On the occasion of the 200th birthday of the significant historian and historical theorist Johann Gustav Droysen (July 6, 2008), Wilfried Nippel presents a remarkable biography that focuses on the protagonist's constant role shifts between historical science and politics. Johann Gustav Droysen (1808-1884) is considered one of the most important historians of the 19th century. He became famous for his works on the history of Alexander the Great and the history of Hellenism, and later gained prominence with his biography of Field Marshal York von Wartenburg and his multi-volume history of Prussian politics, which aimed to legitimize Prussia's leading role. His posthumous reputation is based on the historiography that remains fundamental to every theory of historical science to this day. During the turbulent times of 1848/49, Droysen did not...