The Classical Figures of Sociology and the Great Seminal Catastrophe of the Twentieth Century
The Classical Figures of Sociology and the Great Seminal Catastrophe of the Twentieth Century
This chapter examines the intellectual prehistory and history of the First World War. Toward the end of the nineteenth and in the early twentieth centuries, German social scientists in particular had already attempted to theorize the connection between war and capitalism, or war and democracy, with authors such as Werner Sombart and Otto Hintze leading the way. Many European and American intellectuals, including most of the classical figures of sociology, did feel called to give their views on the question of war. In many cases, however, their writings did them little credit. How easily social theory can be led astray is plain for all to see in many of the statements made at the time, in that the bellicist arguments already to be found in the nineteenth century were often shamelessly deployed to denounce the enemy.
Keywords: war, First World War, capitalism, democracy, Werner Sombart, Otto Hintze, intellectuals, sociology, social theory
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