What do you think?
Rate this book
The Decline Of The German Mandarins: The German Academic Community, 1890-1933
A splendid re-publication of an indispensable book on German history.
"An ambitious attempt to describe and analyze the political, social, and intellectual attitudes of the German academic community under William II and the Weiman republic. MR. Ringer deserves a good deal of credit for his wide and thoughtful reading in this field of intellectual history, which is not easily surveyed, and for his evident efforts to present a fair appraisal." - Library Journal
"An ambitious attempt to describe and analyze the political, social, and intellectual attitudes of the German academic community under William II and the Weiman republic. MR. Ringer deserves a good deal of credit for his wide and thoughtful reading in this field of intellectual history, which is not easily surveyed, and for his evident efforts to present a fair appraisal." - Library Journal
- GenresHistoryPhilosophy
528 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 1990
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2024
"Fritz Ringer's 'The Decline of the German Mandarins: The German Academic Community, 1890-1933' is a landmark scholarly work that provides a profound historical and sociological analysis of the German academic community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Published in 1969, this book offers a critical exploration of the German intellectual elite, often referred to as 'mandarins,' and their role in the cultural and political landscape of Germany leading up to the rise of Nazism.
Ringer’s thesis revolves around the idea that the German mandarins, primarily composed of scholars in the humanities and social sciences, held a peculiar position in society. They were guardians of a cultural tradition rooted in idealism and Bildung (a German concept of self-cultivation). Ringer meticulously argues that their attachment to these traditional values and their disdain for modernity, democracy, and capitalism contributed to a cultural environment that was, in some ways, susceptible to the rise of authoritarianism in Germany.
One of the book's strengths lies in its meticulous research and Ringer's ability to weave socio-political analysis with intellectual history. He delves deeply into the mindset of these academics, their philosophical backgrounds, and their social status, offering a comprehensive view of how their attitudes and beliefs reflected and influenced wider societal trends.
However, Ringer’s argument is not without its critics. Some scholars have argued that he overemphasizes the homogeneity and influence of the mandarins, and perhaps underestimates the diversity of thought and political engagement within the German academic community. Additionally, the focus on a particular intellectual class could be seen as overlooking other significant factors that contributed to Germany's political developments during this period.
The Decline of the German Mandarins' is a seminal work in the field of intellectual history and German studies. Ringer’s insightful analysis provides a crucial understanding of the relationship between intellectual life and political change. While the book’s arguments might be debated, its contribution to our understanding of the role of intellectuals in society remains invaluable. It is a recommended read for scholars and students interested in European intellectual history, the sociology of intellectuals, and the cultural roots of political movements."
GPT
Ringer’s thesis revolves around the idea that the German mandarins, primarily composed of scholars in the humanities and social sciences, held a peculiar position in society. They were guardians of a cultural tradition rooted in idealism and Bildung (a German concept of self-cultivation). Ringer meticulously argues that their attachment to these traditional values and their disdain for modernity, democracy, and capitalism contributed to a cultural environment that was, in some ways, susceptible to the rise of authoritarianism in Germany.
One of the book's strengths lies in its meticulous research and Ringer's ability to weave socio-political analysis with intellectual history. He delves deeply into the mindset of these academics, their philosophical backgrounds, and their social status, offering a comprehensive view of how their attitudes and beliefs reflected and influenced wider societal trends.
However, Ringer’s argument is not without its critics. Some scholars have argued that he overemphasizes the homogeneity and influence of the mandarins, and perhaps underestimates the diversity of thought and political engagement within the German academic community. Additionally, the focus on a particular intellectual class could be seen as overlooking other significant factors that contributed to Germany's political developments during this period.
The Decline of the German Mandarins' is a seminal work in the field of intellectual history and German studies. Ringer’s insightful analysis provides a crucial understanding of the relationship between intellectual life and political change. While the book’s arguments might be debated, its contribution to our understanding of the role of intellectuals in society remains invaluable. It is a recommended read for scholars and students interested in European intellectual history, the sociology of intellectuals, and the cultural roots of political movements."
GPT
Did Not Finish
November 18, 2025First, I have to admit I couldn't finish this book (although I was 2/3 of the way through) because I have other things to read and the library wanted it back. I am sad about it though because I really want/ed to finish it. Hopefully in the future.
That said, I can't even begin to understand how it is that I was entranced by this book about German intellectuals, or rather German academics, in the pre-Nazi period. I was reading it for fun between other less exciting books. I was reading it like a novel. I was reading it like a thriller. There is something wrong with me.
