The German Historical Institute and the Humboldt University Berlin recently began a joint project, “Competing Modernities: Germany and the United States, 1890 to the Present.” The goal of this new project is to systematically compare the paths of the United States and Germany from a number of vantage points over an extended period of time. Made possible by a grant from the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Stuttgart), the project is directed by Christof Mauch (GHI) and Kiran Patel (Humboldt University Berlin) and is also supported by the American Institute of Contemporary German Studies. It is conceived for a broader public in addition to an academic audience. One of the project’s major objectives is the publication of a collection of scholarly but highly readable essays in English and German. Because it is the first comprehensive comparison of two national histories on this scale, it is hoped that the publication will serve as a model and a stimulus for future research. The project also strives to contribute to the public discussion about future social and political developments in Germany and in the United States.