Populism, migration, economy, war - where is Germany heading? The Book on the State of the Nation : The German-British historian Frank Trentmann puts Germany to the test. How did we get into the crisis, and how do we get out of it? Frank Trentmann finds answers by looking into history and beyond national borders. It sheds light on the strengths and weaknesses of democracy, the economy and the German culture of remembrance. It shows that the ageing of society and migration must be considered together and that distorted images of reality in the GDR and West contribute to polarisation in the East and West.