TheYoungMaxWeberandGermanSocialDemocracy Historical Materialism Book Series EditorialBoard LorenBalhorn(Berlin) DavidBroder(Rome) SebastianBudgen(Paris) SteveEdwards(London) JuanGrigera(London) MarcelvanderLinden(Amsterdam) PeterThomas(London) volume 259 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/hm TheLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailableonlineathttps://catalog.loc.gov lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2022036582 TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface. issn1570-1522 isbn978-90-04-52442-2(hardback) isbn978-90-04-52493-4(e-book) Copyright2022byKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillNijhoff,BrillHotei,BrillSchöningh,BrillFink, Brillmentis,Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht,BöhlauandV&Runipress. 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Contents Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 part 1 TheYoungMaxWeberandImperialGermanPolitics: BetweentheCrisisof LiberalismandtheChallengeof German SocialDemocracy(1884–1891/2) 1 TheYoungWeber’sDiagnosisofthePoliticalSituationinImperial Germany(1884–5) 21 Introduction 21 1 GermanLiberalismafter1878:Betweenthe‘GreekGift’of UniversalSuffrageandAnti-SocialistRepression 23 2 The1884ReichstagElectionsandtheEmergingRoleofGerman SocialDemocracy 29 3 TheCrisisoftheLiberalPartiesandthe‘Right-WingTurn’of NationalLiberalsin1884 34 2 HermannBaumgartenandtheYoungMaxWeber:TheAmbiguous LegacyofNationalLiberalism 42 1 ADirectConduittotheDilemmasoftheGermanLiberal Bourgeoisie 42 2 GermanLiberalism,aSelf-Critique:NationalLiberalism’s FoundationalManifestoof1866 44 3 ‘Realpolitik’andPositivism 50 4 ‘Realpolitik’asIdeology 55 3 TheWebersandthe‘SocialQuestion’:TheGermanBourgeoisie’s ‘Patriarchal’andGenderedEngagementwiththeContradictions ofModernClassSociety 62 1 ContextualisingHeleneWeber’sInfluenceinMaxWeber’s Development 62 2 TheReignoftheBourgeois:LocalAdministrationandthe‘Social Question’intheGermanLandsuntilthe1880s 66 vi contents 3 MaxWeberSr.’sPatriarchalEngagementwiththe‘SocialQuestion’ intheBerlinMetropolis 70 4 MonarchicalConvictionsandChristianPhilanthropy:Helene Weber’sSocialEngagement 74 5 The‘SocialQuestion’andNationalLiberalLegacy 77 4 OutgrowingNationalLiberalism(1887) 81 1 FromPoliticalCommentatortoHistoricalActor 81 2 ABalanceSheetofLiberal‘Realpolitik’:ReflectingOnthe Kulturkampf amidstaRampUpofRepressionagainst Socialists 83 5 WitnesstotheEndofanEra:The‘Three-KaiserYear’,MassStrikes andBismarck’sFall(1888–1891/2) 94 1 Introduction 94 2 TakingStockofBismarck’sLegacyamongsttheBerlinMasses 95 3 Weber’sGenerationConfrontsaLiberalCampDividedbetween OpportunistsandFundamentalists 97 4 TheResurgentWorkingClass:TheRuhrMiners’Strikeof1889and theExpansionOfStateSocialPolicy 102 5 AftertheSozialistengesetz:The1890ElectionsandtheFall ofBismarck 108 6 1891:AssessingaNewPoliticalReality 111 7 ConclusionofPart1:‘TheExistenceOfSocialDemocracy… IsTrulyaBliss’ 113 part 2 MaxWeber’sLaboratory:The‘RuralLabourQuestion’ andtheGenesisofWeberianSocialThought(1892–4) 6 ContextualisingMaxWeber’sDialoguewithGermanSocial Democracy:TheDebateontheWorkerasaPoliticalActor fromthePre-1848Periodto1890sImperialGermany 119 7 SocialScienceTakesOnSocialConflict:TheStakesbehindthe Surveysonthe‘RuralLabourQuestion’in1890sImperial Germany 130 1 Introduction 130 2 TwoSurveysonthe‘RuralLabourQuestion’:Establishing aManageableBasisforComparison 