Political Education of Arnold Brecht: An Autobiography, 1884-1970 / Arnold Brecht.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brecht, Arnold, author.

Series:

Princeton Legacy Library

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Arnold Brecht witnessed and participated in the course of German history from the late 19th century to the present. Serving under seven Reich chancellors, he became acting Secretary of State, and was finally removed from office by Hitler in 1933.This is an absorbing account of these momentous years: a Germany preoccupied with conquest, the catastrophe of World War I, the nerve-wracking decisions of the Armistice, the fateful Kapp Putsch, the failures of the Weimar Republic, the tragedy of the death of Rathenau and the ensuing swing to the Right.Professor Brecht depicts in detail the social milieu of pre-war Germany and the political decisions-internal and external-of a country abased before the world. He is able to write from firsthand knowledge of Hitler, Chancellor Max von Baden, President Friedrich Ebert, Matthias Erzberger, Gustav Stresemann, Walter Rathenau, and many others.This book is an autobiography, full of rich and detailed accounts of the author's personal philosophy and life as a private individual. It is also an impressive eye-witness account of Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. Finally, it is in effect a work of applied political theory, a suitable companion to his Political Theory.Originally published in 1970.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Contents:

Frontmatter

INTRODUCTION / Brecht, Arnold

CONTENTS

PART I: The Early Years: Far Removed from Politics

1. As a Child at Home

2. Schooldays (1891-1902)

3. University (1902-1905)

4. Unconscious Political Principles

5. When You Do Not Know What You Want- 29 In-Service Training (1906-1909)

6. The Great State Examination-Death of My Father- Judge in Lubeck (1910)

7. In the Federal Department of Justice (1910-1918)

PART II: Political Awakening

8. Events But Dimly Noticed

9. Political Education Through the War's Outbreak (1914)

10. Political Education Through the War's Aims

11. Political Education Through the Struggle for World Opinion

12. Constitution and Leadership

13. Life Before Death Goes on Even in War

PART III: Political Education through the War's End

14. My First Weeks in the Chancellery-Discovery of the Real Situation (October, 1918)

15. Interlude: A Non-Delivered Speech

16. The Last Cabinet Meeting Before the Revolution in Kiel (November 2,1918): Minutes Lost, But Rediscovered

PART IV: Political Education through Revolution

17. The German November Revolution

18. The Chancellery in the Period of Transition from Monarchy to Republic

19. The Struggle Around a Proletarian Dictatorship

20. Lack of Power from the Top Downward

21. Why the Old Army? Why Not a New People's Guard ?

PART V: Weimar

22. Political Education Through the Act of Voting

23. Democracy and Constitution

24. The Chancellery in the Transition to Democracy- The Struggle for a Planned Economy

25. The Peace Treaty-Responsibility for the Collapse

26. Erzberger in Weimar

27. Looking Back at Life in Weimar

PART VI: The Loss of Pro-democratic Majorities

28. Vain Attempt to Escape Politics-Controversy with Ludendorff

29. A Winter of Unpleasantness-Kapp Putsch-Loss of the Democratic Majority (1919-1920)

30. Reflections on the Loss of a Pro-Democratic Majority Under a Democratic Constitution

31. The First Cabinet Without Socialists (1920)

32. Historical Turning Points-Meetings with Pohner, Hitler, Pacelli (1920,1921)

33. Figures Difficult to Understand

34. Meeting Hauptmann

35. The Two Bachelors: Wirth and Rathenau

36. Changes in the Chancellery and in the Cabinet

37. The Anniversary of the Constitution (August 11, 1921)

38. The Death of Erzberger

39. The End of My Three Years in the Chancellery-Taking Over the Constitution Division in the Ministry of the Interior

PART VII: Reformer in the Ministry of the Interior (1921-1927)

