1 - Die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen

Summary

DIE BETRACHTUNGEN EINES UNPOLITISCHEN goes much beyond being simply an argument against Mann's brother Heinrich's political position, which is what Mann started out to write. It is a sophisticated and sound discussion of political philosophy, although it is presented in rather unorthodox fashion. Published in 1918, the book is a collection of complementary essays written during the First World War, all revolving around the problem of the imminent political upheaval in Germany. Since it is inevitable that Germany will soon be a democratic country, no matter who wins the war, it is necessary, Mann argues, to face the problem and to develop some criteria for directing this change. Those who are actively advocating the introduction of democracy are, like Heinrich, advocating democracy based on Rousseau's Social Contract or its logical extension, Communism. Mann argues that this kind of democracy is French, based on Roman Catholic views of social organization, and is opposed to the nature of German society, to traditional German Protestant values, and would, therefore, lead to the destruction of this liberal humanism and Germany's cultural achievement. He develops an alternative approach: a democracy based on the preservation and fostering of these values. The kind of democracy he advocates in Die Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen is based on the concept of the open society, fundamentally the democracy practiced in the English-speaking countries. Since he very much fears that his views will not prevail, the book is partly a lament about the impending destruction of German Protestant values — something of an Apocalypse.