Germany: Power and the Left

The momentous events of 1989 and the unification of Germany recast the long-standing debate about Germany’s role in a changing Europe. Virtually all the English-language newsweeklies ran cover stories on the new “German question,” and academic experts weighed in on the op-ed pages. At the risk of simplification, one can divide these commentaries into two categories: optimists, who viewed unification as a boon to Germany, Europe, and global peace, and pessimists, who were con...