Focusing on Prussia from the Napoleonic era to the Revolution of 1848, this book boldly reinterprets the origins of German nationalism by tracing its links to eighteenth-century Enlightenment thought. It also presents a new perspective on the role of discourse in historical change, emphasizing how the concept 'nation' transformed the horizon of Prussian political debate.

This major reinterpretation of Prussian history from the Napoleonic era to the Revolution of 1848 shows how reforms inspired by the Enlightenment ultimately consolidated an authoritarian political culture. The book casts new light on the origins of German nationalism, demonstrating that the competing discourses of civil servants, aristocrats, and bourgeois political activists produced a new vision of a harmonious nation under monarchical rule.