Sensationalizing the Jewish Question: Anti-Semitic Trials and the Press in the Early German Empire

Anti-Semitic Trials and the Press in the Early German Empire
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-90-04-31542-6
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, 338 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 499 g

Historians have generally assumed that the French Dreyfus Affair had no counterpart in turn-of the-century Germany. However, while no single anti-Semitic trial in Germany had the social and political impact of the Dreyfus Affair, a series of sensational court cases did have a significant influence on the growth and development of anti-Semitism in Imperial Germany. These trials, which included prominent libel cases and several ritual murder accusations, frequently spurred debates in the German press about the nature of Judaism and the role and influence of Jews in German society. This book examines the nature of these anti-Semitic affairs, assesses their role in German politics, and evaluates their effect on the overall development of German anti-Semitism.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hartson, Barnet P

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Geschichte des Judentums Antisemitismus, Pogrome, Shoah
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften Mediengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Deutsche Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften Journalismus & Presse
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsgeschichte, Recht der Antike
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Antisemitismus

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Illustrations. ix
Acknowledgments. xi
Abbreviations. xiii

Introduction. 1
Chapter One An Empire Transformed: Politics, Anti-Semitism, and the Law in the Time of Bismarck. 9
Chapter Two Fighting Words: Libel Trials, Jews, and the Cult of Honor. 35
Chapter Three Arson in Neustettin: The Limits of Anti-Jewish Violence in the New Reich. 105
Chapter Four Ritual Murder Trials: Ancient Prejudice and Modern Propaganda.129
Chapter Five A Matter of Debate: Scholars and Pseudo-Scholars Testify on the Nature of Judaism. 189
Chapter Six The New Demagogues: Hermann Ahlwardt and the Rise of Fanatical Anti-Semitism. 219
Conclusion. 261

Appendix: An Overview of the German Press in the Bismarckzeit. 287
Bibliography. 307
Index. 325

Über Autor(innen)

Barnet Hartston, Ph.D. (1999) in History, University of California at San Diego, is Associate Dean of General Education and Associate Professor of History at Eckerd College. His research focuses primarily on the topics of anti-Semitism, legal culture, and the political press in Imperial Germany.