“This is a book of passion, a combination of personal philosophy, recent sociological studies, and history to produce a sweeping answer to ‘the German Question’: why liberal democracy never took real root in modern Germany. . . . An important book, which should be read and seriously pondered by any student of contemporary Germany or of any aspect of modern German history.” —Peter N. Stearns in
Central European History
This book was written to stimulate, perhaps to provoke critical thought about Germany's past, present, and future—in Germany. This is a professional sociologist's study of the country to which he belongs not merely because it is written in his passport.