Out of the Darkness

The Germans, 1942-2022

Author  Frank Trentmann
Out of the Darkness

Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize • One of The Telegraph’s 50 Best Books of 2023 • Named a Best Book of 2024 by Kirkus Reviews

A gripping and nuanced history of the German people from the Second World War to the present day, including hugely revealing new primary source material on every aspect of its transformation.

In 1945, Germany lay ruined. Its citizens stood condemned by history, responsible for a horrifying genocide and war of extermination. But by the end of Angela Merkel’s tenure in 2021, Germany looked like the moral voice of Europe, welcoming over one million refugees, holding together the tenuous threads of the European Union, and making military restraint the center of its foreign policy. At the same time, its…