Heinrich von Treitschke
Heinrich von Treitschke | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 28 April 1896 | (aged 61)
Nationality | German |
Occupation | Historian |
Employer(s) | Freiburg and Berlin Universities |
Spouse | Emma von Treitschke |
Children | Clara von Tungeln, and Maria von Treitschke |
Heinrich Gotthard Freiherr von Treitschke (German:
Early life and teaching career
Treitschke was born in
At that time Treitschke was a strong Liberal; he hoped to see Germany united into a single state with a
Every virile people has established colonial power. All great nations in the fullness of their strength have desired to set their mark upon barbarian lands and those who fail to participate in this great rivalry will play a pitiable role in time to come.[5]
Treitschke also endorsed Social Darwinian theories of brutal competition among races. In an essay published in 1862, Treitschke praised the "pitiless racial struggle" of Germans against Lithuanians, Poles and Old Prussians; he claimed that "magic" emanated from "eastern German soil" which had been "fertilised" by "noble German blood". While his main objective was to give historical legitimisation to the Germanising of Poles in Prussia, the praise of a legendary migration eastward performed by German ancestors would eventually become a means of legitimising claims to further eastern territories.[6]
He was appointed professor at the
Political career
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Conservatism in Germany |
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Treitschke became a member of the Reichstag in 1871 and until his death was one of the best known people in Berlin. He was largely deaf during this period and had an aide sit by his side to transcribe discussion into writing so that he could participate.[9]
On
A strong proponent of German colonialism, Treitschke was a strong critic of the
In the Reichstag, he had originally been a member of the National Liberal Party, but in 1879, he was the first to accept the new commercial policy of Bismarck. During his later years, he joined the Moderate Conservatives though his deafness prevented him from taking a prominent part in debate.[7]
Treitschke rejected the concern of the
Treitschke was one of the few celebrities who endorsed
The Jews at one time played a necessary role in German history, because of their ability in the management of money. But now that the Aryans have become accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of finance, the Jews are no longer necessary. The international Jew, hidden in the mask of different nationalities, is a disintegrating influence; he can be of no further use to the world.[14]
Because of his prominent status, Treitschke's remarks aroused widespread controversy.[15]
Treitschke was considered favorably by the political elites of Prussia, and Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow personally declared that he kept a copy of von Treitschke's book for "several years" on his desk.[16]
Death and legacy
In 1896, Treitschke died in Berlin at 61 and is buried at the
Throughout his life, Treitschke endorsed militarism and racism, praised the conquest of other nations and eradication of inferior peoples ("Brave peoples expand, cowardly peoples perish") and claimed that people of African heritage were "inferior".[17][18][19]
Endorsing the idea of exterminating conquered nations, he wrote:
In the unhappy clash between races, inspired by fierce mutual enmity, the blood-stained savagery of quick war of annihilation is more humane, less revolting, than the specious clemency of sloth which keeps the vanquished in a state of brute beasts.[20]
Treitschke considered political history as a
He also wrote biographical and historical essays, as well as essays concerning contemporary politics. The most important essays were collected as Historische und politische Aufsatze.[21] A selection from his more controversial writings was made with the title Zehn Jahre deutscher Kämpfe. In 1896 a new volume was published, Deutsche Kämpfe, neue Folge. After his death his lectures on political subjects were published with the title Politik.[7]
He also published in 1856 a short volume of poems named Vaterländische Gedichte and another volume the next year. His first works to be translated into English were two pamphlets on the War of 1870, What we demand from France (London, 1870) and The Baptism of Fire of the North German Confederation (1870).[7]
Treitschke's students included
A complete translation of both volumes of Treitschke's Politics was published in London in 1916. Politics was published in 1963 in an abridged English translation edited by Hans Kohn.
Bibliography
- Treitschke, Heinrich Von. Germany, France, Russia and Islam (1876; translated 1915, reprint translation 2013), selected essays in English
- Treitschke, Heinrich von, Treitschke, his life and works, 1914; online
- Heinrich von Treitschke. Treitschke's history of Germany in the nineteenth century: Volume 1 (5th ed 1894; translated 1915); vol 1 online, vol 2 online; vol 3 online; vol 4 online; vol 5 online; vol 6 online; vol 7 online
- Heinrich von Treitschke. Germany, France, Russia, & Islam (1915); online
- Heinrich von Treitschke. Politics (English edition 1916); Volume One; Volume Two
See also
Notes
- ^ The German Historians and England: A Study in Nineteenth-century Views By Charles E. McClelland page 189
- ^ Headlam 1911, p. 238.
- ^ Andreas Dorpalen, Heinrich von Treitschke (Yale University Press, 1957)
- ^ Headlam 1911, pp. 238–239.
- ISBN 9780226910017.
- ^ Heinrich von Treitschke, "Das deutsche Ordensland Preussen", Preussische Jahrbücher, 10 (1862), p. 96, cf. Michael Burleigh, Wolfgang Wippermann The Racial State: Germany, 1933–1945; Cambridge University Press, 1993; p. 27
- ^ a b c d e f Headlam 1911, p. 239.
- ^ Dorpalen, Heinrich von Treitschke (1957)
- ^ A deaf legislator. (1871). American Annals of the Deaf, 16 (3), 208.
- ^ Bulhof, I.N. (2012). Wilhelm Dilthey: A Hermeneutic Approach to the Study of History and Culture. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 14.
- ^ Gay, Ruth (1994). The Jews of Germany: A Historical Portrait. Yale University Press. p. 217.
- ^ Spellman, W.M. (2011). A Short History of Western Political Thought. Macmillan International Higher Education.
- ^ Stackelberg, Roderick (December 2012). "Antisemitic Interpretations of History in Germany". H-Net Reviews.
- ISBN 978-1133420040.
- ^ Ben-Sasson, H.H., ed. (1976): A History of the Jewish People. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press), p. 875.
- ^ Ethics and extermination: reflections on Nazi genocide by Michael Burleigh, Cambridge University Press, 1997, page 17
- ^ The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics Western International Theory, 1760–2010 John M. Hobson May 2012 page 156
- ^ Ideology of death: why the Holocaust happened in Germany – Page 133 John Weiss – 1996
- ^ Wayward Reproductions: Genealogies of Race and Nation in Transatlantic Modern Thought: Genealogies of Race and Nation in Trasatlantic Modern Thought Alys Eve Weinbaum page 229
- ^ Genocide in Age of Nation State v. 2, Rise of the West and the Coming of Genocide, p. 34, Mark Levene
- ^ Heinrich von Treitschke: Historische und politische Aufsatze (4 vols., Leipzig, 1896)
References
Attribution:
- Headlam, James Wycliffe (1911). "Treitschke, Heinrich von". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 238–239. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- Davis, H. W. Carless, The political thought of Heinrich von Treitschke, 1914; online
- Dorpalen, Andreas. Heinrich von Treitschke (New Haven 1957), the standard biography in English
- Hausrath, Adolf, ed. Treitschke, his doctrine of German destiny and of international relations: together with a study of his life and work (1914) online edition pp. 1–136 comprise a popular biography by Hausrath
- Joll, James. "Treitschke and the Prussian Legend" History Today (1952) 2#3 pp 186–190 online.
- Kilgour, Johnathan Bruce. "Heinrich von Treitschke| Creating a German national mission." (MA Thesis, University of Montana, 2004) online
- Kohler, George Y. "German Spirit and Holy Ghost – Treitschke's Call for Conversion of German Jewry: The Debate Revisited", Modern Judaism 30:2 (2010), pp. 172–195
- Langer, Ulrich. Heinrich von Treitschke (Düsseldorf 1998) in German