The French political philosopher Raymond Aron once observed that the twentieth century "could have been Germany's century." In 1900, the country was Europe's preeminent power, its material strength and strident militaristic ethos apparently balanced by a vital culture and extraordinary scientific achievement. It was poised to achieve greatness. In "An utterly terrific, invigorating book on both the history of, as well as the underlying influential trajectory of German culture. . . . There really is something profoundly prophetic and poignant about Stern's writing, which accounts for Einstein's German World being such a terrific and vital one-off."