Poor choice. Would not recommend. Almost all the references are going over my head, and I really don't feel like chasing them down. Maybe I'll pick it back up after studying the 1905 revolution or if I really get into German social democrat history or whatever. I'll finish it I guess, but I expect to retain nothing and learn very little.
Does your version have footnotes? I just read the footnotes and, while it does make the start rather slow, after the first few chapters it becomes a lot easier and way less footnotes.
Yes. Part IV is easier to follow than the first half so far. Hopefully this keeps up.