More than half a century after the fall of the Third Reich, Nazism,
its roots and its essential nature, remain a central and unresolved
enigma of the twentieth century. During the period of Hitler's
ascendancy, most attempts at explaining this unprecedented
phenomenon were framed in "economic, " often Marxist, sociological
terms and concepts. Peter Viereck's Metapolitics, initially
published in 1941, broke with this convention by indicting Hitler
in terms of the Judaic-Christian ethical tradition and locating
certain elements of the Nazi worldview in German romantic poetry,
music, and social thought. Newly expanded, Metapolitics remains a
key work in the cultural interpretation of Nazism and
totalitarianism and in the psychological interpretation of Hitler
as a Wagnerite and failed artist.
The term "metapolitics, " a coinage from Richard Wagner's
nationalist circle, signifies an ideology resulting from five
distinct strands: romanticism (embodied chiefly in the Wagnerian
ethos), the pseudo-science of race, Fuehrer worship, vague economic
socialism, and the alleged supernatural and unconscious force of
the Volk collectivity. Together, those elements engendered an
emphasis on irrationalism and hysteria and belief in a special
German mission to direct the course of the world's history.
Viereck analyzes nineteenth-century German thought's conflicting
attitudes toward political procedures and social arrangements
rooted in classical, rational, legalistic, and Christian
traditions. This edition includes an appreciation by Thomas Mann
and an exchange with Jacques Barzun debating Viereck's criticism of
German romanticism. Viereck's essays on the case of Albert Speer,
on Claus von Stauffenberg(the German officer who led the army
conspiracy to assassinate Hitler), and on the poets Stefan George
and Georg Heym appear here for the first time in book form.
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
(4)
