First Published in 1982 West Germany presents a new approach to the study of contemporary Germany. The past history of the country is used to explain its present state, since the roots of many of the events of this century can be found as far back as the Middle Ages. In order to understand Germany’s relative backwardness in the nineteenth century, it is vital to have some conception of her medieval history, and likewise the descriptions of the constitutions of 1871 and 1919 help to explain why the Basic Law of 1949 took the form it did.

The form the book takes is slightly unusual, in that the amount of space devoted to an epoch increases as the present-day approaches, but this is consistent with the aim of the book. This is an important historical document for scholars and researchers of German history and European history.

M. Lourdes Mourelle, Ph.D., is a specialist in Thermalism and Thalassotherapy as a teacher in Masters Degrees and courses related to this topic. She belongs to the FA2 Research Group in the Applied Physics Department, University of Vigo, where she takes part in projects related to Thermalism, Thalassotherapy and Cosmetics.

Haresh S. Kalasariya is currently working as a microbiologist in a pharmaceutical company, while also serving as an adjunct research fellow in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at INTI International University, Malaysia. With a solid foundation in academia, he has previously held the position of assistant professor in Microbiology and Phycology at Sankalchand Patel University, India, for four years, and at Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University for two years. His research expertise is rooted in the study of seaweed in cosmeceuticals, and he has actively contributed to the field through his involvement in three government-funded research projects supported by the Government of Gujarat, India.