Tirpitz and the Imperial German Navy

Patrick J. Kelly is Professor of History at Adelphi University.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations1. Introduction2. Tirpitz's Early Life3. The Aspirant, 1865–18704. The Young Officer, 1870–1877: A Taste of War5. The Creation of the German Torpedo Arm, 1877–18896. Interim, 1889–18917. Oberkommando der Marine, 1892–18958. On the Verge of Power, 1895–18979. Tirpitz Ascendant, 1897–189810. The Second Navy Law, 1899–190011. The "Quiet" Years, 1900–190612. Sow the Wind, 1906–190813. The Whirlwind Rises, 1908–191114. Denouement, 1911–191415. Tirpitz at War, August 1914–March 191616. Uncommon Recessional, 1916–193017. ConclusionAppendixNotesBibliographyIndex

An invaluable addition to military biography shelves, Tirpitz and the Imperial German Navy is especially recommended for college library collections. (Midwest Book Review) [T]he book is stellar. It is based on decades of research in federal, regional, and private archives and takes into account a flood of scholarship on Tirpitz and the fleet. Well written and sensibly organized, the book allows English-language readers their first in-depth look at one of the men who helped shape the 20th century. (Naval History) The author does a masterful job of analyzing Tirpitz' political skills, his mastery of technology and change, as well as the grave weaknesses of the dysfunctional political system of a federal Germany headed by a weak and vacillating Emperor and riven by unbridgeable political divisions. Highly recommended. (Camaraderie) Kelly's fascinating political biography of Alfred von Tirpitz joins the large historiography on German naval policy prior to WWI. . . . Recommended.(Choice) Kelly's book is a great achievement. Well written and based on new sources, his biography of Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz allows the reader deep insights into the life of a man who played a very important role at the turn of the last century and who shaped German policy in a way few others did. (gh.oxfordjournals.org) How, as a naval officer, [Tirpitz] . . . became probably the second most effective politician in the history of Imperial Germany is a fascinating story. It is well told in this large, comprehensive and extensively researched book. (Ausmarine) Although this is a scholarly biography, it is in everyway quite readable. Backed by solid research, using untapped and newly available documents and family letters, Kelly has produced a clear picture of one of the major causes of World War I.(thepastinreview.weebly.com) Patrick Kelly has produced a first-rate biography of this grand admiral who is better known for his political skills than his naval ones. (U.S. Naval Insitute Proceedings) This is an invaluable reference work on Tirpitz, the Imperial German Navy, and on politics in Wilhelmine Germany. (The Northern Mariner) [This] book presents a balanced, convincing picture of Tirpitz as naval officer and bureaucratic politician, based on a thorough examination of the relevant archival sources. It is a distinguished contribution to the historiography of imperial Germany.(Journal of Modern History) Tirpitz and the Imperial German Navy is an important book for those seeking to understand the factors contributing to the outbreak of World War I.(The NYMAS REVIEW)