First published in 1961. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

'Mr Taylor, by cutting down to a minimum the ballast of dates and names that so often encumbers historical writing, and concentrating on the fundamental trends and events, has achieved both brevity and lucidity.' - The Observer

A.J.P. Taylor (1906-90). British political and diplomatic historian, and noted journalist. He was the author of numerous bestselling works, including Bismarck, English History 1914-1945, The Origins of the Second World War and The War Lords.

1. Divided Germany: The Legacy of the Holy Roman Empire 2. The Ascendancy of France, 1792-1814 3. The German Confederation: The Years of Austro-Prussian Partnership, 1815-48 4. 1848: The Year of German Liberalism 5. The Ascendancy of Austria, 1849-60 6. The Conquest of Germany by Prussia, 1862-71 7. Bismarckian Germany: The Ascendancy of Prussia, 1871-90 8. The Germany of William II: The Conquest of Prussia by Germany, 1890-1906 9. The Crisis of Hohenzollern Germany, 1906-1916 10. The Rule of the German Army, 1916-19 11. Republican Interregnum, 1919-30 12. Demagogic Dictatorship and the Completion of German Unity After 1930