Christopher Clark

Christopher Clark’s historical study Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600–1947 created a considerable stir last year when it appeared in German translation – with one critic describing it as “historiographical tour de force”. Clear and objective, it stands out among accounts of Prussian history, while its lively writing and analytical rigour make it a joy to read. Clark – a Cambridge scholar born in Australia in 1960 – neither glorifies Prussia nor sides with those who regard Prussia as the root of all Nazi evils. “He calls conventional readings into question and deflates a number of myths.”

Clark revises our image of Prussia, exposing the clichés. He investigates how our Janus-faced image of Prussia has come about, with its discrepancies between subjugation of the ordinary people and enlightened tolerance, absolutism and Prussian virtues. Who were the key protagonists making the decisions in Prussia, what were their motives and what power did they have to realise their aims? Clark reopens the debate on Prussia, which has been overshadowed of late by interest in more recent German history, in particular National Socialism. Clark was awarded the prestigious Wolfson History Prize in 2007 for his study of Prussia.