The German Empire, 1871–1918

This broad historical survey of imperial Germany explores the social, cultural and political foundations of domestic conflict.

Roger Chickering (Author)

9781107026742, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 January 2025

665 pages
23.6 x 16.3 x 3.9 cm, 1.09 kg

'The book will be of considerable use to international readers as a reference tool for further research, as it covers the topic from a broad perspective.' Jan Markert, H-Soz-Kult

Furious economic growth and social change resulted in pervasive civic conflict in Imperial Germany. Roger Chickering presents a wide-ranging history of this fractious period, from German national unification to the close of the First World War. Throughout this time, national unity remained an acute issue. It appeared to be resolved momentarily in the summer of 1914, only to dissolve in the war that followed. This volume examines the impact of rapid industrialization and urban growth on Catholics and Protestants, farmers and city dwellers, industrial workers and the middle classes. Focusing on its religious, regional, and ethnic reverberations, Chickering also examines the social, cultural, and political dimensions of domestic conflict. Providing multiple lenses with which to view the German Empire, Chickering's survey examines local and domestic experiences as well as global ramifications. The German Empire, 1871–1918 provides the most comprehensive survey of this restless era available in the English language.

Preface
Maps
Abbreviations
Prologue
1. Building the Nation-State
2. High Industrialism
3. Region and Faith
4. Rural Life
5. Urban Germany
6. Social Democracy
7. Bowling Together
8. Gender Relations
9. State and Society in the Era of Bismarck
10. The National Community
11. 'Our Misfortune'
12. Wilhelmine Germany
13. Global Germany
14. From War to War
15. The End of the German Empire
Afterlife
Select Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]