Germans and Jews

Originally published in 1970, Germans and Jews brings together George L. Mosses thoughts on a critical time in German history when thinkers on both the left and the right shared a common goal. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, intellectuals across the political spectrum aimed to solve the problems of contemporary society by creating a force that would eliminate both state Marxism and bourgeois society: a third force beyond communism and capitalism. This pervasive turn in ideology had profound effects on German history. In Mosses reading, left-wing political efforts became increasingly unrelated to reality, while the right finally discovered in fascism the force it had been seeking. This innovative perspective has implications for understanding not only the rise of fascism and Nazism in Germany but also the rise and fall of the New Left in the United States and Europe, which was occurring at the time of Mosses writing. A new critical introduction by Sarah Wobick-Segev, research associate at the University of Hamburg, places Mosses work in its historical and intellectual contexts and draws lessons for students and scholars today.