Crisis German Ideol

This outstanding book is basic to understanding Nazism and the Third Reich. Without indulging in any historical determinism, Mosse exposes and analyzes the intellectual background of Nazism in this very well written and documented book. The Volkish ideologies that formed the seedbed of Nazism were the products of several major developments in 19th century Germany. Deeply rooted in Romanticism and Idealism, the Volkish ideology emerged towards the end of the 19th century as a reaction to the disappointments of Imperial Germany. Many Germans, who had grown up with a highly romanticized idea of what unification would bring, found the prosaic reality of Imperial Germany profoundly disappointing. The belated unification of Germany under the Prussian Crown, accompanied by the stresses of rapid industrialization, disappointed many who found that the Wilhelmine state did not produce the expected social solidarity. At the same time, rapid industrialization with the emergence of a self-conscious and politically active working class and powerful business interests was deeply threatening to many, particularly traditional the traditional middle classes and craftsmen. Mosse lays out very well how a group of now largely unknown and third rate intellectuals developed an increasingly popular ideology consisting of mystic and anti-rational identification of the German Volk with civilized values. These values were opposed to liberal capitalism, democratic politics, the idea of universal human values, the rationality underlying the natural sciences, and socialist ideas. Added to these ideas were a sense of living is a period of social degeneration, racism, powerful anti-semitism, social darwinism, an exaltation of emotion and action over thought, and longing for a fictious past based on a highly romanticized view of medieval Germany. The Volkish solution was a social regeneration that would sweep away both capitalism and socialism, abolition of democratic forms of government, with simultaneous personal and social transformation led by a charismatic leader. Mosse shows well how these ideas were spread throughout German society by a variety of intellectuals, journalists, publishers, and particularly through the excellent German educational system. German schools incorporated Volkish ideas into their standard curricula and Volkish intellectuals were tremendously influential in German universities. Mosse takes pains to emphasize the strongly middle-class nature of this ideology and its adherents, and the way it captured a very large segment of German youth before, during, and after WWI. The catastrophe of WWI and its aftermath was an enormous boost to Volkish ideologies. The sense of social decline and degeneration received apparent validation from the events of the war and the instability of the Weimar Republic. The great achievement of Hitler and his lieutenants was to develop a popular movement, an idea resisted by the generally elitist Volkish in

This is a fascinating book. It shows with great clarity and detail the seemingly benign and familiar sounding origins of full blown horror: nature and sun worshipping, nationalism, anti-intellectualism, homemade religion (among others) were the ingredients of the deadly brew which was produced in the most civilized country of Europe in the 19th century. Yes, ideas matter! Today's politicians and aspiring politicians would be well inspired to read it (but are they reading? If so, is it not already pre-history for them?). A minor regret pertains to the absence of any serious analysis of the role of Richard Wagner's operas and thought on the development of the volkisch ideology. However, the book makes it quite clear. Wagnerites (among who I count myself) beware: this book will sour their pleasure for some time. I also missed a few hints at what were the counter currents which failed to prevent the disaster.

A vigorous analysis of the cultural, social and psychological pathologies that laid the foundations necessary for the rise of Hitler. Should be read in conjunction with Bernard Lewis's "What Went Wrong" for two reasons:1) to forestall the accusation of orientalist condescension that will inevitably adhere to Lewis's analysis of the pathologies of Islamic civilization and 2) to realize where these pathologies can lead if we forgive them in the name of multi-culturalism. After all the PC Left of the 30's also talked about the justifiable grievances of Germany (until of course Germany invaded the Soviet Union). In my book "The Optimistic Jew" I discuss these pathologies and also warn against the possibility of similar pathologies developing within certain segments of Israeli society.

I had to read Mosse's book for a graduate seminar on the Holocaust and found this to be absolutely fascinating. Not only does it show the progression of philosophies withing Germany from its roots in Romanticism to Volkish to what would ultimately become Nazi ideologies, but it presents the material in such a way that it becomes understandable exactly how this transition in thought could happen. Though the book is written as a scholarly history for scholars, it is fairly easy to understand, especially in the format in which it is presented. The first section focuses on the roots of Volkish thought and how they progressed from Romanticism in the late nineteenth century to Volkish in the early twentieth century which in turn lead to the Nazi ideals presented by Hitler to the German masses in the 1930s, a perversion of the Volkish. His second section examines how Volkish spread from small groups of idealists into the University system through literature and art, and through this infiltration of the Universities, as well as the German Youth Movement, expose its philosophies to a wider German audience than it had enjoyed before the first world war. The final section addresses Hitler's rise to power and the ways in which Hitler was able to manipulate Volkish and its intrinsic anti-Semitism to a radical degree to serve his purposes. Highly recommended for those interested in the Holocaust and/or Philosophy.

Mosse has challenged the set thoughts on the origins of the third reich (such as the Luther to Hitler theories and the idea that the people in Germany were merely subjected to propaganda, which ultimately shows the weakness of human beliefs). A must if one is studying Nazi germany or have an interest in twentieth century political theory.