Close transatlantic relations are no longer taken for granted. Paul Nolte examines the causes of this change and, along the way, analyzes the basic structures of Western modernity from the early modern era until today: revolutionary movements, the creation of the market society, and the origins of republicanism and democracy. His analysis adds historical depth to our snapshot images of German-American relations.

Paul Nolte is Professor for Modern and Contemporaray History at Freie Universiät Berlin