40. The Magic of Limited Functions

41. Staff Problems

42. The Death of Rathenau

43. Political Consequences of the Rathenau Murder

44. Edging to the Right-Black-Red-Gold-Stresemann's Flag-Damascus

45. Occupation of the Ruhr-Revolt in Bavaria-Hitler Putsch-The Hundred Days of Chanceller Stresemann

46. Changes in the Ministry of the Interior

47. Germany's Reorganization (Reichsreform)

48. Electoral Reform

49. Easing of International and Economic Tensions-The Dawes Plan-Further Jolt to the Right

50. Ebert's Death

51. Hindenburg's Election: The Apparent and the Real Surprise

52. Continuing Work Under Anti- and Pro-Democratic Ministers-Luther's Defeat on the Flag Issue

53. Dimissal by My Eighth Minister-Appointment in Prussia

PART VIII: Across the Wilhelmstrasse- Working for Germany from Prussia

54. Prussia in the Twenties

55. The Reichsrat (Federal Council)

56. Rapporteur for the Federal Budget-International Comparison of Public Expenditures

57. The Myth of the Pocket Battleship

PART IX: The Struggle for Germany's Reorganization (Reichsreform)

58. Fitting Prussia and Bavaria into Germany's Reorganization

59. Death of My Mother

60. Declining Appointment to Chief of the Chancellery

61. The Triumph of Cooperation

62. Bavaria's Dissent

63. Backstage in Prussia-My Relations to Minister-President Braun

64. The Failure of the Federal Reform

PART X: From Young Plan to Brüning's Dismissal

65. The Young Plan and Dr. Schacht's Leaving the Democratic Band Wagon

66. Stresemann's Death and the End of the Great Coalition

67. Brüning

68. Brüning's Fight Against Reparations and Germany's Unilateral Disarmament

69. Brüning's Fight Against Unemployment-His Policy of Deflation

70. Brüning's Frontal Attack on National Socialism

71. The Prussian Government's Fight Against National Socialism

72. Personal Commitment-Deutschlandbund

73. Presidential Election, 1932-Hindenburg's Re-Election- Dissolution of Hitler's Storm Troops-Brüning's Triumph Thwarted-The Tragedy of a Rule Too Weakly Grounded

PART XI: Why into the Abyss? (1932-1933)

74. Hindenburg's Ominous About-Turn

75. Dilettante Methods

76. Germany's Reorganization by Force

77. The 20th of July, 1932-My Speech at the Supreme Constitutional Court

78. Equal Treatment of National Socialists and Communists ?

79. Active or Passive Resistance ?

80. Intermezzo-Papen Caught in His Own Snares

81. Proceedings Before the Supreme Constitutional Court-Its Decision (October 10-25, 1932)

82. The Myth of the Court's Failure

83. Back in the Reichsrat-Refusal of Promotion to State Secretary

84. Hope and Lull-Stab in the Back-Papen's Triumph, and Hitler's

85. What Were the Alternatives?

86. Reflections on the Responsibilities for Hitler's Appointment

PART XII: From Hitler's Appointment to His Obtaining Total Power

87. How Far Will Hitler Go?

88. Hitler in the Reichsrat (February 2, 1933)

89. Renewed Dismissal of the Prussian Cabinet-Unconstitutional Dissolution of the Landtag (February 6, 1933)

90. My Dismissal Repeated-The Reichsrat Disemboweled-Braun and Severing Charged with Fraud-The Reichstag Arson (February 27)

91. Braun Crosses Lake Constance Too Soon-The Elections (March 5, 1933)-Eviction from Our Quarters-Resignation of the Prussian Ministers-The End of Prussia

92. From the Enabling Act to One-Party Rule

93. Reflections on the Responsibility for Hitler's Obtaining Total Power

94. Personal Fate Amidst Impersonal Disaster-Arrest-Departure from Germany (November 9, 1933)

PART XIII: In the United States (Since 1933)

95. Role Change in Mid-Life

96. Risky Visits to Germany Before the War

97. The Death of Gertrud and Ossip (July, 1939)

98. The United States and Germany: During the War and Shortly After

99. Postwar Problems-Germany's Reunification

100. Personal Experiences in the United States

101. Science, Practice, and Faith

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX

PUBLICATIONS WITH POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS AFTER 1933 BY ARNOLD BRECHT

SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTER NUMBERS IN THE GERMAN AND AMERICAN EDITIONS OF THESE MEMOIRS

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-4008-6745-2

OCLC:

979905481