Death of a Nation (ePub)

Death of a Nation is an engrossing, meticulously researched history of Germany from 105 BC to the present day, vividly illustrating the rich and complex past of a nation that is so often defined by the events of World War Two.The author, Stephen A'Barrow, spent twenty years researching, travelling and writing to compile this account of the country's varied and fascinating history. As a result, he proves that Germany's past has so much more of interest than simply the twelve years of domination by Hitler and National Socialism.The book opens with the battles of the Roman Empire in the first century BC; the role of the Holy Roman Empire in the Crusades; German settlement across Central and Eastern Europe and the Thirty Years War. The author goes on to address the militarist stereotype of Prussia; Prussia and Germany's rise to shatter the European balance of power; the causes and consequences of the wars initiated by Germany and how they shaped the modern world.One of the most important themes is the frequently overlooked question of the treatment of German civilians during the last days of World War Two and the immediate aftermath.Illuminating and authoritative, Death of a Nation seeks to provide an accurate understanding of German and European history, and how it affects the world we live in today.Born to a British RAF navigator and his German wife, Stephen R. A'Barrow spent his early years in the German spa town of Homburg. The family moved to England when he was six but he returned regularly to Germany, partly to investigate the country that he felt his British peers and seemingly the rest of the world judged so harshly.Stephen's passion for Germany and its history drove him to further his studies at the University of Berlin, and to travel extensively throughout Eastern Europe shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain. He also holds a Masters Degree in European Studies from the University of Louvain (KUL Leuven) in Belgium.Stephen now maintains several international business interests while pursuing his lifelong passion of studying and writing about history, culture and travel. His previous book, Brazil: The Good, the Bad and the Megafugly, was published by Book Guild in 2014. He lives in Dorset with his wife and two children.