ABSTRACT
This book attempts to solve one of the paradoxes of European history: why, when it was apparently weak and internally divided, did the Holy Roman Empire (Reich) survive in a hostile environment of centralizing belligerent states. The answers that emerge suggest a picture very different from the conventional image of war and German politics. The militaristic power state (Machtstaat) exemplified by Prussia is a crucial part of Ger man history, but so too is a system of collective security and internal conflict and resolution that allowed a rich var iety of political traditions to coexist relatively harmoniously. This system preserved the Reich against formidable attacks without making it a danger to the security of its neighbours. In contrast to the political culture of later German states, that of the Reich was inherently defensive, preferr ing peace to war in both domestic politics and external relations.
