{"product_id":"bismarck-a-life-9780199975396","title":"Bismarck: A Life","description":"This riveting, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling biography illuminates the life of Otto von Bismarck, the statesman who unified Germany but who also embodied everything brutal and ruthless about Prussian culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJonathan Steinberg draws heavily on contemporary writings, allowing Bismarck's friends and foes to tell the story. What rises from these pages is a complex giant of a man: a hypochondriac with the constitution of an ox, a brutal tyrant who could easily shed tears, a convert to an extreme form of evangelical Protestantism who secularized schools and introduced civil divorce. Bismarck may have been in sheer ability the most intelligent man to direct a great state in modern times. His brilliance and insight dazzled his contemporaries. But all agreed there was also something demonic, diabolical, and overwhelming in Bismarck's personality. He was a kind of malign genius who, behind the various postures, concealed an ice-cold contempt for his fellow human beings and a drive to control and rule them. As one contemporary noted: \"the Bismarck regime was a constant orgy of scorn and abuse of mankind, collectively and individually.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant study in power, this comprehensive biography brings Bismarck to life, revealing the stark contrast between the \"Iron Chancellor's\" unmatched political skills and his profoundly flawed human character.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199975396\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 577\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/16\/2013 pg. 30\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Jonathan Steinberg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36635192459420,"sku":"9780199975396","price":22.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_0a90303d-ebc9-4768-8233-0f18847d7c39.jpg?v=1603838827","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/bismarck-a-life-9780199975396","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}