On The Question Of Germany

"Translated from the second edition.""First published in Great Britain in 1946. Published in Switzerland in 1945 under the title Die deutsche frage."

The German Question and Other German Questions is an unconventional overview of a new and normal Germany, fifty years after the Second World War and five years after unification, by an American historian and an American journalist with over fifty years of professional German-watching between them. Among other "German Questions", they address the interactions of ageing, immigration and unification on a tangled national identity, and their impact on a cautious yet resilient society and an inertial yet dynamic economy. They then consider the frequently surprising and even exemplary ways Germans have learned to cope with one another, redefine and pursue their interests, and deal with a changing world after two dictatorships, two world wars and one cold war.

The course of recent German history has been volatile. Events in Eastern Europe, the collapse of European Communism and German Re-Unification has brought issues of Germany's status into the arena of world politics. The Question of German Unification presents an introduction to the last two hundred years of German history and addresses questions raised by the status of Germany as a single or split national state. Imanuel Geiss: * argues that Germany has fluctuated all too frequently, and catastrophically, between being the power centre of Europe or a power vacuum * describes the special features of German history and looks at Germany within a European framework * analyses the political, economic and social aspects of German Nationalism as well as the impact of the collapse of Communism on Germany, through detailing long-term structures and processes * includes discussion of recent political events as well as a chronology and further reading. Imanuel Geiss reflects on the irrationalities of German history, surveys how they have been explained by historians, and provides a succinct and readable account of the complex issues involved.

`...a most significant addition to the literature on its subject.' - Roger Morgan, Professor of Political Science, European University Institute, Florence An unconventional overview of a new and normal Germany fifty years after World War 2 and five years after unification. The authors address the challenges of ageing and migration to a tangled national identity; their impact on a cautious yet resilient society, and an inertial yet dynamic economy; and the frequently surprising ways Germans have learned to cope with one another, redefine and pursue their interests, and deal with a changing world after two dictatorships, two world wars, and one cold war.

"The 'German Question,' long a subject of debate, is considered here at the close of a turbulent century, after Germany's defeat in two world wars, the Weimar failure and Nazi disaster, Cold War division, and the nation's unexpected recent reunification. This book systematically explores the issue in terms of its four central dimensions: Germany's identity, national unity, power, and role in world politics. Ambitious in conception and meticulous in execution, Dirk Verheyen's wide-ranging analysis incorporates historical and geopolitical considerations in an intellectually rigorous yet accessible discussion."--Provided by publisher.

"A detailed introductory essay to provide the necessary historical and political context precedes each part. The individual documents are introduced by short headnotes summarizing the contents and orienting the reader. A chronology, glossary and bibliography offer further background information."--BOOK JACKET.