The German Empire

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"This is a vivid, concise account of the German Empire that Bismarck founded, from its proud proclamation of Versailles in 1871 to the final dissolution in that same palace in 1919. Michael Sturmer examines whether what Disraeli called the 'German revolution' created a country too big for the balance of Europe, yet too small to dominate it, making the First World War sooner or later inevitable. He questions whether the Kaiser's rule was so backward and authoritarian as to preclude liberal evolution in his new realm, and stresses, rather, the Empire's industrial might and democratic aspirations."--Jacket