Germany: A Nation in Its Time

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For nearly a century, historians have portrayed Germany as a fiercely nationalistic and aggressive nation. Helmut Walser Smith challenges this view in a groundbreaking five-hundred-year history that extends beyond World War II, revealing a more complex narrative. His dramatic account begins in the 1500s, highlighting the pacific temperament of early mapmakers and travelers who first described Germany, long before the ideology of nationalism took hold. Smith explores the ongoing tension between national identity and nationalism, illustrating how radical nationalism ultimately led to genocide. He poses critical questions about Germany's identity: Is it a nation of violence or a model of tolerance? Can the land of Goethe and Schiller also be the site of unprecedented mass murder? Smith's narrative captures the national euphoria at the onset of World War I and the ensuing despair from defeat, which fueled both modernist movements and the rise of the Nazi Party. His chapter on the Holocaust examines the tragedy not only in Western Europe but also in rural Poland and Eastern Europe, expanding the understanding of culpability beyond Hitler's inner circle to local communities. Additionally, the book highlights the vital yet often overlooked contributions of women throughout Germany's history, showcasing artists, revolutionaries, and the violence war inflicted upon them. Richly illustrated with original maps, this sweeping account re