Germany

In this groundbreaking 500-year history, Helmut Walser Smith challenges conventional views of Germany as a land rooted in aggression and nationalism. He explores the nuanced relationship between the idea of the nation and the later emergence of radical nationalism, revealing a nation that has continually reinvented itself. Smith examines pivotal moments, such as the euphoria at the onset of World War I and the subsequent despair from defeat, highlighting how these forces shaped both cultural advancements and the rise of extremist ideologies. Through this analysis, he prompts a reevaluation of Germany's complex identity as a nation oscillating between its historical conflicts and current democratic values.