The 55th anniversary of a democratic Germany coincides with other important anniversaries in German history: the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion; and the 90th anniversary of the start of the First World War, the legacy of which haunted the Federal Republic at its founding in 1949. This book examines how the past has placed constraints on the domestic and foreign policy discourse and practices within Germany, how it has shaped the evolution of the German political culture, and how it has hindered the reintegration of eastern and western Germany.