The Historical Context: The Historical Context:

Imperial Germany and

the First World War

Bergen, Doris, War and Genocide, chap. 1 (p. 16-28)

*“The Legacy of the War” in Kaes, Jay, and Dimendberg, ed. The *“The Legacy of the War” in Kaes, Jay, and Dimendberg, ed. The

Weimar Republic Sourcebook, pp. 5-6, 8-9, 12-16

Recommended:Recommended:

Jackson Spielvogel, Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History, chap. 1

Why Germany?Why Germany?

Why Germany? Sonderweg (“special path”)Sonderweg (“special path”)

� Argued by Fritz Fischer, Hans-Ulrich Wehler� Argued by Fritz Fischer, Hans-Ulrich Wehler

� Argument:

- Failed bourgeois revolution of 1848 (as opposed to the - Failed bourgeois revolution of 1848 (as opposed to the

UK 1648 and France 1789)

- Weak/defeated bourgeoisie = failed liberalism- Weak/defeated bourgeoisie = failed liberalism

� Opposed by David Blackbourn and Geoff Eley in

their 1984 book The Peculiarities of German Historytheir 1984 book The Peculiarities of German History

Chronology

Imperial Germany – 1871 to 1918Imperial Germany – 1871 to 1918

Weimar Germany – 1918 to 1933Weimar Germany – 1918 to 1933

Nazi Germany – 1933 to 1945

Imperial Germany Imperial Germany

(1871-1914)(1871-1914)

Germany in 1871 – a “latecomer”

19th century

� Belief in progress

� Secularization� Secularization

� Industrialization and urbanization

� New mass politics� New mass politics

� Rise of nationalism

------------------------

All these created new opportunities

but also new challenges and fearsbut also new challenges and fears

What is nationalism?

� Belief that a group of individuals constitutes a

“nation” (sense of belonging) and as such have a “nation” (sense of belonging) and as such have a

right to sovereignty (statehood)

� In the 19th century – became an ideology and a � In the 19th century – became an ideology and a

movement (mass politics)

� Not always exclusionary (does not necessarily � Not always exclusionary (does not necessarily

“hate”)

� The idea of a “nation” flexible (understood in � The idea of a “nation” flexible (understood in

ethnic, cultural, social terms)

Impact of industrialization on the

lower middle classlower middle class

� After depression, rising numbers of small � After depression, rising numbers of small

businesses

� Lost ground to large concerns - no capital. Little � Lost ground to large concerns - no capital. Little

control over production and distribution

� Competition from big retailers like department � Competition from big retailers like department

stores (seen as “Jewish owned”)

� Suffer from insecurity, low income � Suffer from insecurity, low income

� Proletarianization - hired or fired as demand

dictated - workers on contracts (tailors for hire)dictated - workers on contracts (tailors for hire)

Chauvinism and antisemitism

become popular – Why?� New fears, anxiety, and challenges of modernity � New fears, anxiety, and challenges of modernity

especially among lower middle class – affected by

economic depression of 1873

� Expression of a long-standing sense of cultural

superiority, now strengthened by new statehood superiority, now strengthened by new statehood

and sense of power

� The ‘latecomer’ nation: feeling that Britain and � The ‘latecomer’ nation: feeling that Britain and

France (who has already possessed colonies)

doomed the belated German efforts

Wilhelm Wilhelm

Marr:

Coined the

term term

antisemitism

in 1879in 1879

Wilhelm Marr “The Victory of the Jews over

the Germans, Considered from a Non-Religious the Germans, Considered from a Non-Religious

Point of View”(1879)Point of View”(1879)� “Jewry’s control of society and politics […is] in the prime of its

development” – Reversal of this process is impossible at this

stage since all “Judaized” social structure would collapsestage since all “Judaized” social structure would collapse

� The problem: integration, not separation. Religion irrelevant

Jewish vigor stemming from racial characteristics –� Jewish vigor stemming from racial characteristics –

“flexible, tenacious, intelligent, foreign” – Jews stronger

than Germans - Jews victoriousthan Germans - Jews victorious

� Pessimism; Germans will be finished

Der

Sieg des Judenthums Sieg des Judenthums ueber das

GermanenthumGermanenthumvom

nicht confessionellen

Standpunkt ausbetrachtetStandpunkt ausbetrachtet

1870s-1880s - Antisemitism becomes a

movement in Germany and Austriamovement in Germany and Austria

� Antisemitism gains great political power - becomes � Antisemitism gains great political power - becomes acceptable/respectable

� Central in German society and public life, not Central in German society and public life, not marginal

� Political Parties: Adolf Stocker (to undo Jewish emancipation); links to the Mittelstandemancipation); links to the Mittelstand

� Publications and propaganda

Organizations, clubs, societies, fraternities� Organizations, clubs, societies, fraternities

� Congresses

Antisemitism as a political power

� Berlin 1878 - the foundation of Christian Social

Workers Party with leader Adolf Stoecker - the Workers Party with leader Adolf Stoecker - the

first antisemitic political party in Europe

� Vienna 1897-1910 - Karl Lueger - the first anti-

Semite to be elected mayor of a citySemite to be elected mayor of a city

Adolf Stoecker

--

a court chaplaina court chaplain

Karl Lueger

XIX century: Racial Science

� Crucial – “discoveries” of new lands� Crucial – “discoveries” of new lands

� Growth of anthropology - classification of peoples

Emphasis placed on physical features� Emphasis placed on physical features

� India of special interest: Indo-European “Aryans”

believed to come from India believed to come from India

� Aryan acquires positive evaluation: as esthetically

pleasingpleasing

� Race becoming a central concept

Thinkers critical for the development

of racial thinking (19th century)of racial thinking (19th century)

� Arthur de Gobineau – race determined everything � Arthur de Gobineau – race determined everything

incl. culture; the white race superior to any other

� Charles Darwin – not a racial thinker but � Charles Darwin – not a racial thinker but

introduced the idea of struggle for survival among

speciesspecies

� Herbert Spencer – translated Darwinism into

human social relations: social Darwinism human social relations: social Darwinism

Struggle for survival + racial thinking = deadly

combinationcombination

Houston Stewart Chamberlain –

Hitler’s Hero: “Foundations of the Hitler’s Hero: “Foundations of the

Nineteenth Century” (1899) Nineteenth Century” (1899) � Race is a fact! Race is the source, the basis of all human

qualities. Races are better and worse – value attached

“The influence of the Jews – for good and for evil – lies in their character, “The influence of the Jews – for good and for evil – lies in their character, not in their intellectual achievements.”

� Obsession with the purity of blood gave Jews power and � Obsession with the purity of blood gave Jews power and duration – to be admired

� Jews enslaved the civilized world: “our governments, our law, our science, our commerce, our literature, our art…practically all our science, our commerce, our literature, our art…practically all branches of our life have become more or less willing slaves of the Jews”

� They will infect Indo-Europeans with their blood

Next: The Weimar Republic

*Mary Fulbrook, A History of Germany 1918-2000: *Mary Fulbrook, A History of Germany 1918-2000:

The Divided Nation, p. 16-36

Recommended:Recommended:

Jackson Spielvogel, Hitler and Nazi Germany: A

History, chap. 2 (p. 10-24)History, chap. 2 (p. 10-24)