders who helped rebuild Europe from the ashes of the Second World War. Charles Williams, the Labour politician, has already written an acclaimed biography of de Gaulle; now he has turned his attention to Adenauer, surely the greatest political survivor of 20th-century history. A second-rate Catholic lawyer, Adenauer owed his rapid advancement to the office of Mayor of Cologne in the 1920s to the influence of his first wife's family and to his own crafty opportunism. Under him millions were spent redeveloping the city, and his own rather shady investment portfolio expanded too. Driven from power by the Nazis, Adenauer spent the years of the Third Reich dodging the Gestapo, but remaining aloof from conspiracies bent on destroying Hitler. One of the few clean, if not honest, senior German politicians left after 1945, he not surprisingly became Chancellor of the new Federal Republic, finally bowing out in 1963 a few years short of his 90th birthday. All sides of Adenaeur--family patriarch, horse-trading politician, devout Catholic, rose-gardener, amateur inventor and shuttle-diplomat--are covered in this likeable biography of an unlikeable man.--Miles Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
** '(Adenauer) is well-researched and admirable written. It puts the German statsman 's extraordinary career into historical perspective. Above all it reveals Adenauer the man-with all his authority and strength, his persistence and endurance and his streak of ruthlessness and political cunning' - INDEPENDENT ** 'The best biography I read this year' - Antony Howard, NEW STATESMAN
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Charles Williams' authoritative volume is the first detailed biography of Adenauer in English. It divides into four distinct sections, covering imperial, Weimar, Nazi and post-war Germany. The author takes time to analyse Adenauer's early career (he entered politics in 1906,and was elected deputy in 1909 and then lord mayor of Cologne in 1917). Although potted biographies often refer to his 'local' role before 1933, in fact he was twice offered- and declined- the Weimar chancellorship in the 1920s. Adenauer's pre-1945 career actually takes up 60% of the book, which may be overlong, but allows scope for anecdote and a lengthy study of his personality. The book is better for it.
Adenauer initially practiced law, and made a happy and politically useful first marriage to Emma Weyer (her uncle was also lord mayor of Cologne). The younger man showed his ruthless side early, outmanoeuvring various colleagues to secure the top job. This may have done little for his family life- Williams shows that it was often strained, and that despite 2 wives and 8 children Adenauer was basically a loner (although never workaholic- even as a young man he found time to siesta). Admittedly, his period in office was difficult. Emma died just before his promotion to lord mayor, and shortly aftterward a car crash left him with serious injuries. Despite this, Adenauer presided over the city's trials during the war, and its recovery afterward, even finding time to invent an ersatz bread to feed the citizenry!
The 1920s brought hyperinflation, military occupation and the stock market crash to German cities. Adenauer married again, to Gussi Zinsser, and had a second family; but unwise investments and the loss of his job at the beginning of the Nazi period caused severe financial problems. But for friends' generosity in the mid 1930s, the family would likely have faced destitution. Even so, by 1935, and while expecting the Nazi administration to be short-lived, Adenauer had to accept the effective end of his political career. He settled down to plan his retirement home in the Bonn suburbs, typically interfering in the architect's and surveyor's plans at every opportunity!
Even in his 60s, Adenauer could not really relax. He was arrested sporadically in the 1930s, and interned again following the 1944 plot to murder Hitler (which he had carefully dissociated from). Gussi was also interned, attempting suicide twice, and suffered constant poor health before her premature death in 1948. Yet within 24 hours of the Americans capturing his village in March 1945, Adenauer had been offered his old job back. He even shrugged off being dismissed from it for incompetence a few months later, concentrating on the larger task of securing leadership of the new Christian Democrat Party, and leading it to electoral success in 1949.
Adenauer spent his 14 years as Chancellor working towards a rapprochement between France and Germany. In retrospect he can take much credit for the EEC's development, even if both he and De Gaulle felt unfulfilled in office. Management of the 'economic miracle' was largely delegated to Ludwig Erhard- typically, Adenauer chose to ignore his economics minister's role in his memoirs! His energy, for a man already past 70, amazed contemporaries and enabled him to win 4 elections before retiring in 1963. Even then he continued to try to destabilise his successors, to hector foreign governments and to enjoy jet travel and luxury foreign hotels as often as possible. Williams brings the man behind the career to life, and the book serves as a good history of 20th century German politics, not merely a biography.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Adenauer lived through several generations and two world wars and yet how many know what made this man tick?
He rose to power by, at times; apparently ruthless methods; even for the class and cultural systems of the time.
He was faced with personal tragedy, which at times drove him on but also at times brought him near ruin.
The book is well written and, for a long and factual work; is worth investing time in reading. Excellent value for money.
He rose to power by, at times; apparently ruthless methods; even for the class and cultural systems of the time.
He was faced with personal tragedy, which at times drove him on but also at times brought him near ruin.
The book is well written and, for a long and factual work; is worth investing time in reading. Excellent value for money.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Charles William's gives a descriptive and introspective look into the life of West Germany's first chancellor. I found this book slow to get into at first, however as the books moves to the defining years of Adenauer's life it shows how huge a part this man had in shaping the new West Germany. For those interested in German history and it's development after WW2 this is a very good read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Germany
- Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Europe
- Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Germany
- Books > Biography > Political > Political Leaders & Leadership
- Books > History > Political History > Politicians
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Political Science & Ideology > Political Science
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
