Germany and the Holy Roman Empire
Volume II: The Peace of Westphalia to the Dissolution of the Reich, 1648-1806
Joachim Whaley
Reviews and Awards
"Joachim Whaley crowns a long generation's work of demystifying the empire's history with these two large, learned, and impressive volumes...[A] magnificent achievement."--Journal of Modern History
"Whaley's account is one of the best works on early modern German history. From the first page to the last, it shows how German history can be presented as both a history of Emperor and Empire, and a history of common culture. It will immediately establish itself as a standard guide to its subject."--Georg Schmidt, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena
"These two volumes offer an historical survey of roughly three centuries such as I have never before encountered. Joachim Whaley has produced a masterpiece. He has not overlooked anything at all. The two volumes are perfectly researched and the price of 130€ is more than reasonable. Anyone interested in modern history and in particular the history of Germany must read this work."--Fachbuch Kritik (review of the German edition)
"[A] pleasure to read...Whaley shows how the efforts to create an intellectual and political framework in the pre-constitutional era had lasting effects to the present."--Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (review of the German edition)
"[A] great achievement that he has introduced the English-speaking public to German history before the twentieth century in such a comprehensive manner and that he shows so decisively how the old national narrative has been revised. The sheer volume of the material that he employs also commands respect."--Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (review of the German edition)
"The new standard work on the period in which people still spoke of 'German liberties.'"--Die Zeit (review of the German edition)