I'm not sure what he was trying to do was to portray class formation in action, as Ringer does not appear to be in any way a Marxist, but that is what he was doing, and it had the same feel in many parts as Thompson's Making of the English Working Class. They were published at similar times, so I guess that style of telling history was in the air, even for those who weren't Marxists. I for one find it breathtakingly interesting. I find intellectual histories breathtakingly interesting. I love epistemology. As I mentioned, there's something wrong with me.
The absence of any mention of the Nazis or far right theory or academics for a very, very long time in the book (I'm guessing they show up at the end, in chronological order) is really telling and almost sinister, like a huge shadow in the corner or threatening music in a movie. Had me page-turning like crazy.
He uses some quantitative data to buttress his analysis, but not so much as to be annoying or distracting or to flip the genre mid-sentence, and one interesting thing was that Jews made up very small percentage of professors in pre-WW2 Germany. That surprised me because all the German academics I've read from that period were Jewish (Arendt, Adorno -sort of-, Einstein, Marcuse, Horkheimer, Benjamin...) so I assumed they made up an oversized (in proportion to the overall population) part of academia, for sociological reasons I would be interested to learn more about but do not at this point understand completely. But no, that wasn't so much the case it appears, so there must be a mismatch on my end of who I read, I guess. Unknowns. Maybe if I'd finished the book I'd be less in the dark.
That said, I can't even begin to understand how it is that I was entranced by this book about German intellectuals, or rather German academics, in the pre-Nazi period. I was reading it for fun between other less exciting books. I was reading it like a novel. I was reading it like a thriller. There is something wrong with me.
I'm not sure what he was trying to do was to portray class formation in action, as Ringer does not appear to be in any way a Marxist, but that is what he was doing, and it had the same feel in many parts as Thompson's Making of the English Working Class. They were published at similar times, so I guess that style of telling history was in the air, even for those who weren't Marxists. I for one find it breathtakingly interesting. I find intellectual histories breathtakingly interesting. I love epistemology. As I mentioned, there's something wrong with me.
The absence of any mention of the Nazis or far right theory or academics for a very, very long time in the book (I'm guessing they show up at the end, in chronological order) is really telling and almost sinister, like a huge shadow in the corner or threatening music in a movie. Had me page-turning like crazy.
He uses some quantitative data to buttress his analysis, but not so much as to be annoying or distracting or to flip the genre mid-sentence, and one interesting thing was that Jews made up very small percentage of professors in pre-WW2 Germany. That surprised me because all the German academics I've read from that period were Jewish (Arendt, Adorno -sort of-, Einstein, Marcuse, Horkheimer, Benjamin...) so I assumed they made up an oversized (in proportion to the overall population) part of academia, for sociological reasons I would be interested to learn more about but do not at this point understand completely. But no, that wasn't so much the case it appears, so there must be a mismatch on my end of who I read, I guess. Unknowns. Maybe if I'd finished the book I'd be less in the dark.
January 15, 2021
Intellectuals, particularly academic intellectuals, often live in their ivory towers. And the story told by Ringer in the "Decline of the German Mandarins" is the story of desperate attempts by German academics in the end of 19th-beginning of 20th centuries to defend not only these "towers", but also their position among the social elite and their privileges. Those academics who resisted any developments in science and economy, social changes, the arrival of new research methods.
But this is not simply a story of German conservatism in the academic field. It is also an account of failure of an extreme idealism insisting on the ultimate value of its very remoteness from life, of pure knowledge that has nothing to do with the mundane realities of practical materialistic world.
It is a particularly interesting book for me, which allowed me to better understand some of the reasons for that extreme formalism and rigidness existing in my own field, in law, that still persists in many post-Soviet countires. Much of our legal theorists and jurists are academics who are too detached from the realities of legal practice, who construct some abstract theories which often prove useless or unnecessary, and who cherish their theorizing academicisim. And what's interesting is that the system which is so much and often revered by them is that old world of german academy, whose decline is described in this book.
But this is not simply a story of German conservatism in the academic field. It is also an account of failure of an extreme idealism insisting on the ultimate value of its very remoteness from life, of pure knowledge that has nothing to do with the mundane realities of practical materialistic world.
It is a particularly interesting book for me, which allowed me to better understand some of the reasons for that extreme formalism and rigidness existing in my own field, in law, that still persists in many post-Soviet countires. Much of our legal theorists and jurists are academics who are too detached from the realities of legal practice, who construct some abstract theories which often prove useless or unnecessary, and who cherish their theorizing academicisim. And what's interesting is that the system which is so much and often revered by them is that old world of german academy, whose decline is described in this book.
Read
December 23, 2025Definitely flawed with some pretty substantial gaps, but interesting and informative nonetheless.
May 5, 2010
Very influential and pretty good read.
November 11, 2010
Not nearly as fun as I thought it would be...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews