Bitter internal conflicts along religious, linguistic, and ethnic lines today divide societies all over the world, from Nigeria to Malaysia. A century ago in Europe the main threat to domestic stability was class conflict, the radical working class's challenge to the ruling bourgeoisie. Then, after World War II, western European societies rather suddenly achieved internal harmony. The most dramatic and consequential turnaround occurred in West Germany. How did it happen? How did Germans from all classes come to think and act less like adherents of warring tribes, and more like members of a single community? What lessons, if any, does the German success story provide for overcoming conflicts today?
A Writer in Residence at the Library’s Wertheim Study, David Meskill is Assistant Professor of History at Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. He received his PhD in European History from Harvard University, and is author of Optimizing the German Workforce: Labor Administration from Bismarck to the Economic Miracle.
New York City, NY; NYC