Notables of the Right:

The Conservative Party and Political Mobilization in Germany, 1876-1918

 

James Retallack

 

 

Abstract

 

 

Casting new light on German Conservatism, this is the first full-scale history of a right-wing political party in Imperial Germany. Fresh evidence revises previous views of a monolithic, unchanging and resolutely reactionary form of German Conservatism and reveals the Conservative Party as surprisingly diverse in its regional make-up, volatile in its internal politics, and ambivalent in its response to the new political challenges after 1871.

 

Dr. Retallack argues that two factors determined the response of German Conservatives to political change between 1871 and 1918: the wielding of high-level influence and the mobilization of popular forces. The problems of maintaining influence at the top levels of government decision-making and of rallying new groups to their support presented the Conservatives with a number of dilemmas. Lack of unity and an uncertain response to the possibilities of reform within the party meant they never chose decisively between an elitist and a popular style of politics. This became crucial as the traditional politics of notables (Honoratiorenpolitik) broke down and as the party’s close ties to the Kaisers government dissolved. A full discussion of this diversity and dynamism within German Conservatism sheds new light on the party’s social makeup, electoral fortunes, propaganda network, legislative initiatives, oppositional tendencies, and eventual self-marginalization.

 

By integrating the history of a single political party into the broader context of political modernization in the Second Reich, the author illuminates the strategic political dilemmas that confronted all groups seeing a mass following. This book will be welcomed by students of German history and those interested in the history of conservatism within modern Europe.

 

(From the book’s dustjacket)

 

 

This information is provided by the Department of History at the University of Toronto.
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Last Updated: 29 Sept. 2021.