Germany became an economic and military powerhouse in the late 19th century. Yet by 1945, after two world wars, the country lay in ruins and remained divided until 1990. This course examines the political, economic, and social development of Germany from the 1870s to the present. Topics include the growth of the German Empire and the Great War, the rise of Nazism, the Second World War, East and West Germany, and the process of reunification.