Treitschke Heinrich von: Deutsche Geschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts - 1. Teil 20191115-0401

Deutsche Geschichte des 19. JahrhundertsErster Band (German Edition)
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Tidbit of German history

This review is from: Deutsche Geschichte des 19. JahrhundertsErster Band (German Edition) (Kindle Edition)

Amazon has published in two volumes interesting episodes of German history from 19th century, the time of emergence of national states out of provincial ones. About the same time similar development took place also in Italy, although in quite different way: in Germany peacefully, in Italy by Garibaldi as a result of a triumph of a warfare cavalcade.

These two German volumes have an exceptionally strong personal stamp of the author Heinrich von Treitschke, grand old man of German history. No less grand is the author of the foreword Wilhelm Mommsen, who guarantees Treitschke's personal approach by the words: "man liest Treitschke um Treitschkes willen, nicht wegen der Sache." Treitschke is read because of Treitschke, not because of the subject matter.

And, in deed, fresh and pinching are many of his observations and expressions, like for example about the important Vienna Conference as a country fair where cattle sellers and buyers meet: »Der gute Wiener Kongreß gleicht einem Jahrmarkt in einer kleinen Stadt, wo ein jeder sein Vieh hintreibt, es zu verkaufen oder zu vertauschen.«

Descriptive of the need of union is the observation that "in Posen und Pommern mußten 48, in den Provinzen links der Elbe 71 fremde Geldsorten amtlich anerkannt und tarifiert werden". The road from this multitude of currencies to one German mark, not to speak of the present day euro in almost all Europe is very long.