The German Empire, its structure, its dynamic development between 1871 and 1918, and its legacy, have been the focus of lively international debate that is showing signs of further intensification as we approach the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Based on recent work and scholarly arguments about continuities and discontinuities in modern German history from Bismarck to Hitler, well-known experts broadly explore four themes: the positioning of the Bismarckian Empire in the course of German history; the relationships between society, politics and culture in a period of momentous transformations; the escalation of military violence in Germany''s colonies before 1914 and later in two world wars; and finally the situation of Germany within the international system as a major political and economic player. The perspectives presented in this volume have already stimulated further argument and will be of interest to anyone looking for orientation in this field of research.

The German Empire, its structure, its dynamic development between 1871 and 1918, and its legacy, have been the focus of lively international debate that is showing signs of further intensification as we approach the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Based on recent work and scholarly arguments about continuities and discontinuities in modern German history from Bismarck to Hitler, well-known experts broadly explore four themes: the positioning of the Bismarckian Empire in the course of German history; the relationships between society, politics and culture in a period of momentous transformations; the escalation of military violence in Germany's colonies before 1914 and later in two world wars; and finally the situation of Germany within the international system as a major political and economic player. The perspectives presented in this volume have already stimulated further argument and will be of interest to anyone looking for orientation in this field of research.

Introduction
Cornelius Torp and Sven Oliver Müller

PART I: THE PLACE OF IMPERIAL GERMANY IN GERMAN HISTORY

Chapter 1. When the Sonderweg Debate Left Us
Helmut Walser Smith

Chapter 2. The Impossible Vanishing Point. Societal Differentiation in Imperial Germany
Benjamin Ziemann

Chapter 3. Was the German Empire a Sovereign State?
Dieter Grimm

Chapter 4. Theories of Nationalism and the Critical Approach to German History
John Breuilly

PART II: POLITICS, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Chapter 5. The Authoritarian State and the Political Mass Market
James Retallack

Chapter 6. Using Violence to Govern: The German Empire and the French Third Republic
Heinz-Gerhard Haupt

Chapter 7. Woman Suffrage and Antifeminism as Litmus Test of Modernising Societies. A Western European Comparison
Ute Planert

Chapter 8. Germany in the Age of Culture Wars
Olaf Blaschke

Chapter 9. Their Favourite Enemy. German Social Historians and the Prussian Nobility
Stephan Malinowski

Chapter 10. A Difficult Relationship. Social History and the Bourgeoisie
Manfred Hettling

Chapter 11. Cultural Nationalism and Beyond. Musical Performances in Imperial Germany
Sven Oliver Müller

PART III: WAR AND VIOLENCE

Chapter 12. 1914-1945: A Second Thirty Years War? Advantages and Disadvantages of an Interpretive Category
Jörg Echternkamp

Chapter 13. The Enduring Charm of the Great War. Some Reflections on Methodological Issues
Roger Chickering

Chapter 14. The First World War and Military Culture: Continuity and Change in Germany and Italy
MacGregor Knox

Chapter 15. A German Way of War? Narratives of German Militarism and Maritime Warfare in World War I
Dirk Bönker

Chapter 16. German War Crimes 1914/1941: The Question of Continuity
Alan Kramer

PART IV: THE GERMAN EMPIRE IN THE WORLD

Chapter 17. From the Periphery to the Centre. On the Significance of Colonialism for the German Empire
Birthe Kundrus

Chapter 18. The Kaiserreich as a Society of Migration
Thomas Mergel

Chapter 19. Wilhelmine Nationalism in Global Contexts. Mobility, Race, and Global Consciousness
Sebastian Conrad

Chapter 20. Imperial Germany under Globalization
Cornelius Torp

Chapter 21. German Industry and American Big Business, 1900-1914
Volker Berghahn

Selected Bibliography