Kammala wannan jumla: Pflanze shi ne dan Otto Paul Pflanze (1885-1944) da kuma Katrine Mills Pflanze (1886-1959). Ya halarci Kwalejin Maryville da Jami'ar Yale kafin a katse karatunsa na digiri na biyu a Yale ta yakin duniya na biyu, inda ya yi aiki a cikin Pacific Theater a cikin Rundunar Sojan Sama a matsayin jami'in leken asiri da ke tattare da yakin basasa. Bayan karshen yakin, Pflanze ya yi aiki ga Ma'aikatar Harkokin Wajen kuma ya kasance a cikin
Berlin Airlift tare da isar da kayayyaki a cikin 1948, kafin a ƙarshe ya ci gaba da karatun digiri a Yale. Ya sami digirinsa na PhD a 1950, kuma ya koyar a cibiyoyi masu zuwa (wanda aka jera a cikin tsari na lokaci): Jami'ar New York, Jami'ar Massachusetts a Amherst, Jami'ar Illinois, Jami'ar Minnesota, Jami'ar Indiana, da Bard College. Daga 1970 zuwa 1971, Pflanze ya kasance Masanin Masana'antu a Cibiyar Nazarin Ci gaba a Princeton, New Jersey. Daga 1976 zuwa 1985, Pflanze shi ne Edita na Tarihin Tarihin Amirka, wanda ke da hedkwatarsa a Bloomington, Indiana.