Author Description
Over The Last Two Centuries And Indeed Up To The Present Day, Eastern Europe's Lands And Peoples Have Conjured Up A Complex Mixture Of Fascination, Anxiety, Promise, And Peril For Germans Looking Eastwards. Across The Generations, A Varied Cast Of German Writers, Artists, Philosophers, Diplomats, Political Leaders, Generals, And Nazi Racial Fanatics Have Imagined (often In Very Different Ways) A Special German Mission In The East, Forging A Frontier Myth That Paralleled The American Myths Of The 'wild West' And 'manifest Destiny'. Through Close Analysis Of German Views Of The East From 1800 To. 1. Introduction -- 2. Older Legacies Before 1800 -- 3. Influences Of Enlightenment And Romanticism, 1800-1820s -- 4. Fusing The Myth, 1830-1871 -- 5. Age Of Empires, 1871-1914 -- 6. First World War And Its Aftermath, 1914-1933 -- 7. Nazi Visions Of The East -- 8. Nightmare Of The Advancing East, 1943-1955 -- 9. From The Cold War To The Present. Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates how German perceptions of Eastern Europe evolved from 1800 to the present, functioning as a foundational myth that shaped German national identity and geopolitical strategy. Vejas G. Liulevicius, a professor of history, utilizes a broad range of primary sources—including literature, diplomatic records, and political propaganda—to trace the development of the 'German mission in the East.' He argues that this constructed frontier myth served as a persistent ideological framework that justified expansionism and influenced German interactions with Eastern neighbors across multiple political regimes.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Historical analysis of German cultural and political attitudes toward Eastern Europe from 1800 to the modern era.
- Examination of the 'frontier myth' as a parallel to American concepts of Manifest Destiny.
- Chronological study of shifting perspectives through the Enlightenment, the Age of Empires, the World Wars, and the Cold War.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on German-centric perspectives rather than the internal histories of the Eastern European nations themselves.
- It does not provide an exhaustive military history of the conflicts mentioned, prioritizing ideological and cultural shifts instead.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and scholars of European studies frequently cite this work for its rigorous synthesis of cultural history and geopolitical analysis. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive overview of how intellectual currents informed state policy over two centuries.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191567698
ISBN-13:
9780191567698
History
International relations
Public opinion
German history
National Characteristics German
Cultural History
European History
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