In many of the German lands the nineteenth century began with a series of catastrophes that destroyed lives and repeatedly shattered communities. For many commentators the memories of the French wars between 1792 and 1815 overshadowed their experience of the decades that followed, shaping their understanding of the historical process. The paper will explore this theme in relation to the thought of Hegel, Marx and Engels, and Jacob Burckhardt.

Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse