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For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619-1918
Richard Bassett
€ 25.04
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Description for For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619-1918
Paperback. The definitive history of Austria s multinational army and its immense role during three centuries of European military history" Num Pages: 616 pages, 30 b/w illus + 7 maps. BIC Classification: 1DFA; 3J; HBJD; HBW; JWD. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 127. .
The definitive history of Austria's multinational army and its immense role during three centuries of European military history Among the finest examples of deeply researched and colorfully written military history, Richard Bassett's For God and Kaiser is a major account of the Habsburg army told for the first time in English. Bassett shows how the Imperial Austrian Army, time and again, was a decisive factor in the story of Europe, the balance of international power, and the defense of Christendom. Moreover it was the first pan-European army made up of different nationalities and faiths, counting among its soldiers not only Christians but also Muslims and Jews. Bassett tours some of the most important campaigns and battles in modern European military history, from the seventeenth century through World War I. He details technical and social developments that coincided with the army's story and provides fascinating portraits of the great military leaders as well as noteworthy figures of lesser renown. Departing from conventional assessments of the Habsburg army as ineffective, outdated, and repeatedly inadequate, the author argues that it was a uniquely cohesive and formidable fighting force, in many respects one of the glories of the old Europe.
Product Details
Publisher
Yale University Press United States
Number of pages
616
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2016
Condition
New
Number of Pages
616
Place of Publication
, United States
ISBN
9780300219678
SKU
V9780300219678
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 4 to 8 working days
Ref
99-2
About Richard Bassett
Richard Bassett was staff correspondent for the London Times in Vienna, Rome, and Warsaw during the closing decade of the Cold War. He lives in London.
Reviews for For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619-1918
[Bassett] sets out 'to explore whether the Habsburgs army s reputation for inefficiency, incompetence, general unreliability, and even cruelty, is at all justified.' Calling to his aid an impressively broad array of sources, he demonstrates with engaging verve that it is not. Adam Zamoyski, Literary Review
Adam Zamoyski Literary Review (06/01/2015) John Keegan, perhaps the greatest British military historian of recent years, felt that the most important book that remained unwritten was a history of the Austrian army. Richard Bassett has now successfully filled the gap, and few could be better qualified to do so. John Jolliffe, the Spectator
John Jolliffe Spectator (06/20/2015) In his superb new book, For God and Kaiser, Richard Bassett examines the central role the imperial army played in Austria. While this fighting force was undeniably in dire straits by 1914, he argues that it has gotten something of a bum rap. For several centuries, it displayed a remarkable capacity to adapt and innovate. Bassett believes that the army expressed the idea that dynastic, cultural and economic relations were more important than national identity. Indeed, the army became a remarkably successful tool for state formation and provided cohesion even as nationalism became a greater force. . . . Bassett deftly describes how Austria s army differed from its European counterparts. William Hay, The National Interest
William Hay The National Interest
Adam Zamoyski Literary Review (06/01/2015) John Keegan, perhaps the greatest British military historian of recent years, felt that the most important book that remained unwritten was a history of the Austrian army. Richard Bassett has now successfully filled the gap, and few could be better qualified to do so. John Jolliffe, the Spectator
John Jolliffe Spectator (06/20/2015) In his superb new book, For God and Kaiser, Richard Bassett examines the central role the imperial army played in Austria. While this fighting force was undeniably in dire straits by 1914, he argues that it has gotten something of a bum rap. For several centuries, it displayed a remarkable capacity to adapt and innovate. Bassett believes that the army expressed the idea that dynastic, cultural and economic relations were more important than national identity. Indeed, the army became a remarkably successful tool for state formation and provided cohesion even as nationalism became a greater force. . . . Bassett deftly describes how Austria s army differed from its European counterparts. William Hay, The National Interest
William Hay The National Interest