Left Liberals, the State, and Popular Politics in Wilhelmine Germany

by Alastair P. Thompson

Overview

This study investigates Left Liberals in Wilhelmine Germany, with case studies ranging from Kiel to Kattowitz. Overturning old notions of German liberalism as the helpless victim of mass mobilization and political polarization, this book explains increasing left liberal influence and support on the eve of the First World War and shows why liberal values could not be consolidated after 1918.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198205432
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/18/2001
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.20(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction
Men, Machinery, and Mission
1. Locating the Left Liberals
2. Hard-Working Honoratioren: The Mechanics of Left Liberal Politics
3. Liberal Policy: Faded Remnants or New Dawn
Executive, Parties, and Public Opinion. The Left Liberals in National Politics, 1907-1914
4. Left Liberal Parliamentarians
5. The Left Liberals in National Politics, 1907-1912
6. Defending the Reich: Left Liberals and Domestic Politics from January 1912 to the July Crisis 1914
Left Liberals in Local Society
7. Mass Politics and Party Pacts: Left Liberals in Baden, 1905-1914
8. Persuading the Protestant Mittelstand: Left Liberals in Schleswig-Holstein
9. Continuity and Change: Left Liberals in Silesian Politics and Society
Conclusion - Victory in Defeat and Defeat in Victory: Left Liberal Politics and the First World War
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Thompson convinces in all respects with his judicious mixture of fact argument and extensive coverage. This most subtle and thoughtful piece of scholarship is a powerful reminder of the brightening prospects for liberalism in Germany during the first two decades of the twentieth century."—American Historical Review

From the Publisher