The course examines the patterns of German political thought from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. It will focus on the relation between German history and politics on the one hand, and German political philosophy and literature on the other. Focusing on responses to the ‘German question’ in literature and philosophy, this course will also give you an idea of the historical background of this national discourse. We will use texts from political philosophy and history as well as literature and poems, and we will use films too. Historically, the course will range from German classics, the Weimar Republic and Nazism to the political culture of contemporary Germany. There will also be at least two field trips (Haus der Wannsee Konferenz, Haus der Demokratie, film, theatre or exhibition).
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- Understand German political thought and be able to link it with history
- Identify and place prominent figures in German political history (Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Schmitt, Popper, Habermas
- Distinguish main political standpoints and concepts and their German specifics (socialism, communism, Nazism, extremism, feminism) and be able to relate them to events in German history
Method of presentation:
Lectures, discussions and group work, selected readings, student presentations and reports on assigned topics, films and other visual materials, field trips.
Required work and form of assessment:
Grading will be based on midterm (20 %) and final examinations (30 %), term paper or optionally two short papers based on oral presentations (30 %), active and regular participation in the course (20 %). Class attendance is required.
content:
Week 1: Introduction: Specifics of German history and politics. Political philosophy and literature in Germany (Heine, Schiller, Kant, Fichte, Hegel)
Week 2: Marx’ political theory: Communism and critique of capitalism
Week 3: World War I and the ideas of 1914
Week 4: Political thought in the Weimar Republic. The Versailles Treaty, philosophers of the „Conservative Revolution“ (Ernst Jünger, Carl Schmitt)
Week 5: Midterms
Week 6: Nazi Politics: Racism and Anti-Semitism, Euthanasia and the Holocaust Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels
Films: The Eternal Jew and Triumph of the Will
Week 7: Seminar in the „Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz“
Week 8: Germany divided: The political competition between West and East Germany.
Coming to terms with Nazism: Anti-totalitarianism versus antifascism. Identity politics: Constitutional patriotism versus socialist identity
Week 9: 1968: Student rebellion and cultural change in the FRG. Left wing position and Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF), Feminism
Marcuse, Dutschke, Meinhof
Week 10: Independent political thought in East Germany, opposition movement and the East German Revolution, Robert Havemann, Rudolf Bahro, Heiner Müller, Christa Wolf, Volker Braun
Field trip to the “Haus der Demokratie”
Term papers are due by the end of week 10
Week 11: The „Berlin Republic“– Final discussion
Week 12: Finals
Required readings:
(excerpts):
Hannah Arendt: Elemente und Ursprünge totalitärer Herrschaft. München 1991
Rudolf Bahro: Die Alternative. Köln 1977
Gottlieb Fichte: Reden an die deutsche Nation. Berlin 1991
G.W.F.Hegel: Vorlesungen zur Philosophie der Geschichte. Frankfurt am Main 1984
Heinrich Heine: Zur Geschichte der Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland. Leipzig 1974
Immanuel Kant: Zum ewigen Frieden. Frankfurt am Main 1993
Ders.: Ideen zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in weltbürgerlicher Absicht. Frankfurt am Main 1993
Thomas Mann: Bekenntnisse eines Unpolitischen. Berlin 1986
Marx/ Engels: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei. Berlin 1972
Karl Marx: Ökonomisch-Philosophische Manuskripte. Berlin 1972
Margarete Mitscherlich: Die Unfähigkeit zu trauern. München 1983
Friedrich Schiller: Von deutscher Größe. München 1972
Carl Schmitt: Der Begriff des Politischen. Berlin 1987
Max Weber: Politik als Beruf. Tübingen 1998
Recommended readings:
Iring Fetscher, Herfried Münkler (Hg.): Pipers Handbuch der politischen Ideen. 5 Bde. München (u.a.) 1988ff
Hermann Lübbe: Politische Philosophie in Deutschland. München 1974
Frank Deppe: Politisches Denken im 20. Jahrhundert. 2 Bände. Hamburg 1999 und 2003
Other Resources:
Films:
Der ewige Jude
Triumph des Willens
Das Leben der Anderen
Schtonk
German Political Thought: Revolutions, Wars, and Walls Coming Down
The course examines the patterns of German political thought from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. It will focus on the relation between German history and politics on the one hand, and German political philosophy and literature on the other. Focusing on responses to the ‘German question’ in literature and philosophy, this course will also give you an idea of the historical background of this national discourse. We will use texts from political philosophy and history as well as literature and poems, and we will use films too. Historically, the course will range from German classics, the Weimar Republic and Nazism to the political culture of contemporary Germany. There will also be at least two field trips (Haus der Wannsee Konferenz, Haus der Demokratie, film, theatre or exhibition).
