Volker Berghahn

In the historiography of modern Germany, the nineteenth century’s innovations mark a period of seismic change. From accelerating demographic growth to growing secularization and the rise of nationalism, it was a century which laid the foundations for both a civil society and the dictatorships of the twentieth century. In this comprehensive history of Germany from 1780 to 1918, Jürgen Kocka re-examines the transformative interactions that took place between society, economy, culture, and politics. Innovatively resituating these developments within a wider context of conflict and transformation in Europe, this book illuminates new ways to understand the emergence of classical modernity within the nineteenth century.

When the narrow majority of the British voted to leave the EU in a referendum in 2016, not only the citizens of neighbouring European countries shook their heads. Why did a nation believe in the age of international interdependence of its economy and politics that it could single-handedly achieve a renewed ascent into the circle of great powers by gaining national sovereignty? Volker Berghahn places Brexit in a long-term historical development, without which the traditions and emotions that surfaced in the heated debate of the last four years cannot be understood. It shows that the roots of Brexit lie in the two world wars triggered by Germany and the resulting economic and political decline of Great Britain in the 20th century.

A comprehensive history of German society in this period, providing a broad survey of its development. The volume is thematically organized and designed to give easy access to the major topics and issues of the Bismarkian and Wilhelmine eras. The statistical appendix contains a wide range of social, economic and political data. Written with the English-speaking student in mind, this book is likely to become a widely used text for this period, incorporating as it does twenty years of further research on the German Empire since the appearance of Hans-Ulrich Wehler's classic work.