The German Idea of Militarism
The German Idea of Militarism
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This book examines the development of the modern idea of militarism from its inception in the 1860s until the outbreak of World War I. Often regarded as the archetypical militarist state, Imperial Germany in fact witnessed a major controversy over the issue, as the arms race and the military-industrial complex displaced more traditional concerns about authoritarian rule, and militarism gradually acquired its modern meaning. Older radical traditions and the impact of Marxism are reassessed as Nicholas Stargardt examines the political history of German Social Democracy, the principal anti-militarist protagonist.
- Major reassessment of vital strand in imperial German history by young scholar
- Contribution to wider debate on militarism and development of European 'war machine' pre-1914
- Important reinterpretation of major ideological theme of German SPD
Reviews & endorsements
"The book is based on a wide variety of excellent sources, some in archives not usually consulted, such as the Brandenburg provincial archives, Potsdam, or the protocols of the Social Democratic party congresses. The notes are complete and useful. It is clearly written..." Central European History
"Stargardt has written a very solid monograph on an important topic, filled with useful and even surprising information." Laird M. Easton, German Book Reviews
"...Nicholas Stargardt, author of The German Idea of Militarism, merits considerable praise. Stargardt goes classical intellectual history one better, however, by connecting the metamorphosis of the idea itself to physical as well as intellectual developments. ...the book is guranteed to stimulate the informed general reader and provide graduate seminars with ample material for any number of lively discussion." Antulio J. Echevarria, II, Jrnl of Military History
Product details
- Published: April 1994
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9780521420105
- Length: 248 pages
- Dimensions: 229 × 152 × 17 mm
- Weight: 0.54kg
- Contains: 10 b/w illus.
- Availability: Available
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I. The Anti-Militarist Tradition:
- 1. The Reich, democracy and cheap government
- 2. National interest and national defence
- 3. Karl Kautsky's theory of militarism
- Part II. The New Militarism:
- 4. Karl Liebknecht and the end of democratic anti-militarism
- 5. The economics of armament
- 6. The turn to pacifism, 1907–14
- Conclusion.
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