{"product_id":"bismarck-a-life-9780199975396","title":"Bismarck: A Life","description":"This riveting, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling biography illuminates the life of Otto von Bismarck, the statesman who unified Germany but who also embodied everything brutal and ruthless about Prussian culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJonathan Steinberg draws heavily on contemporary writings, allowing Bismarck's friends and foes to tell the story. What rises from these pages is a complex giant of a man: a hypochondriac with the constitution of an ox, a brutal tyrant who could easily shed tears, a convert to an extreme form of\u003cbr\u003eevangelical Protestantism who secularized schools and introduced civil divorce. Bismarck may have been in sheer ability the most intelligent man to direct a great state in modern times. His brilliance and insight dazzled his contemporaries. But all agreed there was also something demonic, \u003cbr\u003ediabolical, and overwhelming in Bismarck's personality. He was a kind of malign genius who, behind the various postures, concealed an ice-cold contempt for his fellow human beings and a drive to control and rule them. As one contemporary noted: the Bismarck regime was a constant orgy of scorn and\u003cbr\u003eabuse of mankind, collectively and individually. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant study in power, this comprehensive biography brings Bismarck to life, revealing the stark contrast between the Iron Chancellor's unmatched political skills and his profoundly flawed human character.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Steinberg, Jonathan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199975396\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 592\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.70d","brand":"Jonathan Steinberg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39676953428043,"sku":"9780199975396","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_f9e0a587-c190-4f01-a92e-f8ccb8846513.jpg?v=1645120381","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/bismarck-a-life-9780199975396","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}