1 option
A history of Germany / Peter Wende.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Wende, Peter.
- Series:
- Palgrave essential histories
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Germany--History.
- Germany.
- History.
- Physical Description:
- xii, 211 pages : maps ; 22 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Palgrave Macmillan, [2005]
- Summary:
- Even a brief glance at the maps of what has, or might have, been called Germany through the ages reveals a kaleidoscope of alterations in shape and composition. Though there are elements of continuity, the history of Germany has been the history of nearly constant change.
- In this concise introduction to Germany's fascinating past, Peter Wende provides an approachable historical interpretation of the key periods and turning points from Roman times to the present. Wende shows that, throughout the course of 2000 years, German history is actually the history of many Germanies, and that it can be written neither just as the history of a region nor of a political, ethnic or cultural formation. Focussing on key points in Germany's political, social and economic development, this guide is ideal for all those with an interest in the complex and compelling history of one of Europe's main nation-states.
- Contents:
- 1 Origins and Beginnings 1
- A Roman province 1
- The Carolingian Empire 2
- The emergence of a German people 4
- 2 Medieval Germany 7
- Kings and Emperors 7
- Kings and bishops - empire and papacy 12
- The rise of the princes 16
- The land and the people 20
- Germany at the close of the Middle Ages 26
- 3 From the Reformation to the Thirty Years' War 30
- The emergence of the modern age 30
- Pre-Reformation Germany 32
- Luther's rebellion 34
- The dynamics of the Reformation 37
- Confessionalization 41
- The impact of the Reformation on the course of German history 42
- The age of the wars of religion 44
- The Thirty Years' War 46
- The Peace of Westphalia 48
- The long-term effects of 1648 52
- 4 Eighteenth-Century Germany 55
- Absolutism 55
- The 'monstrosity' of the empire 57
- The territorial states 58
- Austria 59
- Bavaria, Saxony and Hanover 62
- The rise of Prussia 64
- A cultural community 72
- 5 Revolution and the Formation of the Nation-State 75
- The impact of the French Revolution 75
- Revolution by reform 78
- Nationalism 81
- The Congress of Vienna and the reorganization of Germany 82
- From revolution to restoration 86
- The 1848 German revolution 90
- The foundation of the German nation-state 97
- 6 Industrialization and Social Change 101
- 7 Prussia's Germany 108
- Constitution and political culture 108
- Political modernization 111
- Nationalism in the age of imperialism 117
- 8 Weimar Germany 122
- The unfinished revolution 122
- The constitution 125
- The Treaty of Versailles 126
- Inflation and the Great Depression 129
- The 'Golden Twenties' 132
- The final fall of the Republic 134
- 9 Hitler's Germany 139
- Hitler's beginnings 139
- Hitler's message 140
- Hitler's supporters 142
- Hitler's seizure of power 143
- Hitler's 'achievements' 147
- The tools of totalitarianism 149
- Foreign policy on the road to war 150
- Total war, genocide and defeat 156
- 10 Two Germanies 162
- Under Allied occupation and partition 162
- The Federal Republic - political stability 166
- The Federal Republic - economic prosperity 170
- The German Democratic Republic 173
- From separation to unification 177
- Epilogue: Today's Germany 183.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 0333687647
- 0333687655
- OCLC:
- 56370254
- Online:
- Publisher description
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.