The Shortest History of Germany Audiobook By James Hawes cover art

The Shortest History of Germany

From Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel: A Retelling for Our Times

Preview
Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Shortest History of Germany

By: James Hawes
Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

2,000 years of history in one riveting afternoon

A country both admired and feared, Germany has been the epicenter of world events time and again: the Reformation, both World Wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall. It did not emerge as a modern nation until 1871 - yet today, Germany is the world's fourth-largest economy and a standard-bearer of liberal democracy.

"There's no point studying the past unless it sheds some light on the present", writes James Hawes in this brilliantly concise history that has already captivated hundreds of thousands of readers and listeners. "It is time, now more than ever, for us all to understand the real history of Germany."

©2019 James Hawes (P)2019 Tantor
Europe Germany War
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

“An excellent little book . . . [Hawes] has a sense of humour, and a sharp eye for similarities between then and now.” (The Spectator)

Interesting History • Detailed Overview • Significant Country • Long Historical View • Entertaining Narration
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
A great performance and very interesting history about Germany and how it became such a significant country in Europe.

A very interesting History that seems to repeat itself

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is the long view of German history, tracing continuities from Roman times to 2019. Note: as of 1/25, Audible’s chapter listing is comically wrong. The 2019 postscript is closer to 3 minutes than the indicated 3 hours.

Lively and insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

interesting view on Germany sub regional politics. a nice short overview of German history

interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book puts forth historical comparisons of east vs west German with American north vs south that I have never previously considered. An excellent book.

Best Perspective on German History

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I am happy with the content of the book, but unfortunately the narrator can’t pronounce German names and words, which makes listening painful to me.

The narrator can’t pronounce German

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Very helpful history. Many surprising observations. unfortunately the narrador softens his vice at importante points.

Difficult to hear the narración. Very interestin

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I would like another on the same subject for comparison and contrast since I'm ba

much needed summary in English!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Terrific depiction of an important and complex people. The narration was entertaining and projected sincerity.

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Narrator drops his voice at the end of most sentences. If you are driving or walking and any other ambient noise is present, he is unintelligible. I was constantly rewinding to try to understand this very interesting story.
Author seemed to be unbiased until the last third of the book, when all troubles of Germany are said to be based upon Prussians and their influence. I currently lack the background to appreciate whether this is accurate, but it was a very interesting story--if I heard it properly.

Narrator is so frustrating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

My German history was lacking. I now have a context for German & European news.

I learned a great deal.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews