The Prussian Spirit vs. Western Democracy: the controversial image of post-war Germany in american historiography

Résumé

The article analyses the influence of the “Prussian spirit” concept on the postwar American political thinking towards Germany. It also focuses on the analysis of the “German problem” in American historiography since World War II. The relationship between the traditional “Prussian spirit” and the newly formed Western democracy in post-war Germany attracted special attention of researchers. The answer to that question could, to a great extent, forecast the success or the failure of the whole American foreign policy and strategy in Europe. Based on a wide range of sources, many authors have shown that American scholars were highly interested in that issue at certain periods when Germany’s status was being revised by the international community.