The problem of world-history and its meaning is acute. In a scientific age we are also becoming historically conscious, realising how many of our contemporary problems cannot be solved without an understanding of their historical perspective. For the whole conception of world-history is rooted in Christianity. The Christian faith proclaims God's special revelation through His Son as the key to historical meaning. How does this salvation history relate to the complex events of our historical existence? Does God only work in salvation history or is there also a general revelation of His presence? This book suggests answers to these questions. Its author believes that only by examining the problems in the light of the biblical revelation and the meaning it gives to history can they be understood.

Admiral Topp's memoirs reflect the faith, hopes, errors, and transformations in a man's life, indeed those of a whole generation whose understanding of history and ideology were held captive by the myth of power. The terrible annihilation in World War II and, even more so, the unimaginable destructive potential of nuclear weapons, have resulted in a change in the use of power. The author's diaries and journals, along with their contemporary interpretation, illustrate the political dimension of this change.

Topp wrote this book to illuminate a segment of twentieth century history which can only be portrayed truthfully by those who themselves have lived and suffered through it. Topp also describes freely the era of the Third Reich. Even today, after long years of occupying positions of leadership, the author feels the burden of historical responsibility. In this sense his book is a statement about the ambivalence of human existence. It provides answers to the question of why a whole generation of Germans followed the mesmerizing siren song of a totalitarian regime, an experience which still looms like a shadow over the living.