OF INTEREST TO: students of economics, readers of European historyThe traditions of the German people, including the personnel of the civil service, are traditions of frugality and parsimony... and these are fortifed in this connection by a traditional loyalty of service to a master, to whom the civil servant stands in a relation of personal stewardship.-from "Economic Policy of the Imperial State"One of the great thinkers of the early 20th century, American economist and sociologist THORSTEIN BUNDE VEBLEN (1857-1929) is best remembered for coining the phrase "conspicuous consumption" and, in this 1915 work, explaining how the stage was set for something like the Third Reich in Germany decades before its appearance. Veblen describes: . how the pagan past of the Germans gave rise to their modern character. how Germany's appropriation of industrial technology limited its cultural growth. how a medieval perspective endured in Germany into its imperial era. how the dominance of Prussia impacted Germany as a whole. and more.ALSO FROM COSIMO: Veblen's The Vested Interests and the Common Man, The Theory of Business Enterprise, and An Inquiry into the Nature of Peace and the Terms of Its Perpetuation

This carefully crafted ebook: "IMPERIAL GERMANY AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: The Background Origins of World War I - Economic Rise as a Fuel for Political Radicalism" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The book was published in 1915, after the First World War began. Veblen considered warfare a threat to economic productivity and contrasted the authoritarian politics of Germany with the democratic tradition of Britain, noting that industrialization in Germany had not produced a progressive political culture. Imperial Germany and the Industrial Revolution is in major part a study of the deviations in cultural and social growth between the English and the German. It deals with the consequences those differences created in social, economic and other domains. Veblen here describes, through the study of German culture, historical and social aspect, how it came to forming of the Third Reich, even before it was formed. He suggests that the Germany's autocracy was an advantage compared to democratic countries. After it was censored during the war, it was later released and it represents a substantial contribution in its sphere of influence. Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was an American economist and sociologist. He is well known as a witty critic of capitalism. Veblen is famous for the idea of "conspicuous consumption." Conspicuous consumption, along with "conspicuous leisure," is performed to demonstrate wealth or mark social status. Veblen explains the concept in his best-known book, The Theory of the Leisure Class. Within the history of economic thought, Veblen is considered the leader of the institutional economics movement. Veblen's distinction between "institutions" and "technology" is still called the Veblenian dichotomy by contemporary economists.

The Wilhelmine period is a crucial period of German history and the focus of great historical controversy; greater understanding of this period is also vital to explain the rise of the Third Reich. The authors focus on Germany's role as a major military and imperial power, industrialiastion and the economy, the crucial effects of the war years and the disturbing evidence that Germany's response to Hitler is to be found in the Wilhelmine era.

In "IMPERIAL GERMANY AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: The Background Origins of World War I - Economic Rise as a Fuel for Political Radicalism", Thorstein Veblen explores the economic dynamics of Imperial Germany and their role in shaping the political landscape that ultimately led to World War I. Veblen's writing style is characterized by a meticulous attention to detail and a critical analysis of the interplay between economic interests and political ideologies during this critical period in history. This book serves as a significant contribution to the understanding of the complex relationship between economic power and political radicalism in pre-World War I Germany. Veblen's examination of the industrial revolution's impact on the rise of Imperial Germany sheds light on the roots of the social and political upheavals that eventually culminated in global conflict. As a respected economist and social critic, Veblen's insights offer valuable perspectives on the underlying causes of historical events that continue to shape our world today. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in delving into the economic factors that underpinned the tumultuous political developments of Imperial Germany and their repercussions in the lead-up to World War I.

This book represents the most comprehensive history of Germany during the First World War.