AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

Comparing Ancient History Textbooks of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic

by Hans-Henning Bunge




Institution: Kent State University
Department: College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History
Degree: MA
Year: 2007
Keywords: History, Modern; Humanistic education; Imperial Germany; Weimar Republic; democracy; history schoolbook; Roman history; Greek history; German secondary educations
Record ID: 1797281
Full text PDF: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1197059579


Abstract

Title: Comparing Ancient History Textbooks of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic History book for secondary schools of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic were compared to establish how the depiction of ancient Greek and Roman history is influenced by the two political constellations, how much they emphasized democracy and use ancient social values to support ideals of the monarchy and later the republic. In addition it is determined how much the different authors compared past historical events to more recent ones, how they evaluated the influence of socioeconomic developments on historical events, and how they met the educational policy of the two periods. The larger goal is to seek how these textbooks appropriated ancient history for the presentist purposes of the age in which they were written: how they served not only as political and cultural symptoms of their age, but perhaps even causes of political and cultural transformation in the German youth who read them. The history books of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic both mirror the political landscape of their time. In the Imperial period the advantages of a single leader are underpinned while democracy is downplayed. As the Bürgertum of the monarchy became more assertive by defending and expanding their political rights, Athens’ democratic achievements gained more attention. In the republic the support of such single leadership appeared as nostalgic longing for the more structured political system of the past however within a democratic frame. This argument is supported by the authors claiming that the Roman and German aristocracy through their selfless dedication helped the respective country to excel. These textbooks reflect not only the change from a monarchy to a republic but also the waning of the humanistic ideology as it made room for more science oriented education.