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Title: The Kings Depart: The Tragedy of Germany: Bersailles and the German Revolution by Richard M. Watt ISBN: 0-671-20117-4 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: April, 1981 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $10.00

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (8 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding Book
Comment: I would heartily recommend this to anyone with an interest in 20th century history. Superb history, the way it should be written.

Rating: 5
Summary: Another Revolution Follows The Great War
Comment: The author sought books on the German Revolution of 1918-1919; finding none, he wrote this one. The failure of the German military to win the war by 1918 produced mutinies, revolution, and the end of their Second Empire by October 1918. A new republic was proclaimed, and the Armistice led to the treaty of Versailles. While the Kaiser fled to Holland, his military remained as a wanted burden to the new republic: it alone could suppress the revolutions breaking out all over Germany. This left them as the striking force fro a republic that they despised; eventually they came to support the Nazis (p.527) and a new European War. This seems like the inevitable result from the Allied failure to overthrow and purge the German ruling class, or divide the German Reich into separate nations, as was correctly done after World War II. Denazification and partition, plus grouping the small nations into large blocks, kept the peace for 50 years. But nothing lasts forever.

Woodrow Wilson gave many speeches on "Democracy", but he was appointed President of Princeton, Governor of NJ, then President of the US through his personal ambition. Pages 15-20 tell of the contradictions and complexities in his personality. His dictatorial rule at Princeton led to his firing. A personal friendship allowed him to be nominated as the Democratic candidate for Governor of NJ. He promised to work with the "organization", then reneged on his promises! He drafted a torrent of liberal legislation (as did Bismarck in the 1880s). He met Edward House, and insider and power broker in the national party. House's technique" get a clean candidate and let the party organization do its job; it still works today! Jim Marr's "Rule By Secrecy" tells how and why the 1912 election was fixed to create the private banking cartel that controls our economy. Running a third party candidate helped in 1980 and 1992.

Wilson's dictatorial personality abraded many in Congress; he lectured them, he didn't talk to them. His cabinet had few men of first caliber; it was as if he could only work with subordinates. But Edward House knew how to manipulate him (p.22).

Wilson declared war as a fight to make the world safe for democracy, an idealistic crusade that overlooks the fact that wars are waged for loot: markets, provinces, colonies, etc.

Perhaps Wilson's greatest fault was that everything was handed to him; he didn't have to claw his way to the top by competitive elections (p.27). Page 36 tallies the triumphs of Woodrow Wilson. Perhaps the "errors in judgment" were due to his pride and his refusal to take expert advice (p.37), complicated by his arteriosclerosis or some other disease ("megalomania"?). Wilson gained fame and recognition through his speeches; a rhetorician, not a manager.

Rating: 5
Summary: A warm recommendation !
Comment: Thirty years ago, whilst I was a student, I first read this wonderful book. Since then I have not been able to get it out of my mind, except.... I had forgotten the author's name and the title! After many years of searching I finally discovered the reviews on these pages and recognised that the reviewers were describing the book which had so intrigued me so many years ago. The excitement of the narrative brought the events to life most wonderfully, especially as this is a little-known chapter of world history. An excellent read! Warmly recommended.

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