The German Question Since 1919 ― An Analysis With Key Documents

Wolff examines the domestic and international dynamics of the German question, one of the 20th century's most interesting and complex phenomena since its 1919 inception. The German question is best described as the incompatibility of the territory of any German state with the extent of German "cultural space" and the different ways in which Germany and the relevant European and world powers have responded to the various problems arising from this incompatibility. The German question cannot be reduced merely to the issue of German reunification and sovereignty, as was often the case between 1945 and 1990. Rather, it has always involved other aspects, including the situation of German minorities in Europe, migration, the definition of a German national identity, and so on.

STEFAN WOLFF is a Reader in German Studies at the University of Bath. He is the author ofDisputed Territories: The Transnational Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict Settlement (2002) and co-editor ofPeace at Last? The Impact of the Good Friday Agreement on Northern Ireland (2002, with Jorg Neuheiser).