Cultural apocalypse: Nietzsche, Weber and the challenge of modernity 1870-1919

Abstract

This thesis examines the German anti-modernist movement of the Second Reich, concentrating principally on the the ways in which the challenge of Modernity was interpreted by two of the formeost critical thinkers of the period, Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Weber. A first section seeks to establish the nature and provenance of die moderne and proceeds to illuminate the nature of the reaction to it across the cultural spectrum in Germany. This examination is necessarily selective and concentrates largely on those figures who relate most closely to Nietzsche and Weber. This thesis then moves to the exposition and analysis of Nietzsche's view of Modernity, after first examining his ideal' society in Ancient Greece. His solution to the modern malaise is then outlined. In section three, a similar investigation is made into Weber's work, again commencing with his ideal' society in the heroic age of Protestantism. My aim has been to establish the challenge of Modernity as a major theme in the work of Nietzsche and Weber and to analyse their respective interpretations of this theme. I have sought to establish the extent of Nietzsche's influence, if any, on Weber in this context, but also to examine areas of difference between the two thinkers. Accordingly, a final chapter assesses the balance and reflects upon the extent to which Nietzsche and Weber can be genuinely identified.