Wellington and the Germans
1989; Routledge; Volume: 11; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/07075332.1989.9640506
ISSN1949-6540
Autores Tópico(s)European Political History Analysis
Resumothere been a serious attempt to determine the duke of Wellington's impact upon German intellectual history.2 This is unfortunate because he figures prominently in anti-Napoleon propaganda produced in Germany between 1808 and 181 5, in the works of such distinguished men of letters as Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Ernst Moritz Arndt, Christian Dietrich Grabbe and, as might be expected, in all the major German histories of early nineteenth-century Europe. Not that there was unanimity in the portrayals, nor in the general assessment of Wellington's role in history; on the contrary, the discussion has been marked by controversy : claims and counter-claims, reverence and hostility. Nevertheless, the impact of this significant historical figure on German culture, to which his career inextricably bound him, has not yet been adequately explored. The hundred-odd pages in the fourth volume of Bleibtreu's 'critical history' would not meet today's standards: that anti-British bias increased in fin-de-siecle Germany is evident on every other page, as Bleibtreu compares British initiatives in 181 5 with London's foreign policy in his own day.3 The faulty description of Wellington's and Bliicher's joint operation at Waterloo casts doubt on the integrity of the whole narrative.4 The inattention to Wellington's image in the works of
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