Edgar Feuchtwanger. Imperial Germany 1850-1918. New York and London: Routledge, 2001. x + 228 pp. $80.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-415-20789-8.
Reviewed by Margaret E. Menninger (Department of History, Texas State University-San Marcos)
Published on H-German (September, 2003)
Edgar Feuchtwanger's history comprises a brief but thorough political and economic account of Germany's second Empire. Organized chronologically, the book covers unification and Bismarckian Germany in four chapters and Whilhelmine Germany up to its demise in a further four. An additional thematic chapter summarizes Germany's economic and social conditions under Wilhelm II. In his preface Feuchtwanger makes it clear that he intends this work to fit within the historiographic tradition of Fritz Fischer and Hans-Ulrich Wehler. The book is not, however, simply a rehash of the Sonderweg argument; Feuchtwanger uses that general trajectory as a means of framing his work, but theory never takes precedence over what he calls the "complexities of the real world" (p.xvii).
As the cover illustrations suggest, this is a top-down history of Germany with Bismarck and Wilhelm II dominating. The narrative of the later chapters is also essentially organized by chancellor. Thus, the preeminent emphasis here is the political operation of Prussia and then of the German Reich at large. This of course leaves out any sustained discussion of the other states (particularly Bavaria and Saxony). Moreover, the structure of the book, including the choice of start date, undermines Feuchtwanger's efforts to present multiple narratives of events, particularly those leading up to 1871. He does remind the reader at important moments of the debates about the nature of Bismarck's rule and the "surprise" ending of German unification. Nonetheless, there is never really enough information about those who were less enchanted with Prussia to give a convincing picture of why anyone would have supported Austria in the 1860s except for sheer bloody-mindedness. This aside, the early chapters on unification and the final chapter on the war years are particularly clear and informative.
The emphasis on politics tends to obscure how Bismarck's tenure was received by Germans at large. Election results and party formation are both exhaustively discussed in both text and table form, but it is not always easy to establish why the voters behaved as they did. Also, Feuchtwanger describes how the percentage of eligible voters who actually voted increased, but does not offer any explanations as to why. The limitations of such a top-down narrative are also particularly evident in the discussion of the Kulturkampf.
It always seems churlish to criticize a textbook for what it leaves out, and this work does have much to recommend it. The chronology and statistical tables are particularly helpful and the maps are clearly drawn. Moreover, Feuchtwanger's style is lively and he tells his story in an engaging way; this reviewer shall not soon forget the image of Count Huelsen-Haeseler (chief of Willhelm II's military cabinet) dancing to his death in a tutu (p. 148). One small quibble: Feuchtwanger uses the word Socialdemocratic throughout which struck this reviewer as both distracting and unaesthetic.
In sum, this is an extremely useful book for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and anyone else wanting a quick review of the politics of late nineteenth-century Germany. In university courses in the United States it would function well when coupled with a second work such as Mary Fulbrook and John Breuilly's edited volume Germany since 1800 (1998) or David Blackbourn's The Long Nineteenth Century (2nd ed., 2003).
Copyright (c) 2003 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For other uses contact the Reviews editorial staff: hbooks@mail.h-net.msu.edu.
If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at: https://networks.h-net.org/h-german.
Citation:
Margaret E. Menninger. Review of Feuchtwanger, Edgar, Imperial Germany 1850-1918.
H-German, H-Net Reviews.
September, 2003.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=8118
Copyright © 2003 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For any other proposed use, contact the Reviews editorial staff at hbooks@mail.h-net.org.