Iron Kingdom — Christopher Clark

Clark's history of Prussia traces the Hohenzollern state from its origins in the seventeenth century to its forced dissolution in 1947, arguing that Prussia was neither the inevitable precursor of Nazism nor simply a victim of historical misrepresentation. The book is comprehensive — military, cultural, administrative, and constitutional — and is particularly acute on how Prussian identity was constructed and reconstructed across three centuries of political upheaval. The most important European state that modern readers know least about, here given the history it deserves.

Winner of the Wolfson History Prize. 'A masterpiece of European history. Clark writes with rare combination of scholarly depth and narrative command.' — Niall Ferguson. 'The definitive history of Prussia.' — Times Literary Supplement