Imperial Germany Revisited : Continuing Debates and New Perspectives

The German Empire, its structure, its dynamic development between 1871 and 1918, and its legacy, have been the focus of lively international debate that is showing signs of further intensification as we approach the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Based on recent work and scholarly arguments about continuities and discontinuities in modern German history from Bismarck to Hitler, well-known experts broadly explore four themes: the positioning of the Bismarckian Empire in the course of German history; the relationships between society, politics and culture in a period of momentous transformations; the escalation of military violence in Germany's colonies before 1914 and later in two world wars; and finally the situation of Germany within the international system as a major political and economic player. The perspectives presented in this volume have already stimulated further argument and will be of interest to anyone looking for orientation in this field of research. Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction Part I THE PLACE OF IMPERIAL GERMANY IN GERMAN HISTORY Chapter 1 When the Sonderweg Debate Left Us Helmut Walser Smith Chapter 2 The Impossible Vanishing Point Societal Differentiation in Imperial Germany Chapter 3 Was the German Empire a Sovereign State? Chapter 4 Theories of Nationalism and the Critical Approach to German History Part II POLITICS, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY Chapter 5 The Authoritarian State and the Political Mass Market Chapter 6 Using Violence to Govern The German Empire and the French Third Republic Chapter 7 Women’s Suffrage and Antifeminism as a Litmus Test of Modernizing Societies A Western European Comparison Chapter 8 Germany in the Age of Culture Wars Chapter 9 Their Favorite Enemy German Social Historians and the Prussian Nobility Chapter 10 A Difficult Relationship Social History and the Bourgeoisie Chapter 11 Cultural Nationalism and Beyond Musical Performances in Imperial Germany Part III WAR AND VIOLENCE Chapter 12 1914–1945: A Second Thirty Years War? Advantages and Disadvantages of an Interpretive Category Chapter 13 The Enduring Charm of the Great War Some Reflections on Methodological Issues Chapter 14 The First World War and Military Culture Continuity and Change in Germany and Italy Chapter 15 A German Way of War? Narratives of German Militarism and Maritime Warfare in World War I Chapter 16 German War Crimes 1914 and 1941 The Question of Continuity Part IV THE GERMAN EMPIRE IN THE WORLD Chapter 17 From the Periphery to the Center On the Significance of Colonialism for the German Empire Chapter 18 The Kaiserreich as a Society of Migration Chapter 19 Wilhelmine Nationalism in Global Contexts Mobility, Race, and Global Consciousness Chapter 20 Imperial Germany under Globalization Chapter 21 German Industry and American Big Business, 1900–1914 Select Bibliography Notes on Contributors Subject Index Index of Persons "The German Empire, its structure, its dynamic development between 1871 and 1918, and its legacy, have been the focus of lively international debate that is showing signs of further intensification as we approach the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Based on recent work and scholarly arguments about continuities and discontinuities in modern German history from Bismarck to Hitler, well-known experts broadly explore four themes: the positioning of the Bismarckian Empire in the course of German history; the relationships between society, politics and culture in a period of momentous transformations; the escalation of military violence in Germany's colonies before 1914 and later in two world wars; and finally the situation of Germany within the international system as a major political and economic player."--Page 4 of cover.