This volume provides an up-to-date and accessible guide to the diversity of current thinking on Imperial Germany.
Offers a historiographical overview, spanning more than a century of works on the German Empire
Guides readers through the main approaches, from 'personalist' to 'structuralist' and 'post-structuralist'
Presents varying perspectives on gender, cultural history, foreign relations, colonialism, and war
Explores the controversial historical reputations of Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II
Reflects the wide range of opinions on Imperial Germany held by historians today
Acknowledgements. Introduction.
1 The German Empire and its historians.
2 Great Men? Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
3 'Democracy in the undemocratic state?'.
4 'Familiar features in an unfamiliar light' Social and cultural perspectives.
5 The Kaiserreich transnational? Germany, colonialism, and the First World War.
Epilogue: Remembering Imperial German.
Bibliography.
Index