The new edition of the acclaimed textbook on modern German history, written by a leading scholar in the field

Now in its fifth edition, A History of Germany 1918-2020provides a clear and well-balanced survey of German history from the creation of the Weimar Republic to the era of Angela Merkels Chancellorship. Guiding readers through the complex patterns of the nations historical development using clear and compelling narrative, this classic textbook introduces readers to the key themes of modern German history while tracing the social, cultural, and political tensions that have challenged German stability and unity across more than a century.

Fully updated for the next generation of readers,A History of Germany 1918-2020extends its framework for exploring legacies of the past into the 21st century. The fifth edition includes enhanced coverage of the extremes of nationalism, military aggression, and genocide under Nazism, as well as an expanded analysis of the Berlin Republic and the changing character of Germany in the Europe of 2020. Presenting readers with a panoramic overview of the past 100 years of German history, this compelling textbook:

Provides a concise yet thorough account of the turbulent history of Germany from the end of the First World War to the presentExamines the character and consequences of World War II and the HolocaustExplores the development of a capitalist democracy in West Germany and a communist dictatorship in East Germany during the Cold WarCovers East and West German history in equal depth from the perspectives of instability, division, and reunificationAnalyses the fall of Communism and the unification of an enlarged Federal Republic in 1989-90Traces unified Germanys development as a globally respected state playing a pivotal role in Europe today

A History of Germany 1918-2020: The Divided Nation, Fifth Editionremains the ideal text for undergraduate students in courses on modern German or European history, as well as for general readers with interest in the subject.

Mary Fulbrook, FBA is Professor of German History at University College London (UCL), UK. A graduate of Cambridge and Harvard Universities, she is the author or editor of numerous books, includingReckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice, for which she won the 2019 Wolfson History Prize, andA Small Town Near Auschwitz: Ordinary Nazis and the Holocaust, winner of the 2012 Fraenkel Prize. Professor Fulbrook has served as Executive Dean of the UCL Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences, Academic Director of the UCL European Institute, founding Joint Editor of the journalGerman History, and Chair of the German History Society.

List of Plates vii

List of Maps ix

Preface to the Fifth Edition x

Preface to the Fourth Edition xi

Preface to the Third Edition xii

Preface to the Second Edition xiii

Acknowledgments xv

1 The Course of German History 1

Part I A Divided Society: The Weimar Republic and the Third Reich 13

2 The Weimar Republic: Origins and Orientations 15

3 The Collapse of Democracy and the Rise of Hitler 42

4 A National Community? State, Economy and Society, 19331939 60

5 War, Extermination and Defeat 85

Part II The Divided Nation: The Two Germanies, 19451990 119

6 Occupation and Division, 194549 121

7 Crystallization and Consolidation, 194961 152

8 Transformation and the Established Phase, 196188 175

9 Diverging Societies 195

10 Politics and the State 214

11 Dissent and Opposition 231

12 Diverging Cultures and National Identities? 252

13 The East German Revolution and the End of the Postwar Era 274

Part III The Divided Century 297

14 The Berlin Republic 299

15 Tension and Transformation in Twentieth-Century Germany 325

Notes 344

Select Bibliography of English-Language Works 362

Index 371