134 contents vii 3 TheDebateontheNeedtoInvolveWorkersDirectlyinthe Surveys 136 4 SubjectivityandSocialChange:Weber’sCallToEngageWorkers’ Standpoint(…Indirectly) 144 5 InSearchOfWorkers’‘Ethical-IdealDrivers’ 146 6 TheMethodological(andPolitical)ImplicationsofProtestant MinistersasSources 149 7 TheVereinQuestionnairesunderSocialDemocratScrutiny 152 8 SocialResearch,AgrarianChange,andtheQuestionofWorkers’ VantagePoint:TheGenesisofMaxWeber’sSocialTheoryinHis Engagementwiththe‘RuralLabourQuestion’ 156 1 MaxWeberandPaulGöhre:TheIssueofWorkers’‘Rightful’Claim toRecognitionandtheSpectreofSocialDemocracy 156 2 TheBreakdownof‘PatriarchalRelations’intheGerman CountrysideandtheChangingMakeupofItsRuralWorking Class 167 3 ‘TheHeavensandtheWorldMarket’:AgrarianCapitalismandthe GrowingSocialDivisionsintheGermanEast 171 4 The‘PsychologicalFactor’:MaxWeber’sEarlyConceptualisationof theImmanentLogicofSocialProcesses 175 5 Conclusion:Workers’StandpointandtheGenesisofWeber’sSocial Theory 185 9 TheStandpointof‘StateReason’vs.theStandpointoftheWorking Class:MaxWeber’sSquaresOffwithSocialDemocratsonthe‘Rural LabourQuestion’ 188 1 Introduction 188 2 TwoGenerationsofPoliticalEconomistsTakeOnthe‘Labour Question’ 189 3 MaxWeberDebatesKarlKaergerOntheRoleofWorker Subjectivityinthe‘RuralLabourQuestion’ 198 4 ‘Let’sLeaveThatforWorkersThemselvestoSortOut!’:Social Democrats’CriticalApproachtothe‘RuralLabourQuestion’ 205 5 The‘StandpointofStateReason’astheYoungMaxWeber’s CompromisebetweenPartisanshipandObjectivity 211 6 Conclusion:TheImperativetoDefendGermanKultur:MaxWeber betweenWorkerSelf-ConsciousnessandtheLegacyof ‘Prussianism’ 215 viii contents part 3 ImperialismandtheNexusof Class,RaceandCulture inMaxWeber’sEarlyThought(1894–8) 10 BetweenaGlobalStandpointandaNormativeConceptofCulture: MaxWeberonLabour,‘CulturalDifference’andtheWorld Market 231 1 TheWorldMarketasanInescapableReality 231 2 MaxWeber’sGlobalStandpointonSocialConflictand Two-ProngedUnderstandingofCultureinthe1890s 235 3 TheLabour-CultureNexusinMaxWeber’sEarlyThought 244 4 Culture,RaceandLabour:TheGenesisofWeber’sCultural ApproachtoEconomicActivityandItsContradictions 248 5 ClassandCulturalDifferenceinWeber’sEngagementwith Workers’Standpoint 254 6 Conclusion:XenophobiaasLegitimateClassConsciousness? Weber’sCritiqueOfSocialDemocrats’‘DreamofRacialand CulturalEquality’ 262 11 Breakingthe‘SolidarityofAlltheRuled’:CultureandImperialism inMaxWeber’sSolutiontothe‘LabourQuestion’ 266 1 Introduction:MaxWeberbetweentheLiberalBrentanoandthe SocialistEngels 266 2 ImperialismandtheLabourAristocracy:LookingTowardsBritain withEngelsasMediator 270 3 FordismasFate?Weber’sTwo-StagedUnderstandingofSocial Conflictinthe‘FactorySystem’ 279 4 Conclusion:AMatterof(Worker)Conscience:TheRoleofIdeals andKulturinFacingtheChallengeofSocialDemocracy 290 Epilogue:TheLateMaxWeberandtheProblemoftheNon-existing AlternativetoCapitalism 309 BibliographyandSources 327 Index 339 Acknowledgements ThisbookisaheavilyeditedversionofthePhDthesisIsubmittedtothePolit- icalSciencedepartmentoftheFreeUniversityofBerlininmid-2017.Mysincere thanksgo,firstof all,tomyadvisors,Wolf-DieterNarr(inmemoriam),Klaus RothandJanRehmann,whohappentobeamongthekindest,mostgenerous (andpatient)scholarsImetinGermany.Wolf-Dieter’shealthdidnotallowhim tocontinueasfirstadvisor–thoughhisfingerprintsarefoundthroughoutmy work–andJanRehmannagreedtostepinatanadvancedstageoftheresearch. Thediscussionof