For constructive criticism, I am indebted to Geoffrey Barra-
clough, Harold von Hofe, Georg G. Iggers, Arnold H. Price, and
Norman Rich, who read the entire draft, and to Lewis W. Spitz,
who read the section on the Reformation. Col. Eldon W. Downs,
USAF, editor of Air University Review, afforded me the occa-
sion to develop my interpretation, as reflected in the fourth
chapter, of Hitler's diplomatic, economic, and military prepa-
rations for the Second World War by soliciting three review
articles for the professional journal of the United States Air
Force. Drawn by Daniel Irwin, the maps were hand-lettered by
Ilse E. Detwiler, who prepared the index. Monty R. Baker and
Louis A. Cretella helped with the bibliography. Further sup-
port was arranged through the Southern Illinois University
Office of Research and Projects.

This book is dedicated to the memory of Percy Ernst
Schramm, late Professor Emeritus of Medieval and Modern
History at Göttingen University and Chancellor of the Order
Pour le Mérite for the Sciences and the Arts, under whom I
received my doctorate in Germany fourteen years ago. I have
described his life and work elsewhere. ^* Relevant here is that
although he was most widely known as an historian of the
Middle Ages and the Second World War, the United States al-
ways interested, even fascinated him. He first came to America
as a young professor on a visiting fellowship at Princeton in the
early thirties. Over twenty years later, he returned for an exten-
sive tour sponsored by the United States Department of State.
He supported university exchange programs with America as
well as the pursuit of American studies in Germany. Every
other year he gave a popular series of lectures, one evening per
week, on the history of the United States. If this volume orients
American readers in the history of Germany as effectively as
my late mentor's biennial public course introduced his Göttin-
gen listeners to that of America, it will serve a cause he strongly
supported: affording those without intimate first-hand knowl-

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