The Socialist Response to Antisemitism in Imperial Germany

Description

What set antisemites apart from anti-antisemites in Imperial Germany was not so much what they thought about 'the Jews', but what they thought should be done about them. Like most anti-antisemites, German Social Democrats felt that the antisemites had a point but took matters too far. In fact, Socialist anti-antisemitism often did not hinge on the antisemites' anti-Jewish orientation at all. Even when it did, the Socialists' arguments generally did more to consolidate than subvert generally accepted notions regarding 'the Jews'. By focusing on a broader set of perceptions accepted by both antisemites and anti-antisemites and drawing a variety of new sources into the debate, this study offers a startling reinterpretation of seemingly well-rehearsed issues, including the influence of Karl Marx's Zur Judenfrage, and the positions of various leading Social Democrats (Franz Mehring, Eduard Bernstein, August Bebel, Wilhelm Liebknecht, Karl Kautsky, Rosa Luxemburg) and their peers.

Lars Fischer holds a BA in Modern History with First Class Honours from Queen Mary and Westfield College (University of London) and a PhD from University College London (UCL). He is Lecturer in Modern European History at King's College London and Honorary Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in the UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department. The recipient of a number of prestigious scholarships and prizes, including the Derby Bryce Prize (University of London), Fischer's publications include scholarly articles in Revolutionary Russia and Owl of Minerva. He spent the summer of 2005 in Washington, DC, as a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.

"Fischer here brings a sharp and unrelenting gaze to the classic texts that define the Jewish Question for German socialists. His meticulous analysis leaves little doubt in the reader that they were much more a part of the problem than a part of the solution." -Professor Richard S. Levy, Department of History, University of Illinois-Chicago "Fischer's work is interesting, original, and persuasively argued. It is based on an exceptionally close and careful reading of texts, and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of an important, and still controversial, subject." -Professor Jack Jacobs, John Jay College and the Graduate Center, the City University of New York "Fischer's work is an ambitious undertaking... Fischer's analysis is built, for the most part, on perceptive and persuasive close readings of various socialist texts." -H-German, Barnet Hartston, Eckerd College "Fischer manages to portray a highly theoretical issue in the realm of social and intellectual history with clarity. His study convinces due to its close reading of sources, persuasive argument, and comprehensive knowledge of his field of research. Fischer makes a compelling case for his occasionally provocative theses." sehepunkte, Salvador Oberhaus, Heinrich Heine Universitat Dusseldorf