Germans - A Dual History of a Nation

Author: Emil Ludwig
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The original title of this book is The Germans (THE GERMANS), with a subtitle "Double History of a Nation," showing the author's attempt to use the psychological framework of "split personality" to describe the "inner division" of the German nation. The book focuses on the rise and fall of Germany from 800 AD to 1940s: Gutenberg, who invented movable type printing; Luther, who dedicated his life to the Reformation; Kepler, the astronomer who laid the foundation for Newton's law of universal gravitation; and Goethe, the great literary figure who emerged during the Sturm und Drang movement. These are the "admired" aspects of the author: serious, insatiable, never content, and striving for the pinnacle of human civilization. Bismarck, the Teutonic tribal leader who unified Germany, and Hitler, the notorious Nazi leader—these are the "disliked" aspects of the author: cruel, barbaric, treacherous, cowardly, and ambitious, with a desire to conquer the world. At the age of 25, the author moved to Switzerland out of disgust for fascism and obtained Swiss citizenship in 1932. After 1940, he settled in the United States. The book was written in California, USA, and published in English in 1941, at a time when the world was not only confused and astonished but also hated and angry about the actions of the German nation. It was reprinted in the United States in 1980, having been largely forgotten for nearly 40 years after World War II. The author, Emil Ludwig, is a renowned international writer of the "New Biography School," which emphasizes the personality and psychology of individuals. This book, as the author's "last major work," embodies decades of experience in writing biographies of famous figures in German history and culture. It not only became a model of biographical literature in the "New Biography School" but also represents the highest level of self-reflection by the Germans on their own nation's "barbaric" history.