In 1800, there was no 'Germany' as we think of a unitary nation state today. Still nominally held together under the framework of the Holy Roman Empire, its political shape and boundaries were in a state of flux. In the following two centuries, Germany went through massive transformations. This collection brings together an international team of distinguished scholars to produce an innovative and accessible guide to the controversial course of modern German history. Exploring the main issues in social, economic, cultural, and political history, the book reflects the diversity and liveliness of the field. Using a wealth of tables, maps and illustrations, it provides points of entry to key issues for students and scholars alike.
Section I 1800-1870; the German lands before 1815; germany 1815-1848 - restoration or pre-march?; economic, demographic and social changes; cultural and intellectual trends; the revolutions of 1848 and the persistence of the old regime in Germany (1848-1850); revolution to unification. Section II 1871-1918; Bismarckian Germany and the structure of the German empire; demographic growth, industrialization and social changes; imperial Germany - cultural and intellectual trends; Wihelmine germany. Section III 1918-1945; Germany from war to dictatorship; the German inter-war economy; culture and society in Weimar Germany; the rise of the Nazis - Sonderweg or spanner in the works?; Hitler and the Nazi dictatorship; the holocaust. Section IV Germany since 1945; division and stability - the Federal Republic of Germany 1949-1989; the failed experiment - East Germany communism; Ossis and Wessis - the creation of two German societies; culture, history, and national identity in the two Germanies; the end of the GDR. Section V Continuities and discontinuities in German history; the German tradition of historiography 1800-1995; the difficult rise of a civil society; the conditions for war and peace in modern German history; the national idea in modern German history; chronology.
