Dugald Bruce Lockhart

For many years, the post-war recovery of Germany was an inspirational story. All of Europe looked on with admiration and envy as the nation rebuilt and set standards for the rest to follow.

But, even at its zenith, there were signs of trouble, with a worrying lack of national identity at its heart. So, when events started to turn against Germany, the whole edifice began to crumble. Volkswagen's emissions fraud tainted its industrial reputation; abandoning nuclear power left the country at the mercy of Russia for its energy needs; and a growing divide between rich and poor stoked international tensions that opened the door to the rise of the far-right AfD party.

Journalists Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes have been reporting for years on the problems the country faces. Broken Republik is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand Germany's slide towards the brink.

1968, the year of Prague Spring and Cold War winter. English students, Ellie and James, set off to hitch-hike across Europe and decide, on a whim, to visit Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile Sam Wareham, at the British embassy in Prague, is observing developments in the country with diplomatic cynicism. But with the Red Army amassed on the borders, how will the looming disaster affect those fragile lives caught up in the invasion?