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History Germany

The German Right, 1860–1920

Political Limits of the Authoritarian Imagination

by (author) James Retallack

Publisher
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Initial publish date
Aug 2006
Category
Germany
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802091451
    Publish Date
    Aug 2006
    List Price
    $92.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442657410
    Publish Date
    Feb 2015
    List Price
    $90.00

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Description

Before the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, Germany was undergoing convulsive socioeconomic and political change. With unification as a nation state under Bismarck in 1871, Germany experienced the advent of mass politics, based on the principle of one man, one vote. The dynamic, diverse political culture that emerged challenged the adaptability of the 'interlocking directorate of the Right.' To serve as a bulwark of the authoritarian state, the Right needed to exploit traditional sources of power while mobilizing new political recruits, but until Emperor Wilhelm II's abdication in 1918 these aims could not easily be reconciled.

In The German Right, 1860-1920, James Retallack examines how the authoritarian imagination inspired the Right and how political pragmatism constrained it. He explores the Right's regional and ideological diversity, and refuses to privilege the 1890s as the tipping point when the traditional politics of notables gave way to mass politics. Retallack also challenges the assumption that, if Imperial Germany was modern, it could not also have been authoritarian. Written with clear, persuasive prose, this wide-ranging analysis draws together threads of reasoning from German and Anglo-American scholars over the past 30 years and points the way for future research into unexplored areas.

About the author

James Retallack is a professor of History and German Studies at the University of Toronto. His most recent book for the University of Toronto Press was The German Right, 1860–1920.

James Retallack's profile page

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