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The Nationalization of the Masses
Political Symbolism and Mass Movements in Germany from the Napoleonic Wars Through the Third Reich
George L. Mosse
With a critical introduction by Victoria de Grazia
The Collected Works of George L. Mosse
“So imaginative and suggestive that it must be recognized as one of the most sophisticated attempts yet made to relate National Socialism to certain currents in German history and culture.”
—Journal of Modern History
Exploring political symbols and the means of their diffusion
First published in 1975, The Nationalization of the Masses is George L. Mosse’s major statement about political symbols and the means of their diffusion. Focusing on Germany and, to a lesser degree, France and Italy, Mosse analyzes the role of symbols in fueling mass politics, mass movements, and nationalism in a way that is broadly applicable and as relevant today as it was almost fifty years ago. In this analysis Mosse introduces terms like “secular religion,” “political liturgy,” “national mystique,” “the new politics,” and “the aesthetics of politics” that are now standard in studies of nationalism and fascism, demonstrating the importance of his cultural, anthropologically informed lens to contemporary discourse. This new edition contains a critical introduction by Victoria de Grazia, Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University, contextualizing Mosse’s research and exploring its powerful influence on subsequent generations of historians.
George L. Mosse (1918–99) was a legendary scholar, teacher, and mentor. A refugee from Nazi Germany, in 1955 he joined the department of history at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he was both influential and popular. Mosse was an early leader in the study of modern European cultural and intellectual history, the study of fascism, and the history of sexuality and masculinity. Over his career he authored more than two dozen books.
Praise
“A pioneering work, and one that all students of modern totalitarianism will welcome. . . . The Nationalization of the Masses is an important book because it takes a collection of phenomena which have generally been treated as marginal and puts them in the centre of the stage.”
—Quadrant
“An important and unique contribution to the literature on nationalism and totalitarianism.”
—American Historical Review
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Larger images
January 2023
288 pp. 6 x 9
21 b/w photos
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