Wolfgang Justin Mommsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1930-11-05)5 November 1930 |
| Died | 11 August 2004(2004-08-11) (aged 73) Bansin, Germany |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Modern History German Empire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Imperialism World War I Max Weber |
| Institutions | University of Leeds,University of Cologne,University of Düsseldorf,German Historical Institute London |
| Thesis | Max Weber und die deutsche Politik 1890-1920 (1958) |
| Doctoral advisor | Theodor Schieder |
Wolfgang Justin Mommsen (German pronunciation:[vɔlfgaŋjʊʃtiːnmɔmzn̩]; 5 November 1930 – 11 August 2004) was a German historian. He was the twin brother of historianHans Mommsen and the great-grandson ofTheodor Mommsen.
Wolfgang Mommsen was born inMarburg, the son of the historianWilhelm Mommsen and great-grandson of the Roman historianTheodor Mommsen. He was educated at theUniversity of Marburg, theUniversity of Cologne, and theUniversity of Leeds between 1951 and 1959. He was assistant professor at theUniversity of Cologne (1959–1967) and full professorUniversity of Düsseldorf (1967–1996); he directed theGerman Historical Institute inLondon between 1978 and 1985. In 1965, he married Sabine von Schalburg, with whom he had four children.[1]
Mommsen wrote a biography ofMax Weber in 1958. His dissertation, on Max Weber and German politics, published in English in 1984, revolutionized the "understanding of the 20th century's most influential sociologist by setting him firmly in the context of his times, and showing him to be a liberal nationalist and imperialist, much to the horror of many of his admirers. He went on to demonstrate that a knowledge of Weber's political thought and action was essential if one were to grasp accurately his theory of power. This was an outstanding achievement, and Wolfgang followed it up by playing a leading role in editing a new, comprehensive edition of Weber's works.... The Mommsens were related to Weber by marriage, so there was something particularly iconoclastic in Wolfgang's book, which caused a huge storm when it first appeared."[2] His main area of expertise was 19th- and 20th-centuryBritish andGerman history. His interests were wide-ranging and he wrote aboutdiplomatic,social,intellectual, andeconomic history. Mommsen championed aSonderweg ("special path") interpretation of German history. Echoing the views ofHans-Ulrich Wehler andFritz Fischer, he argued that 19th-century Germany was only partially modernized, as economic modernization was not accompanied by political modernization. Much of Mommsen's comparative studies of British and German history concerns why, in his view, the British had both a political and economic modernization, but the Germans had only the latter. AnAnglophile, Mommsen greatly enjoyed teaching and living in theUnited Kingdom.[citation needed]
In Mommsen's view, the foreign policy of theGerman Empire was driven by domestic concerns, as the German elite sought distractions abroad to hold off demands fordemocracy at home. For Mommsen, the major responsibility for the outbreak of theFirst World War rested on Germany's shoulders. Furthermore, theNovember Revolution of 1918 did not go far enough and allowed the pre-1918 elite to continue to dominate German life, thus leading inevitably toNazi Germany. Mommsen has written books condemningappeasement.[citation needed]
In theHistorikerstreit ("historians' dispute"), Mommsen took the position that theHolocaust was a uniquely-evil event and should not be compared to theStalinist Terror in theSoviet Union.[3]
Wolfgang Mommsen served as an editor for theMax Weber-Gesamtausgabe project, which was a republication of all of Max Weber's writings.[4] The project concluded in 2020 and contains forty-five volumes.[5]
He drowned in a swimming accident in theBaltic Sea on 11 August 2004.[6]
Interpretations of Max Weber's liberalism
