The German Question and Europe: A History [Paperback]

The German question has been at the heart of European politics since
1800 and of significance for an even longer period. It has acquired a
fresh stimulus from German reunification. The question itself has gone
through many transformations, but at root it has always concerned the
identity, ambition and influence of those lands historically at the
centre of the Holy Roman Empire. As can be imagined, it has rarely
remained a purely German issue - the widespread concern that greeted the
prospect of a reunited Germany demonstrated that. This volume, then, is
about matters that have European and even world significance as well as
a purely domestic dimension. It follows a chronological sequence but
its thrust is analytical rather than narrative, and provides a framework
for understanding many of the key issues in European history over the
past 200 years.

The German question has been at the heart of European politics since
1800 and of significance for an even longer period. This volume follows a chronological sequence but
its thrust is analytical rather than narrative, and provides a framework
for understanding many of the key issues in European history over the
past 200 years.

Peter Alter is at University of Duisburg.

An illuminating survey that would serve will any undergraduate course in European or German history or politics. Alter deftly synthesizes the most important secondary texts on the subject. History Journal (US)

An intelligent and readable guide to the question which caused most trouble in Europe from the Congress of Vienna to German unification in 1990. The book is an admirably concise survey and will be very useful to students. English Historical Review

This book is quite an achievement: it manages to deal with a subject of great complexity and depth, and over a long time-span (1815 to present day), yet does so in a way which will be accessible to alllG