HIST356
Jan 5
Preconditions for nationalist socialist racism & genocide
- Nationalism
- Imperialism
o Language of racial superiority
- Modern antisemitism: Economic + racial antisemitism spread in the
late 19th century
o Built on racial persecution
o Not the same as previous religious-based antisemitism
o Russia, France were the least hospitable, Germany was not atop
the list at the time
- Eugenics: notion of national and racial health
o Widespread across the world; eugenics societies across
industrialized countries in Europe and North America, demanding
the prevention of reproduction of the ‘undesirables’ and the
promotion of reproduction of those who were “fit”
1. Promise and perils of modernity
- (+) Modernization = rise in standard of living + control of material
existence & accommodation of constrains + cultural and economic
productivity
- (-) Pollution & Schemes of environmental domination; often benefiting
some and not others -> discriminatory social policies -> ethnic
cleansing, genocide
2. Conflicting tendencies towards unity and diversity
- Rise of nationalism
- Increasing social polarization
o Religious divide: persistent catholic / protestant divide
- Rise of racial thinking -> German racial unity -> boundaries drawn,
“outsiders”
3. Germany’s place in the middle of Europe
, - Geographically in the middle -> should Germany have a predominantly
land-based empire or an overseas empire
- Fear of encirclement -> expansionist militarism VS visions of tamer
foreign policy for security
- Dispersion of German speakers -> raises questions about relationship
to German state -> Greater German empire?
The German Empire
- The German Confederation (1815): Germany, Bohemia, Austria,
Slovenia
Goal of German unification
- Prussian elite: State-centered nationalism
o Desire to build a large and strong empire that can rival France
and Russia (biggest states during the Napoleonic war)
- Middle classes: liberal nationalism
o Desire for customs union / German common market for own
policies and tariffs
o Invoked German cultural unity in favor of a united state
1. Blood and iron Narrative: Bismark; focus on war and industrialization
- 1848: turning point that failed to turn
o Frankfurt Assembly- middle class debated, offered the Prussian
King Friedrich Wilhelm the crown of imperial Germany, which he
rejects
- 1850: Friedrich Wilhelm makes his own constitution, where there is
little power for the parliament
o Various states made efforts to alleviate complaints of the middle-
class EG public health measures, encouraging major building
projects
o Middle class focused their energy on profit and comfort,
politically passive
- Prussian-Austrian (Habsburg) rivalry for influence over the German
confederation grew
o Both set up rival economic spheres, but Prussia was more
successful and managed to isolate Austria
- 1862: Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck minister of Prussia
, o Bismarck was a wealthy Prussian Yonker (type of German-
speaking aristocrat). He was a flexible pragmatic politician
(opportunist? Sacrificing certain goals for the main goal of
power).
- 1866: War with Austria (Habsburg monarchy; known officially as
Austrian-Hungarian empire after 1867) over control of Germany.
o Bismarck engineered a series of wars to allow Prussia to
dominate after decisively winning the war. Forced the acceptance
of the creation of a north-German confederation which Austria
would not be part of
- 1870: War with France, which Prussia wins -> France joins Prussian
empire
- 1871: Empire officially established, announced in Versailles.
Constitution and crowning occur
- German empire (1871-1918) = greater Prussia
o 60% of land was Prussia. Numerous new principalities absorbed,
regional identifications did not disappear
o Emperor was Prussian king, and the chancellor was Bismarck
o Core of the new army was the Prussian army
o Prussia had essentially a veto in the government (which worked
in a similar manner to Reichstag) and had a skewed voting
system with a weak middle class who were not leaders in the
development of Germany
Germany united from above and not below
2. Liberal Tide Narrative
- Underlying movement of middle class values and economies
- Major figures attached themselves to this tide to achieve their goals
- Parliament elected via a 3 class voting system- first class is land
owners, second class is people with wealth and professionals, third
class is everyone else (3/4 of the male population). Skewed to the
wealthy and had liberal tendencies (industrialists, business owners,
professionals) which acted as outlets for liberal ideas and politics
- Unification of Germany was something both liberals and conservatives
could agree on
- Expansion in economic interest / pressure groups with railroads
spreading, commerce increasing, movement of people and sharing of
ideas, newspaper emerging etc. Economic union was increasingly
realized in the 1850s and political union seemed more unlikely
, - Customs union expanded more rapidly than economic growth
Discussion
What was Germany in the 19th century?
Germany was a confederation in 1815 following territorial reorganization
(reduction in number of German states and increased size and importance
of duchies which gained kingdom status). Before 1871, German-speaking
peoples lived in a fragmented collection of kingdoms, principalities, city-
states, and empires
Germany became a ‘belated’ nation, with contradictions between an
archaic sociopolitical structure and a rapidly modernizing economy
unleashing domestic and eventually international conflicts
What was the German question in the 19th century?
How is unification gonna work
Who and what were Germans?
“Germans” were not a fixed or timeless people, but a historically constructed
community whose identity changed across time. What it meant to be
“German” depended on language, culture, religion (splits after reformation),
region (territory) and political context (ideologies such as cold war east vs
west / FRG in West and GDR in East) as German identity was shaped by
division rather than unity. Even within 1 individual there was psychological
division as under the Third Reich and later the GDR, many Germans learned
to separate public behavior from private belief to survive.
What was/is the German Sonderweg (special path) interpretation of
German history?
