Thomas Mann’s Politics of Life, 1914–1933

Bibliographic Data

ID19218243
AuthorsRoberto Romani (0000-0001-9983-3640, University of Teramo, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-22
Publication date2026-05-31
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of European Ideas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0191-6599 • E-ISSN: 1873-541X
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01916599.2026.2680164
OpenAlexW7162956915
LanguageEN
References cited21

This article reconstructs Thomas Mann’s peculiar politics. From 1922 to 1933, Mann mobilized Germany’s Romantic tradition to challenge the radical right, infusing his perspective with a Dionysian sensibility. Section 1 discusses historiography, outlines Mann’s cultural approach to politics, introduces the key notion of ‘life’, and delineates the contrast between Apollo and Dionysus. Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man (1918) is the subject of section 2, while section 3 deals with the period 1922-1933, when Mann highlighted the political relevance of illness and sexuality. To him, acknowledging human vulnerability and the complexity of life was essential for a moderate, humane republic. Section 4 positions Mann’s contribution within the context of other Weimar-era uses of the Dionysian. In the final section, Mann’s approach is connected, albeit only indicatively, to some strands of contemporary political philosophy

Context (archaeology) · Perspective (graphical) · Politics · Relevance (law) · Romance · Section (typography) · Subject (documents) · Central European national history · European Political History Analysis · German Literature and Culture Studies

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