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Origins of Racial Antisemitism Class Outline ORIGINS OF RACIAL ANTISEMITISM CLASS OUTLINE READING PRESENTATION ANTISEMITISM Why now? Why was there a need to find a new name? Richard Wagner / Adolf Stoecker / Heinrich Treitschke / Wilhelm Marr THE DREYFUS AFFAIR AND ITS ROLE WHO? BY WHOM? WHY? TOOLS? SOLUTION? “When Jews lived in the ghetto, and immediately after they left it, accusations against them came citizens who enjoyed a legal status denied to Jewsfrom. (…) Now, however, the accusations were leveled by citizens at citizens who were equal before the law, and the purpose of these indictments was to show that Jews were unworthy of the legal and social position conferred upon them.” Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust ANTISEMITISM search for a new (more modern) term term “anti-Semitism” was supposed to suggest that it was not the Jewishness (religion) but “Jewish character” and “Jewish behavior” that aroused opposition religion x biological criteria no place for baptism / integration / assimilation a Jew is born Jewish no escape mechanism EMANCIPATION AND ANTI- SEMITISM were is the link? at this point, European Jewry was becoming almost completely integrated a shock for the Jews accusations against Jews before the emancipation attacks on Jews came from citizens who enjoyed legal rights denied to the Jews accusations against Jews after the emancipation citizens at citizens who were both equal before the law EMANCIPATION AND ANTISEMITISM attempts to show Jews are unworthy of the legal and social position pointing towards their great involvement in the society (“Jews taking over Germany”) against the concept of “German Jews” assimilation as a threat to the German nation Jews will not become Germans but make Germans Jewish RICHARD WAGNER from an unknown artist to a world- famous composer Jewry In Music (1850) – Modern (1878) condemns Jewish emancipation introduces the term Verjudung his anti-Semitism is more than “just” about professional jealousy ADOLF STOECKER influential and popular Protestant theologian founded the Christian Social Workers' Party in 1878 (renamed Christian Social Party) advocated the limitation of Jewish civil rights, their exclusion from public office and from the staffs of public schools, and numerus clausus in high schools and universities, as well as the limiting of Jewish immigration HEINRICH VON TREITSCHKE • historian, political writer and politician • from 1866 to 1889 he edited the Preussische Jahrbücher (“Prussian Yearbooks”), a journal influential in his field • member of the Reichstag since 1871 (first as a National Liberal and then as a moderate conservative) • accused German Jews of refusing to assimilate into German culture and society WILHELM MARR coined the term antisemitism political tracktat The Victory of Judaism over Germandom (warning that “the Jewish spirit and Jewish consciousness have overpowered the world.”) “there will be absolutely no public office, even the highest one, which the Jews will not have usurped.” the League of Antisemites, introduced the word “antisemite” into the political lexicon and established the first popular political movement based entirely on anti- Jewish beliefs. fight to overturn emancipation in Germany WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON? It is no longer Jews and Gentiles that are in opposition – now Germans against Germans Criticize emancipation (Wagner: Verjudung of German culture) Their attacks had little to do with Judaism as a religion Attack Jews for controlling mass media Jews cannot really assimilate Political tools DREYFUS AFFAIR Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young Alsatian French artillery officer of Jewish descent sentenced to life in 1894. A major role was played by the press and public opinion proved influential in the lasting social conflict. One of the most notable examples of a complex miscarriage of justice and antisemitism. .
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