Every library should replace its outdated histories of Germany with this comprehensive and highly readable narrative history that traces Germany from antiquity through 1998. Unlike earlier studies written before unification, it offers up-to-date information on the Federal Republic of Germany in a refreshing and contemporary perspective without the Cold War rhetoric common to earlier histories. Designed for high school and college students and general readers, it will help readers to understand the complexity of German history. Each of the chapters in the work introduces a distinct period of German history, examining the problems of that era and how they affected subsequent events. Special emphasis is placed on the twentieth century, particularly the two post-World War II German states and their unification.

The work begins with a factual description of the present Federal Republic, with tables and current statistics, to put the history in contemporary context. Eleven chapters trace the chronological history of the Germans from their earliest migrations into Europe to the present. A timeline of events in German history, a section of biographical sketches of key leaders in that history, and an annotated bibliography to help readers delve deeper into particular aspects of German history complete the work.