>Christopher Clark's Iron Kingdom chronicles the rise and fall of Prussia from a small medieval state to one of Europe's dominant powers and the heart of the German Empire, ending with its dissolution in 1947. The book examines Prussia's complex history, from the Thirty Years War and the Enlightenment of Frederick the Great to Bismarck's policies and its eventual role in the World Wars, highlighting both its formidable administration and humanistic tradition and its aggressive military expansion.