“A History of Modern Germany: 1871 to Present”, by Dietrich Orlow

401 pages, Routledge, ISBN-13: 978-0130600318

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and subsequent reunification, Germany appeared to re-enter history as a “normal” nation. But how then to narrate most of its 20^th Century, which for many appeared to be anything but normal? This is the key question of A History of Modern Germany: 1871 to Present by Dietrich Orlow, the Professor Emeritus of History at Boston University, an academic history that covers the entire period of modern German history. This well-established school text presents a balanced, general survey of this important and vexing country’s latter day history, from Imperial Germany, through the two World Wars, on through the political division in 1945 and on to its reunification and the present day. Detailing foreign policy as well as political, economic and social developments, A History of Modern Germany presents a central theme of the problem of asymmetrical modernization (if you want a better definition than that ya just gotta read the book) in the country’s history as it fully explores the complicated path of Germany’s troubled past and stable present. Mind you: this is not a popular history book, so be prepared for a slog, but if you aspire to learn more about how Germany became Germany, this is the book for you.