The book deals with the relationship between Friedrich Meinecke, who is often considered to be the leading German historian of the first half of the twentieth century, and several of his students who, after the Nazi seizure of power, were forced to emigrate because of their Jewish descent or their political views. The letters published here to Meinecke from Hans Rothfels, Dietrich Gerhard, Hajo Holborn, Felix Gilbert, Hans Rosenberg, and others show these scholars' deep respect for their old teacher, but also their growing distance from his historical interests and methods. In a period of struggle between democracy and Nazi dictatorship, the letters address the problems of emigration and remigration, German-Jewish and German-American identity, and historiography in both Germany and the United States.

Gerhard A. Ritter, emeritus professor of Modern History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. His most recent books deal with the social history of Germany, the comparative history of the welfare state, the reunification of Germany in 1989/90, and problems of historiography.