This book presents twenty-five articles by Sebastian Haffner written over a period of twenty years. It will be very interesting for the Russian-speaking reader to get acquainted both with little-known facts of history for us, and with the views and judgments of an outstanding German publicist about them - as always, unexpected and original. In his Historical Reflections, he addresses the history of Prussia and the Paris Commune, the founding of the German Reich by Bismarck, and the seizure of power by Hitler. He reflects on the role in modern life of the Western Roman Empire, and between the period of its decline and present-day Europe, Haffner sees depressing parallels: "Material well-being and civilization are rapidly declining if its spiritual essence fades away .. What they don’t fight for, they lose.” In "Biographical Sketches" he draws portraits of Lenin and Mao, Churchill, Stresemann and Adenauer, and at the same time comes to not always convenient conclusions. And he presents Civic Reflections on the Industrial Revolution, on Progress, and on the Role of Man Today. Even if you do not agree with the author's point of view - it is still impossible not to appreciate the depth and originality of his judgments on a variety of issues.