Includes bibliographical references (p. 324-365) and index.

1. The failure of neo-humanism -- 2. The formation of imperial Germany, seen from Basel -- 3. The crisis of historical culture -- 4. Political lessons from cultural anthropology -- 5. Genealogy, naturalism, and the political -- 6. The idea of Europe and the limits of genealogy.

"This book introduces Hegel's best-known and most influential work, Phenomenology of Spirit, by interpreting it as a unified argument for a single philosophical claim: that human beings achieve their freedom through retrospective self-understanding. In clear, non-technical prose, Larry Krasnoff sets this claim in the context of the history of modern philosophy and shows how it is developed in the major sections of Hegel's text. The result is an accessible and engaging guide to one of the most complex and important works of nineteenth-century philosophy, which will be of interest to all students and teachers working in this area."