Why read Germany?

Book cover of Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500-2000

Book description

For nearly a century, conventional historians have depicted Germany as a rabidly nationalist land, born in a sea of aggression, its nineteenth-century ascent accompanied by militarism and brought to a murderous apex in the Third Reich. Not so, asserts Helmut Walser Smith, who, beginning in 1500, reveals pacific conceptions of…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Germany as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Matthew Jefferies

Author

As the title suggests, Smith’s recent book is not about the imperial era alone, but it is an important and thought-provoking text for anyone with an interest in modern German history. I particularly admire the book’s erudition, breadth of scope, and bold ambition, which I know I could never match. The book makes impressive use of literary and visual sources (most notably a fascinating array of maps). As with any attempt at a ‘grand narrative,’ it is relatively easy to pick small holes in the argument, but there is no doubt that this is a book that will be read…

From Matthew's list on The best recent books on Bismarck and Imperial Germany (1871-1918).