The century between 1750 and 1850 has been the classical period of German culture. Although Germany was still lacking a territorial unity, in the field of literature and philosophy it reached its peak and the level of best European culture. The philosophy of Kant, Herder, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel, the poetry of Hölderlin, Novalis and Eichendorf, the prose and plays of Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist and Büchner all are amazing achievments. The course will give an introduction to these cultural monuments, but also answer questions such as: Which conditions of society and politics made them possible? How did the Germans react to the French revolution? How did the transition from Enlightenment to the post-Napoleon era take place? Why did the first half of the 19th century encounter an increase of political consciousness and nationalist desires, which eventually led to the revolution of 1848? What was modernization in Germany?