Description
Book SynopsisVivid, succinct, and highly accessible, Heinrich Winkler''s magisterial history of modern Germany offers the history of a nation and its people through two turbulent centuries. It is the story of a country that, while always culturally identified with the West, long resisted the political trajectories of its neighbours.This second and final volume begins at the point of the collapse of the first German democracy, and ends with the joining of East and West Germany in the reunification of 1990. Winkler offers a brilliant synthesis of complex events and illuminates them with fresh insights. He analyses the decisions that shaped the country''s triumphs and catastrophes, interweaving high politics with telling vignettes about the German people and their own self-perception.The two volumes of Germany: The Long Road West, exploring the history of the German lands from the final days of the Holy Roman Empire to the very first of a reunified state in the late twentieth century, will be welcomed by scholars, students, and anyone wishing to understand a most complex and contradictory past.
Trade ReviewReview from previous edition A masterpiece, providing a comprehensive and detailed analysis of Germany and the German nation from the Third Reich to reunification...an engaging magnum opus that will appeal to everyone with an interest in German history. * Sandra Barkhof, History *
...destined to become a must-have for both scholars and students of German history. Combining skilful and fluent narrative with insightful analysis, his history of modern Germany presents the reader with a vivid and detailed picture of the German nation. * Journal of the Historical Association *
Winkler confirms his status as one of the world's leading authorities on German history; his account of the country's complex history is unlikely to be surpassed for many years to come and it should be read by anyone wishing to understand the history of the European Union's most important and influential member. * Marcus Papadopoulos, Tribune *
magisterial...Winkler's magnum opus. * TLS *
an impressive accomplishment... very much worth reading * Jonathan Sperber *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The German Catastrophe 1933-45 2: Democracy and Dictatorship 1945-1961 3: Two States, One Nation 1961-1973 4: Rapprochment and Estrangement 1973-1989 5: Unity in Freedom 1989-90 Farewell to Separate Paths: looking back and looking ahead
