Background
Craig was born on November 26, 1913 in Glasgow, Scotland; the son of Frank Mansfield and Jane (Bissell) Craig. In 1925 he moved with his family to Toronto and then to Jersey City, United States.
(This is the history of the rise and fall of united German...)
This is the history of the rise and fall of united Germany, which lasted only 75 years from its establishment by Bismark in 1870. Ending in the rubble of Hitler's regime, It is a history of greed, fear, cruelty, and the corruption of power on one hand; of courage, struggle for liberty, and resistance to tyranny on the other. Gordon Craig not only analyses the political structures of and the foreign, social, and economic policies of successive governments, but also examines the individuals who dominated the period and the important intellectual and cultural influences at work. His fascinating chapter on the rich diversity of Weimar culture - Mann and Hesse, Marlene Deitrich and film, Brecht, Schonberg, Expressionist art, and the growth of psychoanalytic theory - is proof enough that this is not an ordinary historybook. It is rather a full and vivid re-creation of a period of history which, as he says, demands the attention of reflective men'.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195027248/?tag=2022091-20
1980
(In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann...)
In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann wrote that political activity was alien to the German spirit and that "in fact the political element was absent from the German concept of education." The Politics of the Unpolitical demonstrates the essential unreliability of this generalization by focusing on the political activity of ten of Germany's most widely respected writers in the period from the French Revolution to the founding of the Bismarck Reich in 1871. Gordon A. Craig's book shows how Goethe, Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Holderlin, and Heine were fascinated by the political issues of their day and reacted either by entering public service or threw themselves into efforts to change society for the better. In his study of ten of Germany's most important intellectuals Craig, focuses on their political views and activities and argues that they were not, in fact, representatives of the genre of the "unpolitical German."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195094999/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(First published in Germany to popular and critical acclai...)
First published in Germany to popular and critical acclaim, this is a unique portrait of the life and work of Theodor Fontane, the greatest German novelist of his age, as well as a major poet and theater critic and much loved travel writer. Gordon A. Craig, one of the foremost scholars of German history, interpolates a cohesive historical biography of Fontane with his own reflections on the art, culture, and politics of Fontane's world. The ideas and impressions of Fontane and Craig echo one another throughout the book in compelling and fascinating ways. Fontane's travel accounts of Scotland and Prussia are enriched by Craig's discussion of Germany's increasingly national vision of itself and the world at the time of unification. Similarly, Craig's mastery of German military history dovetails remarkably well with Fontane's reportage on Germany's wars with Denmark, Austria, and France. Interesting are Fontane's ruminations over his great contemporary Otto von Bismarck, whom he revered as founder of the Reich but whose policies he feared would in the end be self-defeating. Although Fontane's Wanderings through the Mark Brandenburg and his novels are more widely read in Germany today than they were in his own time, and although his masterpiece Effi Briest was the basis for a famous Fassbinder film, Fontane remains little known in the English-speaking world. Theodor Fontane is the ideal introduction to this major European writer, a master of social analysis and one of the great letter writers of his age.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195128370/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(In this collection of 30 superb essays, Gordon A. Craig, ...)
In this collection of 30 superb essays, Gordon A. Craig, distinguished historian of Germany, examines German politics and culture from the 18th century to the present. Topics range from the political history of Germany from 1770 to 1866, Bismarck, Emperor William II, Germany and the First World War, Thomas Mann, and the architects Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Gottfried Semper. He considers the Third Reich -- its political history, major figures, foreign policy and the coming of the war, and varieties of resistance to Nazism before and during the war. He also considers Jews in Germany in the 19th century, the Rothschilds, and the years of persecution as described by Victor Klemperer. He documents the remarkable rebirth of German democracy after 1945, including the cultural history and political significance of Berlin, and Germans' continuing struggle with the past.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930664221/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(Königgrätz, a city overlooking the river Elbe, was a west...)
Königgrätz, a city overlooking the river Elbe, was a western strongpoint of the Austrian Empire. On the morning of July 3, 1866, Prussia attacked the city against high odds and defeated the Austrian army in a single day, despite the Austrian advantage in heavy artillery and command of the high ground. The fall of Königgrätz transferred power over the German states from Austria to Prussia, marking the beginning of the German nation, a political consequence considered to be among the most important of any conflict in modern history. The battle for the city of Königgrätz—now called Hradec Králové, located in the Czech Republic—was the largest of its time, with nearly half a million troops involved. It was also the first battle where the outcome was directly determined by the availability of new technologies, including the railroad, telegraph, cast steel rifled cannon, and breech-loading rifle. It also marked a lesson in the fallacy of dependence on technology at the expense of sound strategy. In this full account, distinguished historian Gordon A. Craig discusses the state of political affairs surrounding the battle, the personalities involved, the weaponry, and the tactics in order to recreate the battlefield in all its complexity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812218442/?tag=2022091-20
2003
(One of the livelier debates amongst historians concerns t...)
