NJII_2225 The German Conservatism

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Aleš Urválek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Aleš Urválek, Ph.D.
Department of German, Scandinavian and Netherland Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 8:20–9:55 K23
Prerequisites
This Course describes the modern German conservatism taken as a complex of ideas which have been present not only in the general political not only in the general political, but in the philosophical and literary discourse as well. We try to follow the key points of the development of conservatism; it first manifestations in romanticism; the national conservatism of the 2nd half of the 19th century: ideas 1914 and "Conservative revolution"; the question of its share in the establishment of Nazism; and the post-war conservatism.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This Course describes the modern German conservatism taken as a complex of ideas which have been present not only in the general political not only in the general political, but in the philosophical and literary discourse as well. We try to follow the key points of the development of conservatism; it first manifestations in romanticism; the national conservatism of the 2nd half of the 19th century: ideas 1914 and "Conservative revolution"; the question of its share in the establishment of Nazism; and the post-war conservatism. This course is based on a presumption that for instance a large number of problematic and dangerous aspects of German foreign policy cannot be properly and fully understood without a substantial knowledge of the German conservativism: already since the 60th in the 19th century the Czech territory played an important role in the German conservative plans of the Central Europe colonisation. Moreover, it is not possible to understand the way of thinking of the German inhabitants of the Sudetenland, living in our territory, without an insight into the key topoi of thinking of the German conservative thinking. The German conservative ideas were leading intellectual guides for those people. At the end of the course students should be able to - understand and explain topoi of thinking of the German conservative thinking. - work with information on the History of the German conservative thinking - create Theses about the primary texts since the French Revolution to the contemporary Conservative thinking, - interpret the primary texts
Syllabus
  • This Course describes the modern German conservatism taken as a complex of ideas which have been present not only in the general political not only in the general political, but in the philosophical and literary discourse as well. We try to follow the key points of the development of conservatism; it first manifestations in romanticism; the national conservatism of the 2nd half of the 19th century: ideas 1914 and "Conservative revolution"; the question of its share in the establishment of Nazism; and the post-war conservatism. 1. Organisation. The Conservatism. 2. Burke and Germany. F. Gentz, J. Heinzmann, A. Mueller (35-45) 3. 19. Century: The Conservatism and Nationalismu. P. de Lagarde (120-126) 4. Langbehn, Chamberlain: (J. Langbehn, H. S. Chamberlain (127-143) 5. Kultur and Civisation. Apolitism. T. Mann: Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen (251-257) 6. Ideen von 1914. 1. 8. 1914. Militarism. T. Mann: Gedanken im Kriege (168-172), R. Kjellén: Die Ideen von 1914 (175-179), W. Sombart: Haendler und Helden (180-182) 7. Konservativ Revolution. 8. Moeller van den Bruck and his Third Imperium. Moeller van den Bruck: Das dritte Reich (265-272) 9. Oswald Spengler: O. Spengler: Der Untergang des Abendlandes (258-264) 10. Ernst Juenger: E. Juenger: Die Totale Mobilmachung a Der Arbeiter (287-294) 11. Othmar Spann a Edgar Julius Jung: O. Spann: Der wahre Staat (273-281), E. J. Jung: Marburger Rede (314-319). 12. Thomas Mann a Rudolf Borchardt.
Literature
  • Lenk, Kurt: Deutscher Konservatismus, Frankfurt/Main 1989.
  • Klemperer, Klemens: Konservative Bewegungen zwischen Kaiserreich und Nationalsozialismus, München 1962.
  • Bussche, Raimund von dem: Konservatismus in der Weimarer Republik: die Politisierung des Unpolitischen, Heidelberg 1998.
  • Stefan Breuer: Ästhetischer Fundamentalismus. Stefan George und der deutsche Antimodernismus, Darmstadt 1995.
  • Burke, Edmund: Úvahy o revoluci ve Francii, Brno 1993
  • Kondylis, Panajotis: Konservativismus. Geschichtlicher Gehalt und Untergang, Stuttgart 1986.
  • Behrendt, Bernd: Zwischen Paradox und Paralogismus: weltanschauliche Grundzüge einer Kulturkritik in den neunziger Jahren des 19. Jahrhunderts am Beispiel August Julius Langbehn, Frankfurt/M. – Bern – New York 1984.
  • Beßlich, Barbara: Wege in den Kulturkrieg. Zivilisationskritik in Deutschland 1890-1914, Darmstadt 2000.
  • Urválek, Aleš: „Liaison dangereuse. Konservatismus und Nationalismus in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts“, in: Sborník prací filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity 56, R. 12 (Brünner Beiträge zur Germanistik und Nordistik), Brno 2007, s. 129-146.
  • Stern, Fritz: Kulturpessimismus als politische Gefahr. Eine Analyse nationaler Ideologie in Deutschland, Berlin, Stuttgart, Wien 1963.
  • Kirk, Russell: Konzervativní smýšlení, Praha 2000.
  • Sontheimer, Kurt: Antidemokratisches Denken in der Weimarer Republik. Die politischen Ideen des deutschen Nationalismus zwischen 1918-1933, München 19944.
  • Mohler, Armin: Die Konservative Revolution in Deutschland 1918-1932. Ein Handbuch, Darmstadt 19722.
  • Sieferle, Rolf Peter: Die Konservative Revolution. Fünf biographische Skizzen, Frankfurt/M. 1995.
  • Breuer, Stefan: Anatomie der Konservativen Revolution, Darmstadt 1993.
  • Stromšík, Jiří: „Lagarde und die Folgen“, in: Acta Universitatis Carolinae – Philologica 5. Germanistica Pragensia, XIII, Praha 1997, s. 17-37.
Teaching methods
The seminar is based on methods of presentation, analysis and synthesis of knowledge. It also uses collective work, in-class discussions and individual work of students.
Assessment methods
Colloquium requirements: active participation, 1 paper with theses from a chosen lecture including the analysed texts. The Czech translations of the texts can be found in the library, on the second floor. German originals can be provided on request.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2008, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2009, recent)
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