Paradigms of Political Change - Luther, Frederick II, and Bismarck : The GDR on Its Way to German Unity

by Brinks, Jan Herman; Smith, Gordon W.

• ISBN13: 9780874626803
• ISBN10: 0874626803
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Marquette Univ Pr

Author Biography

Jan Herman Brinks has researched in modern and contemporary German history for many years and has published in a range of journals of international provenance. A graduate of the State University of Groningen, he was awarded the Erasmus Study Prize in 1992 for his thesis Die DDR-Geschichtswissenschaft auf dem Weg zur deutschen Einheit. Luther, Friedrich II und Bismarck als Paradigmen politischen Wandels (Frankfurt/New York 1992). Dr. Brinks has held fellowships at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies of the Johns Hopkins University in 1995-6 and in 1997 and 1998 was Charlemagne Institute Research Fellow at the University of Bath and at Birkbeck College in London respectively. He is currently working on Dutch (pre)war collaboration with Nazi-Germany and its aftermath

Table of Contents

Translator's Note	8	(1)
Foreword	9	(2)
Preface	11	(3)
Georg G. Iggers
Introduction	14	(13)
Part A Between unification and demarcation-the classical Marxist writers and early social democrats on German history with special reference to the Reformation, the Peasants' War and Prussia
Foundations and Basic Questions of GDR historiography	27	(69)
Structures and concepts of Marxist-Leninist ideology in the GDR	27	(7)
The Marxist-Leninist image of history	34	(5)
Summary	37	(2)
The classical Marxist writers and early revolutionary social democrats on the German nation state, Prussian German history and revolutionary traditions
Marx and Engels	39	(12)
The Reformation and the Peasants' War	40	(3)
The 1848 Revolution	43	(3)
Prussia	46	(2)
Bismarck and the foundation of the Reich 1871	48	(3)
Lenin	51	(6)
The Reformation and the Peasants' War	52	(1)
Prussia	53	(4)
August Bebel	57	(8)
The Reformation and the Peasants' War	57	(2)
Prussia	59	(6)
Karl Liebknecht	65	(3)
Prussia	65	(2)
The November Revolution 1918	67	(1)
Rosa Luxemburg	68	(4)
Reformation and Peasants' War	69	(1)
Prussia	69	(3)
Franz Mehring	72	(24)
The Reformation and Peasants' War	73	(4)
Prussia	77	(1)
Frederick II	77	(8)
The Prussian reforms	85	(3)
The Revolution of 1848	88	(1)
Bismarck and the foundation of the Reich 1871	89	(4)
Conclusion	93	(3)
Part B The GDR and its historiography on German history between 1945 and 1971. A path between unity and demarcation, demonstrated particularly in the treatment of the early bourgeois revolution and Prussia
A history of historiography	96	(58)
1945-1949/50 The anti-fascist democratic revolution. The negative view of German history	97	(14)
Prussia, Frederick II and Bismarck in the work of Abusch, von Hanstein and Niekisch	102	(5)
The Reformation and Peasants' War in the work of Abusch, von Hanstein and Niekisch	107	(2)
The Soviet Zone of Occupation (SBZ), its historical traditions and German unity	109	(2)
1950-1952: The transition to the `socialist revolution'	111	(13)
1952-1956: The turn towards a national perspective of history	124	(7)
1956-1961: Teaching socialist patriotism	131	(3)
1961-1963: The search for national identity, strengthened claims to national and class leadership. 1963-1967: Science as a productive force in the `Scientific and Technical Revolution'	134	(7)
1967-1971: The `developed social system of socialism' and the increasing role of historical consciousness	141	(13)
Summary	144	(10)
The GDR historical view of the Reformation and the Peasants' War as constituting `early bourgeois revolution'. A historical comparison of Luther and Muntzer 1949-1971	154	(17)
Summary	167	(4)
The treatment of Prussia and Prussian history 1949-1971. A historic comparison of attitudes to Frederick II and Bismarck	171	(19)
Frederick II	171	(4)
Bismarck	175	(5)
The 1971 anniversary of the foundation of the Reich	180	(1)
The portrayal of Prussia in the late 1960s	181	(9)
Summary	184	(6)
Part C Heritage and Tradition in GDR historiography 1971-1987. Prussian-German history in the light of the dual policy of unity and demarcation; with particular reference to the portrayal of the early bourgeois revolution and Prussia
The developed socialist society (DSS). The concept of a new type of nation and German unity 1971-1987	190	(7)
Summary	194	(3)
Heritage and Tradition	197	(25)
Heritage and Tradition in the works of the classical Marxist writers	197	(2)
Heritage and Tradition in GDR historiography 1971-1987	199	(23)
The nature and extent of the concepts of heritage and tradition	202	(1)
The political goals of the GDR in the discussion about heritage and tradition	203	(3)
Implications of heritage and tradition in GDR historiography	206	(9)
The history of the Workers' Movement and GDR history as core elements in the understanding of heritage and tradition	215	(1)
Summary	216	(6)
Historiographic approaches to the Reformation and the Peasants' War 1971-1987. Luther and Muntzer-opposites or attractions?	222	(35)
The anniversary of the Peasants' War in 1975	222	(1)
The early bourgeois revolution-problems of definition	223	(2)
The problem of dividing the early bourgeois revolution into periods	225	(1)
Luther	226	(14)
Luther and Muntzer. A dialectical unity?	240	(3)
Affinities and reasons for the new image of Luther	243	(3)
Luther in the Federal Republic	246	(11)
Conclusions	247	(4)
Summary	251	(6)
Prussia, Frederick II and Bismarck-their portrayal between 1971 and 1987	257	(32)
Frederick's Prussia's Prussia's Frederick	257	(12)
The Prussian reformers	269	(1)
Bismarck and the foundation of the Reich	270	(4)
Prussia against a background of a socialist reunification?	274	(3)
Prussia from the West German perspective	277	(1)
Parallel biographies in both German states?	278	(11)
Conclusions	278	(4)
Summary	282	(7)
Final conclusions	289	(16)
Postscript	305	(6)
Bibliography	311	(36)
Index	347	(8)
Short Biography of J.H. Brinks	355