Product Description

This accessible study traces the dramatic social, cultural and political tensions in Germany since 1918. For the second edition, revisions have been made to incorporate the results of recent research, an epilogue covering the years 1990–2000 has been added, and the suggestions for further reading and the bibliography have been updated.

• An accessible study of the dramatic social, cultural and political tensions in Germany since 1918.
  
• Treats German history from 1918–2000 from the perspective of division and reunification, covering East and West German history in equal depth.
  
• Covers the self–destructive Weimar Republic, the extremes of genocide and military aggression in the Nazi era, the division of the nation in the Cold War, and the collapse of communist East Germany and unification in 1990.
  
• Offers a persuasive interpretation of the dynamics of twentieth–century German history as a whole.
  
• New edition includes an updated bibliography and an epilogue covering the years 1990–2000.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #283956 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From the Back Cover
This accessible study traces the dramatic social, cultural and political tensions in Germany since 1918. It ranges from the self–destructive Weimar Republic, through the extremes of genocide and military aggression in the Nazi era, to the extraordinary political experimentation of division of the nation in the Cold War, culminating in the collapse of communist East Germany and unification with capitalist democratic West Germany in 1990.

The first edition of this book – one of the very first to appear after the fall of the Berlin Wall, treating East and West German history in equal depth – offered a powerful interpretation of the dynamics of twentieth–century German history. It focused particularly on the role of elites, and on the implications of political dissent and opposition under changing socio–economic conditions and international circumstances. For the second edition, revisions have been made to incorporate the results of recent research, an epilogue covering the years 1990–2000 has been added, and the suggestions for further reading and the bibliography have been updated.

About the Author
Educated at Cambridge and Harvard, Mary Fulbrook is Professor of German History at University College, London. She was co–founder and Joint Editor of German History, the journal of the German History Society, and served as Chair of this Society from 1996–9. She has published widely in German and comparative European history, including a number of edited volumes. Her previous publications include A Concise History of Germany (1990), Interpretations of the Two Germanies, 1945–1990 (Second Edition, 2000), Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Inside the GDR, 1949–1989 (1995) and German National Identity After the Holocaust (1999).

Customer Reviews

Well researched, concise yet detailed review of history
Starting from the trauma of defeat in the 1st World War the author traces the struggles of Germany to restore her fortunes. She outlines the Weimar Republic's attempts to make reparation payments while maintaining socialist policies at home, and shows how this impossible ambition led to the rise of the National Socialist Party. Hitler's early years of power are portrayed with insight, and the real problems facing Germany at this time are made plain to an English readership. There follows a critical appraisal of the increasingly bellicose stance of the Third Reich as it leads inevitably to war and ultimately to the ruin of Germany for the second time in a generation. The partitioning of Germany and the Marshall plan are clearly explained, and the subsequent political and economic divergence of East and West is a major theme in the second part of the book. The problems resulting from re-unification are discussed in a final section. I found this an illuminating yet also an entertaining read.