The Bismarck Myth: Weimar Germany and the Legacy of the Iron Chancellor

by Robert Gerwarth

Overview

Few statesmen in history have inspired the imagination of generations of Germans more than the founder of the Kaiserreich, Otto von Bismarck. The archetype of charismatic leadership, the Iron Chancellor maintained his pre-eminent position in the pantheon of Germany's political iconography for much of the twentieth century.
Based on a large selection of primary sources, this book provides an insightful analysis of the Bismarck myth's profound impact on Germany's political culture. In particular, it investigates the ways in which that myth was used to undermine parliamentary democracy in Germany after the Great War, paving the way for its replacement by authoritarian rule under an allegedly 'Bismarckian' charismatic leader, Adolf Hitler.
As one of the most powerful weapons of nationalist agitation against the Weimar Republic, the Bismarck myth was never contested. The nationalists' ideologically charged interpretation of Bismarck as the father of the German nation-state and model for future political decision-making clashed with rivalling - and thoroughly critical - democratic and communist perceptions of the Iron Chancellor. The quarrel over Bismarck's legacy demonstrates how the clash of ideologies, particularly between 1918 and 1933, resulted in a highly political fight for the 'correct' and universal interpretation of the German past.
Essential reading for anyone interested in modern German history, this book sheds new light on the Weimar Republic's struggle for survival and the reasons for its failure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199236893
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/15/2007
Series:	Oxford Historical Monographs
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Robert Gerwarth was educated at the Humboldt University, Berlin and University College, Oxford. He is currently a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Prologue: The Bismarck Myth in Wilhelmine Germany 1890-19183. After the Collapse4. Fragmented Society, Divided Memory: Perceptions of Bismarck in Early Weimar Germany5. Fighting the 'Enemies of the Reich': Bismarck and the State Crisis of 1922-236. Bismarck as an Election Campaigner7. In the Shadow of Stabilization8. Towards the Abyss: Bismarck and the Dissolution of the Weimar Republic9. Epilogue: Bismarck Between the 'Seizure of Power' and Reunification 1933-199010. ConclusionBibliographyIndex

Editorial Reviews

Review from previous edition

"A volume packed with information....The importance of the Bismarck myth...in the political discourse and controversies of the Weimar Republic becomes very clear."—Archiv für Sozialgeschichte

"Robert Gerwarth deals with an explosive chapter of historical politics. His impressively presented [book is]...an extremely worthwhile academic investigation."—Eberhard Kolb, Bulletin of the German Historical Institute

"Robert Gerwarth's intelligent book convincingly uncovers Bismarck's importance as the hero of the right...after 1918."—Der Tagesspiegel

"[E]nriches the scholarship on the Weimar Republic...and offers a key explanation for Hitler's success and the root causes of the German desire for a charismatic leader."—H-Net

"Robert Gerwarth has performed a real service by showing, with a telling eye for colourful details, how Bismarck or rather the myth of Bismarck has been used by different factions in Germany's difficult history....[A] well researched and well written book."—Contemporary Review

From the Publisher