Edgar Wolfrum offers a vividly narrated, multi-perspective history of the Federal Republic of Germany for our time: he treats politics, economics, society, culture, and mentalities with equal weight. At the same time, he places the history of the Federal Republic within the European and international history of the second half of the 20th century. After all the catastrophes of German history, the Federal Republic is a stroke of luck. Its history is not one of dramatic decline, but of an astonishing rise. During the Cold War, the Federal Republic became an anchor of stability, developing a new dynamic towards a cosmopolitan society since the 1960s, ensuring prosperity, and managing many crises better than other Western countries from the mid-1970s onwards. This modern comprehensive portrayal of the Federal Republic tells its story.