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- Understand German political thought and be able to link it with history
- Identify and place prominent figures in German political history (Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Schmitt, Popper, Habermas
- Distinguish main political standpoints and concepts and their German specifics (socialism, communism, Nazism, extremism, feminism) and be able to relate them to events in German history
Lectures, discussions and group work, selected readings, student presentations and reports on assigned topics, films and other visual materials, field trips.
Grading will be based on midterm (20 %) and final examinations (30 %), term paper or optionally two short papers based on oral presentations (30 %), active and regular participation in the course (20 %). Class attendance is required.
Week 1: Introduction: Specifics of German history and politics. Political philosophy and literature in Germany (Heine, Schiller, Kant, Fichte, Hegel)
Week 2: Marx’ political theory: Communism and critique of capitalism
Week 3: World War I and the ideas of 1914
Week 4: Political thought in the Weimar Republic. The Versailles Treaty, philosophers of the „Conservative Revolution“ (Ernst Jünger, Carl Schmitt)
Week 5: Midterms
Week 6: Nazi Politics: Racism and Anti-Semitism, Euthanasia and the Holocaust Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels
Films: The Eternal Jew and Triumph of the Will
Week 7: Seminar in the „Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz“
Week 8: Germany divided: The political competition between West and East Germany.
Coming to terms with Nazism: Anti-totalitarianism versus antifascism. Identity politics: Constitutional patriotism versus socialist identity
Week 9: 1968: Student rebellion and cultural change in the FRG. Left wing position and Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF), Feminism
Marcuse, Dutschke, Meinhof
Week 10: Independent political thought in East Germany, opposition movement and the East German Revolution, Robert Havemann, Rudolf Bahro, Heiner Müller, Christa Wolf, Volker Braun
Field trip to the “Haus der Demokratie”
Term papers are due by the end of week 10
Week 11: The „Berlin Republic“– Final discussion
Week 12: Finals
(excerpts):
Hannah Arendt: Elemente und Ursprünge totalitärer Herrschaft. München 1991
Rudolf Bahro: Die Alternative. Köln 1977
Gottlieb Fichte: Reden an die deutsche Nation. Berlin 1991
G.W.F.Hegel: Vorlesungen zur Philosophie der Geschichte. Frankfurt am Main 1984
Heinrich Heine: Zur Geschichte der Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland. Leipzig 1974
Immanuel Kant: Zum ewigen Frieden. Frankfurt am Main 1993
Ders.: Ideen zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in weltbürgerlicher Absicht. Frankfurt am Main 1993
Thomas Mann: Bekenntnisse eines Unpolitischen. Berlin 1986
Marx/ Engels: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei. Berlin 1972
Karl Marx: Ökonomisch-Philosophische Manuskripte. Berlin 1972
Margarete Mitscherlich: Die Unfähigkeit zu trauern. München 1983
Friedrich Schiller: Von deutscher Größe. München 1972
Carl Schmitt: Der Begriff des Politischen. Berlin 1987
Max Weber: Politik als Beruf. Tübingen 1998
Iring Fetscher, Herfried Münkler (Hg.): Pipers Handbuch der politischen Ideen. 5 Bde. München (u.a.) 1988ff
Hermann Lübbe: Politische Philosophie in Deutschland. München 1974
Frank Deppe: Politisches Denken im 20. Jahrhundert. 2 Bände. Hamburg 1999 und 2003
Films:
Der ewige Jude
Triumph des Willens
Das Leben der Anderen
Schtonk