Research Catalog

The sanctity of rural life : nobility, Protestantism, and Nazism in Weimar Prussia

Title: The sanctity of rural life : nobility, Protestantism, and Nazism in Weimar Prussia / Shelley Baranowski.
Author: Baranowski, Shelley.
Publication: New York : Oxford University Press, 1995.

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Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	DD453 .B37 1995	Off-site

Details

Description

x, 267 p. : ill.; 24 cm.

Summary

In The Sanctity of Rural Life: Nobility, Protestantism, and Nazism in Weimar Prussia, Shelley Baranowski explores how and why the rural population of eastern Prussia turned to Nazism in large numbers. She explains the role of the rural elite and the church in propagating a myth of the stability, the wholesomeness, and the class-harmony - in short, the "sanctity"--Of rural life that encouraged the spread of Nazism. This study identifies the contributions of the rural elite in the eastern Prussian provinces, namely Junker landlords and the Protestant clergy, to the rise of National Socialism in a region where the rural electorate's attraction to the Hitler movement became critical to the Nazi takeover in 1933. Using the province of Pomerania as a primary example, Baranowski argues that rather than emerging strictly as a protest against the domination of elites, as is regularly suggested, the Nazis had to address issues that rural elites defined in order to establish a foothold among rural voters. The most significant issue was the conviction that the urban bias of the Weimar Republic threatened the survival of the rural economy and culture. Despite the social tensions that surfaced periodically, the anti-republicanism which united all rural classes encouraged rural dwellers to turn to Nazism as the salvation of rural society. This ground-breaking work makes a major contribution to our understanding of Protestant and rural support for Nazism and adds an important cultural and religious dimension to our understanding of the underpinnings of Nazi power. It will be of interest to historians and students of modern European and German history.

Subject

Genre/Form

Electronic books.
Church history
History

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-259) and index.

Contents

1. Foundations of Continuity: Pomeranian Agriculture and Landownership from the Reform Era to World War II. Agriculture and Industrial Underdevelopment. Noble Landownership and Marriage Patterns -- 2. Continuity Survives Revolution: Pomeranian Conservatism from the Reform Era to Stabilization. A New Beginning? -- 3. Power and Obligation: Social Relations in the Estate Villages After the Revolution. The Estate Community: From the Center to the Margins. Born to Rule, Born to Serve. The Politics of Proximity: The Referendum on Expropriation. Personal Authority and Modernity: The Compatibility of Opposites -- 4. Social Constraints and Political Limitations: Pomerania's Evangelical Church. Secularization Defied: Pomeranian Protestantism's Rural Roots. The Sins of the Cities: Sectarianism and Moral Decline -- 5. Pomeranian Estate Owners, the Rural People Movement, and the Young Plan Referendum. From Weakness to Disaster: Pomeranian Agriculture After Stabilization. Political Pressures: The Dissolution of the Manorial Districts and the Left's Resurgence. Peasant Wars and Junker Initiatives -- 6. Fluid Boundaries: Pomeranian Conservatism and the Nazi Onslaught. Radicalism and Respectability: The Spread of Nazi Influence. Succumbing to Right Radicalism: The Evangelical Church Relents -- Epilogue: Pyrrhic Victory: Pomeranian Conservatism in the Third Reich.

ISBN

0195068815
9780195068818

LCCN

94019307

OCLC

ocm30593444
30593444
SCSB-2046108

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library