"Modernity" was an inescapable fact of life for the first
generation to come of age in the German Empire. Even the most
extreme political opponents saw the chaotic transformation of all
spheres of life in the wake of industrial capitalism as the central
problem facing young men and women at the "fin de siecle." This
fresh look at Wilhelmine perceptions of modernity challenges both
the traditional emphasis on anti-modernism as a peculiarly German
response that led to the rise of National Socialism, and the more
recent post-Foucauldian studies on the "pathologies of modernity,"
which point instead to an unreflective faith in science and
efficiency on the part of German progressives. Shifting the focus
away from radical extremes on either side, Kevin Repp explores the
more moderate agendas of hundreds of mainstream intellectuals and
activists from diverse social backgrounds who sought to surmount
the human costs of industrialization without relinquishing its
positive potential.
Repp combines detailed case studies of Adolf Damaschke, Gertrud
Baumer, and Werner Sombart with an innovative prosopography of
their milieu to show how leading reformers enlisted familiar tropes
of popular nationalism, eugenics, and cultural pessimism in
formulating pragmatic solutions that would be at once modern and
humane. Easily obscured by radical voices on right and left, this
quiet search for alternatives nevertheless succeeded in building a
nationwide network of educational centers, associative ties, and
institutions that substantially altered the landscape of Wilhelmine
political culture in the decades before the First World War.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
