This concise history, based partly on the author's earlier Germany since 1918, will be welcomed by students, businessmen and all who are interested in understanding the modern German phenomenon: how a nation first unified only in the 1870s has survived two crushing defeats--and partition for 40 years--to emerge as the most prosperous and powerful nation in Europe.The book traces the development of Germany from the Kaisers' Reich in the 1870s to the reunited democratic state led by Helmut Kohl in the 1990s. Professor Childs begins by countering the popular view of Germany before 1914 as irredeemably reactionary, reminding us that many in Britain and America regarded her as a country from which their own societies could learn much. After assessing Germany's part in the 1914-18 war, he outlines the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic. The 12 years of Hitler's destructive experiment are presented in a balanced way as part of the overall development of the country. The tragedy of Germany in defeat is then evoked, and her rebirth under Four Power occupation, to be followed by the development of two separate German states from 1949 to 1989. The final chapter describes events leading up to the restoration of German unity.The text is supported by numerous illustrations, statistical tables, a chronology, short biographies of 150 important Germans, 4 maps and a substantial bibliography. Read Less