This is a book that is not an easy read, despite contrary claims in the blurb. Verheyen analyses the German question from an immediate post-unification point of view.

He works with great precision and exhaustive attention to details which explains why reading the book is no easy nor enjoyable occupation. But: We get to learn quite a lot. Verheyen starts with the pre-Kaiserreich past, continues through fascism, communism and West-German integration into the Western community to finally discuss the status quo of German society, particularly its attitude towards democracy, in 1991. Verheyen is not someone for simple answers. Ideas of the German Sonderweg or a German authoritarian character are discussed and somewhat acknowledged but always put in perspective.

For a reader in 2018 his ideas how Germany would develop after reunification could be interesting – but they are not really so because again he is not given to simple answers. He correctly predicts that Germany’s economic power would grow. But that was quite obvious, even in 1991. He sort of discusses the possible rise of right-wing orientations but then mostly rejects them. He discusses the consequences of Germany’s increased relative power within the EU but does not spell out what that would mean to the EU. He raises the possibility of increased military involvement internationally but does not come to any concrete conclusion.

All in all I can say that the book is extensively and well-researched; we can learn a lot about Germany’s past. Most of it is general knowledge for those interested in German history, but still it is good to have all the information plus exhaustive references in one place. The book is not so well-suited to learn about the past future, i.e. the time after reunification. But obviously it is not the most logical idea to turn to an almost 30-year-old book for information about the last 25 years.

The name Dirk Verheyen sounds German – according to the blurb he is a professor in the US, there is no information regarding possible Garman roots and since the name is so common in Germany nothing is easily googleble.