"The German Empire was created more by coal and iron than by blood and iron"
JM Keynes, Consequences of the Peace (1919)
what the hell does that mean?
2007-09-26 14:30:52 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
John Meynard Keynes, an English economist of the early 20th century, harks back to the words of Otto von Bismarck, chancellor first of Prussia, then of Germany, that Germany was created by "blood and iron." Bismarck meant the blood of soldiers and the "iron" of shells, bullets, cannons, and swords. Keynes meant coal and iron of industrialization. That meant "real" iron, smelted from the ore, rather than "romantic" iron of the battlefield.
2007-09-26 14:39:07 · answer #1 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There is a rather blunt play on words that I'm sure you see. However, as with every scrap of humor, there is some truth to the matter. Coal was a big business in Germany.
2007-09-26 21:37:00 · answer #2 · answered by mike t 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Coal and iron refers to Germany's factories and munition plants (think tanks, airplanes, etc.)
Blood and iron means Germany's soldiers.
2007-09-26 21:36:04 · answer #3 · answered by redunicorn 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