Sex, Freedom, and Power in Imperial Germany, 1880–1914

This is a study of the complex debate over sexuality and sexual morality that roiled politics in Germany between 1880 and 1914.

Edward Ross Dickinson (Author)

9781107672734, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 April 2016

354 pages
23 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.45 kg

'As a whole, this book makes a very valuable contribution not only to the history of sexuality and sex reform but also to the larger exploration of how public debates about individual morality and private reproductive and sexual decisions both drew from and informed discussions about the relationship between the individual and the state in Imperial Germany.' Annette F. Timm, Journal of Modern History

This is a study of the intense, complex, and escalating debate over sexuality and sexual morality that roiled politics in Germany between 1880 and 1914. That debate was grounded in the rapid evolution and growing complexity of German society - the multiplication of cultural groupings, professional associations, and social movements; the emergence of new social groups, social milieus, and professions; the rapid development of the media and commercial entertainments; and so on. All parties involved understood it to be a debate over the most fundamental question of modern political life: how to secure both national power and individual freedom in the context of rapid social and cultural change.

Introduction: sex, politics, and modernity I
Part I. Moral Reform, 1880–1900: 1. Christian men and morality
2. 'A spirit of insubordination': popular culture, modernism, and morality
3. The politics of morality, class, and gender
4. Religion, women, and morality
5. Isolation and impact
Part II. Sexual Radicalism, 1900–14: 6. Social democratic sexual ethics
7. Homosexual rights
8. Syphilis and salvation
9. Sex reform
10. Religion of love
Part III. Conflict, 1908–14: 11. Men, sex, and science
12. Confrontations, 1908–14
13. Conclusion: sex, politics, and modernity II.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD]