Imperial Culture in Germany, 1871-1918 / Edition 1

by Matthew Jefferies

Overview

This book fills a huge and long-standing gap in the scholarly literature available for teaching the Second Reich. This highly-illustrated book provides a lively introduction to the principal movements in German high culture between 1871 and 1918, in the context of imperial society and politics. Matthew Jefferies reveals that Germany's "Imperial culture" was every bit as fascinating as the much better known"Weimar culture"of the 1920s and argues that much of what came later has origins in the imperial period. Filling a significant gap in the current literature, this study will appeal to students of both German History and German Studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403904218
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/01/2003
Series:	European Studies , #7
Edition description:	2003
Pages:	338
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

MATTHEW JEFFERIES is Lecturer in German History at the University of Manchester and Visiting Lecturer at the Northern Institute of Technology, Hamburg-Harburg.
MATTHEW JEFFERIES is Lecturer in German History at the University of Manchester and Visiting Lecturer at the Northern Institute of Technology, Hamburg-Harburg.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Historical Context
Official Culture
The Gründerzeit
Cultural Critics and Revolts
'Wilhelminism' and its Discontents
Expressionism, Nationalism and War
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This book succeeds admirably in making a valuable point: that Imperial German culture was as provocative and at times contentious as its more celebrated successor, Weimar culture. Combining analysis and synthesis, Mathew Jefferies covers a range of topics, including literature, music, life reform, historical monuments, and the Expressionist movement. Whereas he focuses on high culture, he pays due attention to popular and commercial culture, and he does a marvelous job locating his subject in its social and political contexts. Scholars will find the book useful for its comprehensive bibliography and focused discussions of the literature on the Imperial period, while students will find the narrative engaging and accessible. Jefferies' book is an indispensable introduction to German cultural history before the rise of Hitler.' - Rudy Koshar, University of University of Wisconsin-Madison

'This book fills a huge and long-standing gap in the scholarly literature available for teaching the Second Reich. It has been worth the wait. The author convincingly makes the case that this is not an esoteric or peripheral field of enquiry. Culture was an essential component of middle-class identity. For bourgeois Germans, and others, too, culture was prominent -perhaps even ascendant - in developing the very idea of Germany.' - James Retallack, The University of Toronto

Editorial Reviews

"Scholars will find the book useful for its comprehensive bibliography and focused discussions of the literature on the Imperial period, while students will find the narrative engaging and accessible. Jefferies' book is an indispensable introduction to German cultural history before the rise of Hitler."--Rudy Koshar, University of University of Wisconsin-Madison

From the Publisher