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THE ADENAUER ERA by Richard Hiscocks Kirkus Star

THE ADENAUER ERA

By

Pub Date: Oct. 31st, 1966
Publisher: Lippincott

There have been several books attacking the chancellorship of Konrad Adenauer, others asserting its greatness, and still others cautiously attempting to assess its and results. None so far claimed to be definitive. This author makes his disclaimer in his opening sentence, and wisely so, for whether one hated or admired der Alte, there is no denying his stature or the complexity of his achievements. Professor Hiscocks (of the University of Sussex, England) has come as close, however, to comprehension and balance in the scope of one fairly brief volume as possible. Shunning chronology and most of the devices of conventional biography, he has concentrated on investigating aspects of Adenauer's influence about which little mention has previously been made outside of Germany: there are sections, for example, on the trade unions, press and radio, and education. He treats Adenauer's immense accomplishments fully, but there is also a chapter entitled ""The Seamy Side,"" and another on ""The Limitations of Adenauer's Foreign Policy."" Thorough, thoughtful coverage of an important and controversial figure.