Politics and Culture in Wilhelmine Germany: The Case of Industrial Architecture

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

- A valuable resource for students taking specialist options on Imperial Germany or the origins of modern architecture and design. This original book explores the relationship between politics and culture in turn-of-the-century Germany through the unusual medium of industrial architecture, which for a time brought together the disparate worlds of politics, art and commerce. It focuses on the efforts of reformers to improve the quality and character of the industrial workplace during the period when Germany was overtaking Britain as Europe's leading manufacturing power.

Reviews

'Sheds considerable light on the character of the Wilhelmine bourgeoisie and its relationship to the economic, social, political and cultural features of Germany's 'modernization' in the early years of the 20th century.' Joan Campbell, Department of History, University of Toronto 'Architectural history set in an economic and social framework is all too rare: the present work is to be doubly welcomed, for it is also both knowledgeable and sensitive, and it makes fascinating reading.[...] The study casts a welcome light on the "other" Germany, cultured, humane, progressive, which is too often overlaid by the coarse Prussian militarism of that age.' Business History "Jeffries's book is a significant contribution to our understanding of the complex intersection of art, industry and German cultural reform. His thorough and interdisciplinary research will make his study useful to scholars interested in architecture, bourgeois reform industrial relations, and economic structural change." H-Net Book Reviews "This should prove to be an interesting and informative book for a variety of readers. It is well written, clearly argued, and nicely illustrated (...) While the overall argument in Jefferies's book is persuasive, his attention to details is also rewarding." Central European History "This book makes a valuable and original contribution to our understanding of the reasons behind the reform of architecture and design initiated in Germany in the years before the First World War. [...] ...an excellent book on an important topic." German History

Author Bio

Matthew Jefferies Lecturer in German History,University of Manchester