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His was not a dilettante's interest: he lived among, fought alongside, and became fluent in the language of Ukrainians during the period that the first World War was fought. Further, there is a final rumination about the parallels between what the Hapsburgs sought in trying to rescue their empire from the cauldron of the first war, and how the fate of contemporary Europe--and Ukraine in particular--compares with that vision. It centers upon one of the last archdukes, Wilhelm.
He--and they--failed, and his fate, like so many of theirs, took the form of interrogation, trial, and sentence by the Soviet political-judicial apparatus. Wilhelm is shown as a flawed person, alternately naive and cynical, but also capable of growth, and as never wavering from his devotion to the ultimate goal of Ukrainian independence. He died of tuberculosis a few days after being given what was effectively a death sentence via hard labor.The author does a good job of describing the tenor of various locales and periods that help us understand the person Wilhelm was.
This beautifully written book describes the historical background and fate of the last Hapsburgs--the dynasty that was the last form of the Holy Roman Empire. He continued as he had during the war, helping Western intelligence to make connections with Ukrainians intent upon having their own country. All in all, a very good historical read, and--it bears emphasis by repetition--wonderfully written.
His own choice of the Ukraine as a nation he hoped some day to head as its monarch, is the centerpiece of his life. In search of the sovereignty of Ukrainians, his own journey covered the range from political far left to far right.ending with democratic politics immediately at the conclusion of the second World War.
We see how former royals minimized their losses through the intercession of their still enthroned royal relatives. and so much more.Best of all, we see how countries were formed from the former Habsburg lands. This is an excellent overview of the fading of the Habsburg Monarchy and 20th Century history of the Ukraine and Poland. We see the limits of Hitler's control of his killing machine. Page 263 has a map which shows the blends of nationalities the Habsburgs were attempting to unify and the stunning changes that took place in the last 100 years.For me, this was a wonderfully enjoyable book, and through it I was better able to visualize 20th century European history. For all I have read on causes and consequences of WWI and II, this short book, covering one small corner of history helped me frame not so much what happened, but how it happened.Through the lives of this minor branch of the Habsburg family we learn how the Ukraine developed its national identity and, despite the dedication of Wilhelm Habsburg (aka Vasyl Vyshyvanyi) and other martyrs, was swallowed by Russia. Similarly, we see how Poland was forced into the Soviet yoke.
Until then, this is a good look at an interesting family. This book provided excellent material on that family. If others disagree with how this perspective sees the family, then they should write their own books with other perspectives. I agree to an extent, but I don't see that a slight bias toward extending the family the benefit of the doubt undermines the historical information and interpretation of the entire book.
As one of the other reviewers wrote, this book is perhaps too long for the material that it covers. Americans generally know too little about the Habsburgs, east central Europe, and pre-World War II history. Then we'll have a richer, rounder history. Certain ideas and phrases end up being repeated over and over and over again.
This is one perspective in the history of this branch of the Habsburg clan. They can learn something from this book. On the other hand, I wanted to learn more about a minor branch of the Habsburg family, one that had been involved in politics in Poland and the Ukraine for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the more negative reviews say that the book is too nostalgic for the Habsburg era and idealizes the members of this minor branch of the imperial family.
As it is, its a mess. An amoral preditor playing on the cold war border who like Lime pressed his luck until it ran out.The book might have worked either at about 1/3rd of its length. His personal life was a scandalous mess and he spent his final days in a soviet prison.The author and the work far too often invented excuses for Wilhelm. The craft of the writing and research involved are both excellent but they can't save what was a very flawed idea for a book.The final mistake of the author is to repeat the old nonsense that the EU is some sort of return to Habsburg ideals. The author never quite wants to admit That Wilhelm didn't believe in anything except using everything and everyone around him to get himself ahead. This book has two big problems.
A mnior member of the imperial family, he kept himself busy in Imperial Austria by funding nationalist ukranian groups working apparantly toward the delusion that he could make a throne for himself outside Austria.After the fall of Habsburg Austria, he became a professional political opportunist attaching himself to anyone in Europe who wanted him. Or it might have worked had the history of eastern europe it contains been pulled out. The first is that the subject of the book isn't worth a book of this length and depth. In some ways, Wilhelm toward the end was the third man's Harry Lime come to life. People who say such things have little understanding of how Imperial Austria was governed and are usually caught up in daydreams of Vienna at the turn of the century. The second is that the author often "makes good" the lack of depth in the subject by speculation and theory.Wilhelm von Habsburg was never a figure of consequence.
But sometimes a lowlife political opportunist is no more than that.
Professor Snyder has a fascinating story to tell and he tells it well. For example, his reference on p.
But this is a minor quibble. 272 to the impact that global warming and rising water levels in the Adriatic Sea will have on old Hapsburg sea charts seems pointless, other than perhaps satisfying the author's desire to display his awareness of the environmental fad du jour.
This is one of those books that you pick up on a whim and then the next day wonder why on earth you bought it, and then, once you begin to read it, realize that you got lucky. At times, his metaphors are a bit over wrought and strained.
If you want to fill a gap in your education and learn a little something about Central Europe, buy this book. The Red Prince, in actuality, is several books in one: a biography of the eccentric Archduke Wilhelm von Hapsburg and members of his family, a brief history of the evolution of the country we know today as Ukraine, a eulogy for the Hapsburg Empire, and a survey of the changes wrought in Europe during the 19th and 20th Centuries as nations became states and continental war gave way to European union.
His prose is engaging, his analysis insightful, and his arguments persuasive.
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