Written to bolster’s Prussia‘s claim to the Rhineland and to Alsace, this tract is of seminal importance in the development of nationalism for three reasons. [1] It set the stage for German annexationist claims to the Low Countries and for French-German controversies over Alsace Lorraine until well into the 20th century; [2] It marks the beginning of the Romantic-Nationalist tradition of cultural geopolitics and territorial claims based on language and ethnic history; [3] it marks the beginning of the modern tradition of nationalist pamphleteering by intellectuals propagandistically throwing their cultural prestige and scholarly authority behind their country’s national interest. 
The text is known more by reputation than in its actual contents, and is hardly available except in the original German. The English translation provided here was commissioned by SPIN from UvA Talen.