Burgertum nach 1945

Reading the recent products of German Zeitgeschichte, one is struck by the degree to which they are based on modernization theory: Ulrich Herbert in particular argues that by the late 1950s, Germans had finally shaken off the remnants of tradition, accepted the world of industry and mass consumption, and thus made their country safe for democracy. A number of empirical studies merely illustrate this broad interpretation at the risk of becoming rather predictable. In the interest of debate, it can only be welcomed that Bürgertum nach 1945 offers a different reading of postwar German history. In his introductory essay, Manfred Hettling contends that the norms, values, and practices of nineteenth-century bourgeois and civic culture (the German bürgerlich includes both meanings) reemerged after having been assaulted in the Third Reich. They proved highly adaptable, provided orientation in a changing world, became attractive for other social groups, and underpinned liberal democracy. The 68ers attempted but failed to stop the success story of a culture that they themselves ended up admiring. For Hettling, Bürgerlichkeit, with its emphasis on subsidiarity and responsibility, remains a valuable resource for reviving the German polity.

Bourgeoisie · Democracy · German · Interpretation (philosophy) · Modernization theory · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Polity · Reading (process) · Sociology · Communism, Protests, Social Movements · European history and politics · History · Law · Philosophy