The period 1866-1920 saw the rise and ruin of imperial Germany, and Hans Delbr ck (1848-1929) reported on the events of those years from a uniquely privileged position. A professor of history at the University of Berlin, editor of the Prussian Annals--the most famous journal of political commentary of his day--and a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, he also moved among political, cultural, and military elites. Delbr ck pioneered the techniques...