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Dissertation Information for James Ingram Martin Sr.

NAME:
- James Ingram Martin Sr.

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- Emory University (USA) (1990)

ADVISORS:
- Douglas A. Unfug

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Kathryn E Amdur
- Kermit E. McKenzie

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: The German identity problem; its influence on the careers of Friedrich von Holstein, Philipp zu Eulenburg, and Emperor William II of Germany, 1886-1894

Abstract: This dissertation will demonstrate that the German identity problem influenced the careers of three key figures, Friedrich von Holstein, Philipp zu Eulenburg, and Emperor William II, during the years 1886 to 1894. The essay will also show that the three men, given this influence, perpetuated the identity problem throughout their careers. The German identity problem refers to the ambivalent nature of Germany and the Germans themselves. Germany, except for the years 1871-1945, constituted a disunited entity comprised of peoples whose only common bond was their language. Even after unification, this diversity continued and tensions between various groups intensified rather than lessened. These tensions influenced Holstein, Eulenberg, and William, each of whom confronted the task of reconciling not only warring political factions but also their own backgrounds with the realities of a modern nation-state.

Holstein, Eulenburg, and William all identified with the conservative Prussian aristocracy. Yet during the period under consideration, these individuals, like others of their class, were forced to accede to the wishes of the more liberal members of the Reichstag, drawn in large part from the emerging bourgeoisie and the increasingly influential Social Democrats. The result, as demonstrated during the years 1886-1894, was an ambivalent and seemingly directionless course. Holstein was the most adept at reconciling his background with political realities, whereas Eulenburg and particularly William were prone to act less out of political expediency. The three worked to foster the dismissal of the recalcitrant Chancellor Otto von Bismarck but at the same time continued to hold the man in high esteem. Eulenburg and to a small degree, Holstein, even helped foster superficial reconciliation between the old Chancellor and the Kaiser. During the tenure of Chancellor Leo von Caprivi, a Prussian Junker general of surprisingly moderate views, Holstein, Eulenburg, and William supported military and educational legislation which ran counter to the beliefs of the conservative members of their class; they did so in order to maintain a stable Reichstag. On the other hand, Caprivi's moderate tone in large part contributed to his dismissal in 1894. Even after 1894, the ambivalent policies continued, particularly as Emperor William assumed more of a personal regime, and his chancellors, along with Eulenburg and Holstein, offered less resistance. Such paved the way, in part, for Germany's alienating much of Europe and setting the stage for the First World War.

MPACT Scores for James Ingram Martin Sr.

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-06-01 15:34:13

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Students under James Ingram Martin Sr.

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None