When Frederick II (later known as Frederick the Great) came to the throne in 1740; he had three advantages for which he owed thanks to his father: a modern; well-organised state; full coffers; and a properly trained and equipped army. Under a leader as renowned as Seydlitz; the Prussian cavalry achieved the nearest to a state of perfection that it was ever going to. So great was its reputation in the Seven Years' War that Napoleon made a special point of warning his men at the beginning of the 1806 campaign to beware of the Prussian cavalry.
#1743280 in Books 2000-05-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.28 x .90 x 6.08l; 1.23 #File Name: 0847695263295 pages
Review
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. interesting study of some kibbutzimBy reluctant reviewerOn the positive side; the book presents interesting histories of several kibbutz settlements. It showcases the wide variety within in the kibbutz movement. It also explains the history of the kibbutz movement within the greater context of Israeli history; explaining some reasons for the rise and slow decline of the movement.The one thing that seems to unify every kibbutz is the struggle to retain members past the 2nd or 3rd generation generation. I was disappointed that the book doesn't provide interesting answers to the central question of the future of the movement. Are the problems attracting new members and retaining children due to historic cycles or to a fundamental flaw in the utopian vision?All in all; I'd recommend the book to those who already know a little about the movement and what to gain a deeper insight into the history and pitfalls of the Kibbutz..10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The Death of Gentle SocialismBy Eric MaroneyThe Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia makes for interesting reading during a time when world capitalism as we know it; seemingly vindicated by its victory from state controlled economies of the Soviet Union and Eastern Block in the late 80's and early 90's; is tanking.Gavron's work explores what was considered the most successful and long lasting enterprise in collective living; the numerous kibbutzim established in Palestine and the State of Israel beginning in the late nineteenth century. During the mid-to late 1980s the kibbutz movement; in general; suffered from the same extreme malaise and crisis of ideology which brought down the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block. However the death of the kibbutzim is a strange cousin to these larger trends; since they were voluntary; democratic entities. People were not forced to forgo private property and live collectively. Living on a kibbutz was an individual choice.Yet the crisis came anyway; and this work details the response of various kibbutzim to the sudden disenchantment of Israelis from the collective form of life. Privatization to varying degrees was adopted by the movement; essentially transforming the socialist structures of the kibbutz into private enterprises of varying styles and degrees.Gavron points out that the kibbutz set out to create a new human being; one who put the group first and the individual last. In many ways; this enterprise failed. Yet we suddenly live in a world today where privatization has finally trampled over its limitations; yet there is no alternative collective life any longer. Gavron's work; it seems; is timely reading. What can we look to now?This book ends with developments in the year 2000. For an update about the kibbutzim; the New York Times has an article from August 27; 2007 on the future transformations of the kibbutz; calling them; "less about pure socialism than a kind of suburbanized version of it." And their popularity is increasing. They are becoming more and more like gated; suburban communities than the pioneer outposts of their heady; early days.