anearlymanuscriptathisNewYorkhomeremainsoneof themostexhilaratingintellectualexchangesIhaveexperiencedandIcontinue toprofitfromourcollaborationintheeditorialworkfortheHistorical-Critical DictionaryofMarxism.MysincerethanksalsogoestoWolfgangFritzHaug,the hcdm’sfounder,whorespondedtoanemailofminein2012askingforadvisor suggestions;hispromptreferraltoNarr,RehmannandWolfgangKüttlersetthis wholeadventureinmotionandopenedupaworldofcriticalknowledge(and friendship) in the circle of gifted people that help make the dictionary pro- jectareality.StefanBergeralsoansweredthatemailandhasbeenavaluable Gesprächspartnereversince.TheexchangeswithDarkoSuvinovertheyears,in turn,havebeeneye-openingandinspiring.MythanksalsogotoSaraFarrisfor theadvice,insightandsupport.Finally,itishardtoputintowordshowmuch IlearnedfromJoséPauloNetto,withoutwhosesupportandencouragement– alongsideLeilaEscorsim–thiswork(andthejourneythatledtoit)wouldnot havebeenpossible. Theresearchforthisbookbenefitedimmenselyfromthedecadesof pain- stakingworkthatresultedintherecently-concluded MaxWeber-Gesamtaus- gabe;evenmoreso,fromthegenerosityandopennessofmanyofthescholars associated with the project; above all, I would like to thank Rita Aldenhoff- Hübinger,GangolfHübingerandEdithHanke.SamWhimster,JoshuaDerman, ÁlvaroMorcillo-LaizandSérgiodaMatahaveinspiredmewiththeircommit- menttoandknowledgeofWeber’swork.TheresearchersoftheWeberScholars Networkhavealsolefttheirmarkinthisbook. MyresearchinBerlinwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutadoctoralfel- lowship from the daad, which also enriched my time in Germany with the various activities it organises and the support from my contact Maria Sal- gado, to whom my heartfelt thanks goes. In my final year I also benefited from an FUBright grant for a six-week stay at the History department of the GeorgeWashington University, and from a semester as a guest researcher at theInstituteof SociologyattheAlbert-Ludwigs-UniversitätFreiburg.Angela x acknowledgements ZimmermanandManuelaBoatcă,myhostsinWashington,DCandFreiburg i.B.,respectively,havebeenincrediblygenerousandinspiringinfluencesonmy workeversince. I attended many conferences in these years, but both the yearly InkriT- Tagung in Berlin and the Historical Materialism meetings in London (and Athens) have been the absolute highlights. Though I changed topics, period anddisciplineaftermovingtoSwitzerlandinSeptember2017,thereworking ofthethesisprofitedmuchfromallIhavelearnedfrommyhostinBerne,Bri- gitteStuder.ThomasBarfusshasbroughtfriendshipandperspective.Wolfram Adolphi, defiance and critical insight (with much humanity and kindness mixedin). IwouldalsoliketothankSebastianBudgenandtheeditorialteamatHis- torical Materialism for the opportunity to publish my dissertation alongside so many fantastic authors in the hm series and for their support during the manuscriptpreparation. Iamluckytohavemadesomanyvaluableacquaintancessincemovingto EuropeinApril2014thatIwillnameonlythecitieswheremostofthesedear friendsare:Berlin,Barcelona,TampereandAthens;Ialsomissmyfriendsin Brazil,whohavemanagedtobepresentthroughouttheseyears,despitethat Atlanticinbetween;Jéssica,JoãoVictoreRodrigo,vocêsrepresentamtodosesses fazedoresdesaudades.Iwouldalsoliketothankwithallmyheartmyfather Eduardo, mother Luciana and brother Filipe, por inspirar, amar e acolher. E AnaCarolina,queéparteinsuprimíveldessa(edaminha)história.