Germany's Second Reich

"One of the profession's leading experts on the Second Reich, James Retallack writes with a grace and clarity that showcases his broad knowledge, judicious reading, and generosity of spirit. Both newcomers and experts alike will benefit from these essays." -- James Brophy, Francis H. Squire Professor of History, University of Delaware "This lively and very wide-ranging essay collection makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of Imperial Germany and its place in the trajectory of modern German history. James Retallack deals as confidently with authoritarianism as he does with popular politics, both of them very evident in the Germany of Bismarck and the Kaiser, and his book has the virtue of including views of Germany by British and American observers." -- David Blackbourn, Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of History, Vanderbilt University "Have historians been too quick to abandon the Sonderweg thesis? When one of the world's foremost experts on the German Kaiserreich plays the devil's advocate and proposes a re-evaluation of the topic, scholars should sit up and take notice. In these chapters Retallack invites readers to revisit the nature of Germany's journey into modernity." -- Ute Planert, Professor of Modern History and History Education, University of Wuppertal

Retallack reveals the complex and contradictory nature of the Second Reich, presenting Imperial Germany as it was seen by outsiders and insiders as well as by historians, political scientists, and sociologists ever since.

Despite recent studies of imperial Germany that emphasize the empire’s modern and reformist qualities, the question remains: to what extent could democracy have flourished in Germany’s stony soil? In Germany’s Second Reich, James Retallack continues his career-long inquiry into the era of Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II with a wide-ranging reassessment of the period and its connections with past traditions and future possibilities.

In this volume, Retallack reveals the complex and contradictory nature of the Second Reich, presenting Imperial Germany as it was seen by outsiders and insiders as well as by historians, political scientists, and sociologists ever since.