Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Shortest History of Germany

  • From Julius Caesar to Angela Merkel: A Retelling for Our Times
  • By: James Hawes
  • Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
  • Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Shortest History of Germany

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

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

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
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

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

What listeners say about The Shortest History of Germany

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a very informative history

Really enjoyed this. The book explained in exhausting speed how Germany was conceptualized in the mind of the Roman's and made real by the people who settled between the Rhine and the Elbe rivers.
The book goes onto explain the cultural differences that pre-date Soviet rule, between East and West Germany.
It also gave me a better understanding for the long struggle between liberal progressivism and conservative authoritarianism which has ebbed and flowed over the centuries in Germany.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful

Well explained. Concise and yet interesting. Very necessary to understand what is happening right now.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!