The Decline of the German Mandarins: The German Academic Community, 1890-1933
“Ringer’s excellent book certainly belongs among those which set themselves the task of explaining ‘why Germany was different’”—Jurgen Habermas, Minerva“Indispensable reading for all students of modern German history”—Kenneth D. Barkin, Journal of Modern History“An ambitious attempt to describe and analyze the political, social, and intellectual attitudes of the German academic community under William II and the Weiman republic. Mr. Ringer deserves a good deal of credit for his wide and thoughtful reading in this field of intellectual history, which is not easily surveyed, and for his evident efforts to present a fair appraisal.”—Library Journal“What makes the book particularly useful, in addition to its thoroughness and meticulous documentation, is its eminent fair-mindedness.  In the midst of reaction, complacency, and myth-making, there were professors, not radicals but firmly within the establishment, who broke loose from accepted commonplaces to make contributions to their disciplines that remain of significance today.  These men – one thinks of Max Weber above all – were complicated creatures, and Ringer judiciously finds his way through the literature and jumble of conflicting claims.” —Peter Gay, New Republic