 Stürmer argues that "the future is won by those who coin concepts and interpret the past".In a series of his essays published in book form in 1986 as "Dissonanzen des Fortschritts" ("Dissonances of Progress"), he claimed that democracy in West Germany cannot be taken for granted; that though Germany does have a democratic past, the present system of the Federal Republic developed in response to past totalitarian experiences of both left and right; that geography has played a key role in limiting the options of German governments; and that given the Cold War, the ideas of neutrality for the Federal Republic or reunification with East Germany were not realistic.Stürmer is arguably best known for his advocacy of a geographical interpretation of German history.