The Politics of Harmony: Civil Service, Liberalism and Social Reform in Baden, 1800-1850

by Loyd E. Lee

The first modern history in English of a German state other than Prussia or Austria between the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and the unsuccessful 1848 revolutions, the Politics of Harmony also contributes to the discussion regarding the modernization of German society, especially the social bases of liberalism and parliamentary government.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baden has usually been seen as the most liberal German state in the period in question, passing a series of progressive reforms which stand in marked contrast to the stop-start reforms of Prussia. Lee tests Baden's liberalism by examining the bureaucrats and parliament of the state. He finds that the reformers forced reforms on an unwilling population, and in the process entrenched themselves as a privileged elite.

Unfortunately, Lee never defines what liberalism is, seeing the bureaucrats as its unfailing adherents without any examination into their motives or beliefs. He is reliant on state sources for all of his research, never looking into the effects of the reforms on the ground. Lastly, he promises a comparison with Prussia but never actually provides one, simply assuming that the reader already knows Prussia's situation.