The Most Valuable Asset of the Reich

“In the confines of this review it is not possible to discuss critically every new argument raised in Mierzejewski’s essential work. Researchers cannot ignore the arguments of either volume. For the public the hope for a carefully edited German edition is as important as it is urgent.” — Historische Zeitschrift

“Mierzejewski has carved a niche for himself in this field. His reputation will be further enhanced by the publication of this first volume of a projected two-volume history of the German National Railway.” — International History Review

“This impressive study combines market-oriented economic concepts with the historiographical recognition . . . 'that distinct business and economic cultures' do in fact 'exist and they can and do transcend rational economic behavior.'” — German Studies Review

“Mierzejewski’s impressive command of quantitative evidence and his precise analytical narrative of the Reichbahn’s history in the Weimar era makes this an indispensable contribution to a number of discussions on interwar economy and business history.” — Business History Review

“Mierzejewski’s two volumes on the Reichsbahn will serve as solid references and points of departure for future research on railway politics and the identities of large-scale state enterprises during the twentieth century, as well as for more extensive histories of railway technology.” — Technology and Culture

“Mierzejewski is without a doubt one of the most talented German historians living today. His first book, The Collapse of the German War Economy, is one of the ten most important books about the Second World War. Now Mierzejewski takes insights gleaned from his study of German railroads and their impact on German society and moves our understanding of 20th-century German history a step further.” — Virginia Quarterly Review

“Based on prodigious archival research, Mierzejewski’s study is a solid contribution to German business history.” — CHOICE

“An outstanding study of a major but completely neglected institution of Weimar Germany — the Reichsbahn — which stood at the intersection of its foreign (reparations) policy and its domestic (employment) policy. Mierzejewski opens a new front in the historian’s efforts to comprehend the vital business and economic dynamics of this turbulent period.” — Theo Balderston, University of Manchester

“This is a remarkable, as well as remarkably detailed, account of the history of the German state railroad system from its creation in 1920 until the military defeat of 1945. It is based on a stunning mastery of the German, as well as foreign, archival sources.” — Harold James, Princeton University