- August 29, 2026
By Stefan Creuzberger
Translated by Elizabeth Janik
Published by Polity (2026)
Germany and Russia: two countries whose turbulent and interlocking histories have profoundly shaped the world in which we live today. In The German-Russian Century the distinguished historian Stefan Creuzberger tells the remarkable story of this crucial relationship between two states and two peoples. He lays out the large ideological contexts of fascism and communism and patiently traces the efforts that each state made to confront and balance the power of the other, from the tense years leading up to the Second World War through the Cold War to the present day.
“In more than 500 pages of deeply researched yet readable history, Creuzberger opens a window on to an age-old enmity.” – Ian Thomson, The Irish Times
“Translated from the German by Elizabeth Janik, the book ‘seeks to make an informed contribution to current debates, and also to identify constructive paths forward’ in a Germany where the question of how to manage the country’s social, economic and political ties with Vladimir Putin’s Russia has polarized debate for years.” – Luka Ivan Jukic, The Wall Street Journal
“A book very much for and of our times. Originally published in Germany in 2022, it has now been translated into English by Elizabeth Janik. . . . It is a book that reminds us that while the past may be another country, the present bears its contours.” – George Bodie, History Today