A provocative examination of the German search for self-understanding, at just the time when Europe again faces the threat of a united, peaceful, powerful, and nationalistic nation. It places Germany within the international order, offering an entirely new explanation for the instability and volatility of the Germans' perceptions of themselves and their country. "...thoughtful, incisive, disturbing, and wholly original analysis."--Independent. "...seminal...one of those rare books which direct our thinking into new and far-reaching paths."--Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.