Jan 5
Preconditions for nationalist socialist racism & genocide
- Nationalism
- Imperialism
o Language of racial superiority
- Modern antisemitism: Economic + racial antisemitism spread in the
late 19th century
o Built on racial persecution
o Not the same as previous religious-based antisemitism
o Russia, France were the least hospitable, Germany was not atop
the list at the time
- Eugenics: notion of national and racial health
o Widespread across the world; eugenics societies across
industrialized countries in Europe and North America, demanding
the prevention of reproduction of the ‘undesirables’ and the
promotion of reproduction of those who were “fit”
1. Promise and perils of modernity
- (+) Modernization = rise in standard of living + control of material
existence & accommodation of constrains + cultural and economic
productivity
- (-) Pollution & Schemes of environmental domination; often benefiting
some and not others -> discriminatory social policies -> ethnic
cleansing, genocide
2. Conflicting tendencies towards unity and diversity
- Rise of nationalism
- Increasing social polarization
o Religious divide: persistent catholic / protestant divide
- Rise of racial thinking -> German racial unity -> boundaries drawn,
“outsiders”
3. Germany’s place in the middle of Europe
, - Geographically in the middle -> should Germany have a predominantly
land-based empire or an overseas empire
- Fear of encirclement -> expansionist militarism VS visions of tamer
foreign policy for security
- Dispersion of German speakers -> raises questions about relationship
to German state -> Greater German empire?
The German Empire
- The German Confederation (1815): Germany, Bohemia, Austria,
Slovenia
Goal of German unification
- Prussian elite: State-centered nationalism
o Desire to build a large and strong empire that can rival France
and Russia (biggest states during the Napoleonic war)
- Middle classes: liberal nationalism
o Desire for customs union / German common market for own
policies and tariffs
o Invoked German cultural unity in favor of a united state
1. Blood and iron Narrative: Bismark; focus on war and industrialization
- 1848: turning point that failed to turn
o Frankfurt Assembly- middle class debated, offered the Prussian
King Friedrich Wilhelm the crown of imperial Germany, which he
rejects
- 1850: Friedrich Wilhelm makes his own constitution, where there is
little power for the parliament
o Various states made efforts to alleviate complaints of the middle-
class EG public health measures, encouraging major building
projects
o Middle class focused their energy on profit and comfort,
politically passive
- Prussian-Austrian (Habsburg) rivalry for influence over the German
confederation grew
o Both set up rival economic spheres, but Prussia was more
successful and managed to isolate Austria
- 1862: Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck minister of Prussia
, o Bismarck was a wealthy Prussian Yonker (type of German-
speaking aristocrat). He was a flexible pragmatic politician
(opportunist? Sacrificing certain goals for the main goal of
power).
- 1866: War with Austria (Habsburg monarchy; known officially as
Austrian-Hungarian empire after 1867) over control of Germany.
o Bismarck engineered a series of wars to allow Prussia to
dominate after decisively winning the war. Forced the acceptance
of the creation of a north-German confederation which Austria
would not be part of
- 1870: War with France, which Prussia wins -> France joins Prussian
empire
- 1871: Empire officially established, announced in Versailles.
Constitution and crowning occur
- German empire (1871-1918) = greater Prussia
o 60% of land was Prussia. Numerous new principalities absorbed,
regional identifications did not disappear
o Emperor was Prussian king, and the chancellor was Bismarck
o Core of the new army was the Prussian army
o Prussia had essentially a veto in the government (which worked
in a similar manner to Reichstag) and had a skewed voting
system with a weak middle class who were not leaders in the
development of Germany
Germany united from above and not below
2. Liberal Tide Narrative
- Underlying movement of middle class values and economies
- Major figures attached themselves to this tide to achieve their goals
- Parliament elected via a 3 class voting system- first class is land
owners, second class is people with wealth and professionals, third
class is everyone else (3/4 of the male population). Skewed to the
wealthy and had liberal tendencies (industrialists, business owners,
professionals) which acted as outlets for liberal ideas and politics
- Unification of Germany was something both liberals and conservatives
could agree on
- Expansion in economic interest / pressure groups with railroads
spreading, commerce increasing, movement of people and sharing of
ideas, newspaper emerging etc. Economic union was increasingly
realized in the 1850s and political union seemed more unlikely
, - Customs union expanded more rapidly than economic growth
Discussion
What was Germany in the 19th century?
Germany was a confederation in 1815 following territorial reorganization
(reduction in number of German states and increased size and importance
of duchies which gained kingdom status). Before 1871, German-speaking
peoples lived in a fragmented collection of kingdoms, principalities, city-
states, and empires
Germany became a ‘belated’ nation, with contradictions between an
archaic sociopolitical structure and a rapidly modernizing economy
unleashing domestic and eventually international conflicts
What was the German question in the 19th century?
How is unification gonna work
Who and what were Germans?
“Germans” were not a fixed or timeless people, but a historically constructed
community whose identity changed across time. What it meant to be
“German” depended on language, culture, religion (splits after reformation),
region (territory) and political context (ideologies such as cold war east vs
west / FRG in West and GDR in East) as German identity was shaped by
division rather than unity. Even within 1 individual there was psychological
division as under the Third Reich and later the GDR, many Germans learned
to separate public behavior from private belief to survive.
What was/is the German Sonderweg (special path) interpretation of
German history?