One of the livelier debates amongst historians concerns the dates of the beginning and, particularly, the end of Prussian history. Eminent historian Gordon A. Craig explores the slow death of Prussia by examining several key individuals and their actions at four distinct periods of Prussian history. "Simply said, the book is a beautiful piece. Insightful and lucid. . . . The End of Prussia has the rare quality of being suitable for both the specialist and the more casual student of German history."—Wisconsin Academy Review One of the livelier debates amongst historians concerns the dates of the beginning and, particularly, the end of Prussian history. Eminent historian Gordon A. Craig explores the slow death of Prussia by examining several key individuals and their actions at four distinct periods of Prussian history. "Simply said, the book is a beautiful piece. Insightful and lucid. . . . The End of Prussia has the rare quality of being suitable for both the specialist and the more casual student of German history."—Wisconsin Academy Review
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/029909734X/?tag=2022091-20
2003
(Force and Statecraft is a concise historical account and ...)
Force and Statecraft is a concise historical account and insightful analysis of diplomacy. It combines history, political science, and international law in a unique interdisciplinary approach to explore how lessons from the rich experience of the past can be brought to bear on the diplomatic challenges that confront our world today. Now thoroughly revised, updated, and enhanced, the book combines the cumulative insights and reflections of three distinguished scholars with international reputations who have written more than fifty books between them. Paul Gordon Lauren has been involved with the book from the beginning and brings a fresh perspective to this edition. In lucid prose and clear organization, the fourth edition surveys the evolution of the international system from the emergence of diplomacy and the rise of the modern state in the seventeenth century to the present. It then takes the reader into an analysis of some of the most important issues of statecraft. Now much more international and global in scope, this edition contains a number of new case studies, including the negotiations over nuclear weapons in North Korea, and a discussion of recent events. It also offers completely new or significantly expanded coverage of such topics as the impact of terrorism and 9/11, international human rights, ethics, the "lessons" of history, globalization, the United Nations, the growing role of nonstate actors, weapons of mass destruction, just war theory, and the legitimate use of armed force. For the first time, this edition contains illustrations, maps, and website references to guide readers. Force and Statecraft is both a classic and a timely resource ideal for those interested in diplomatic history, international relations, foreign affairs, statecraft, and security studies.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195162498/?tag=2022091-20
2006
(Gordon A. Craig (1913-2005), one of America's most distin...)
Gordon A. Craig (1913-2005), one of America's most distinguished historians of modern Germany, was an indefatigable essayist. This volume gathers previously uncollected articles from the last quarter of a career that spanned six decades. Placing politics in the perspective of culture, and culture in the perspective of politics, these essays examine the persistent tension between liberalism and militarism in German history, and include the author's reflections on political leadership, intellectual creativity, and military catastrophe.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930664302/?tag=2022091-20
2012
Craig was born on November 26, 1913 in Glasgow, Scotland; the son of Frank Mansfield and Jane (Bissell) Craig. In 1925 he moved with his family to Toronto and then to Jersey City, United States.
Craig graduated from Princeton University in 1936. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1939 and two years later, a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the same university. In 1938, Gordon earned his Bachelor of Letters degree from Balliol College, Oxford.
Gordon served in the United States Marine Corps as a captain and in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. After war, Craig served as a consultant to the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the State Department, the United States Air Force Academy and the Historical Division of the United States Marine Corps.
In 1950, he was appointed a professor at Princeton University and held the position until 1961, when he moved to Stanford. The same year Craig took a position of a J. E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Humanities at Stanford University and worked until his retirement in 1979. Then he became a Professor Emeritus at the same university. In addition, he was a chair of the history department at Stanford University in 1972-1975 and 1978-1979.
After retiring from teaching, Craig continued to write influential books and regular commentary on the European scene in The New York Review of Books. He emerged as an authority with the publication in 1955 of his classic text, "The Politics of the Prussian Army, 1640-1945". Gordon published many books about Germany history.
(First published in Germany to popular and critical acclai...)
1999(In a book written during the First World War, Thomas Mann...)
1995(One of the livelier debates amongst historians concerns t...)
2003(This is the history of the rise and fall of united German...)
1980(Königgrätz, a city overlooking the river Elbe, was a west...)
2003(Force and Statecraft is a concise historical account and ...)
2006(In this collection of 30 superb essays, Gordon A. Craig, ...)
2000(Gordon A. Craig (1913-2005), one of America's most distin...)
2012Craig was the president and executive secretary of the German Studies Association, president of the American Historical Association, the 1st vice president of International Committee of History Sciences, 1975-1985. Also he was a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society and Phi Beta Kappa.
On June 16, 1939 Gordon Craig married Phyllis Halcomb. They have 4 children and eight grandchildren.