The 'European question' has been a central, vexing issue for Britain over the last fifty years. With the debate about Europe often in the headlines, this examination of the important and tricky relationship between Germany and Britain compares the countries' different roles, outlook and development since the war.

In the wake of a devastated continent Britain's relations with Germany has been a main axis of European development - but what is the legacy of Britain's wartime victory in Europe? Here Sabine Lee considers the countries' comparative senses of national identity, destiny and direction, and the respective roles of Germany and Britain in Europe and the world community at large.

With Germany now reunited and at the head of the new Europe, and Britain in the process of devolution and struggling to retain the special relationship with the United States, this is an important and topical book.

Sabine Lee is Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Birmingham. Her publications include 'An Uneasy Partnership: British-German Relations between 1955 and 1961' and 'Harold Macmllan: Aspects of a Political Life'.

• Breadth of discussion of bilateral relations within the international context - facilitates understanding of developments such as European integration, the Cold War and US-European  relations.
• Broad base of primary and secondary sources from Germany, Britain, France and the US - gives reader access to contemporary assessments of events.
• Integrative approach to economic, political and security issues allows for a comparative analysis - reader understands international relations as an area where different issues impact upon each other.
• Broad yet precise introduction - key themes and comparative framework of analysis are clearly presented.
• glossary - clarifies unfamiliar concepts and foreign language terminology.