Higher education systems in Western industrialized countries have been subject to remarkable institutional changes. We present a chronological and historical analysis of the German higher education field starting with the postwar period until the more recent changes in the institutional environment. We took Germany as a reference case of a continental European education system that traditionally emphasized the Humboldtian ideal of education through science. The purpose of this chapter is to develop a better understanding of the societal and managerial issues associated with the macro-level changes and transition from an era of professional dominance to an era of managed education.