German-Bashing and the Theory of Democratic Modernization

Abstract

German society is often considered non-democratic and militaristic because of failure to undergo its own modernizing revolution; as a late modernizer, it has been antagonistic to advanced Western Societies, and prone to anticivilizing impulses manifested in Nazism. The underlying theory reduces 4 dimensions of modernization to a single transition, allegedly typified by England, the US, and to lesser degree France. On 2 dimensions, bureaucratization and religious secularization (especially in eduction), Germany led the modernization process since the 18th century; on the 3rd, capitalist industrialization, long-term differences were relatively minor; on the 4th, democratization, Germany did not lag as much as Anglo-oriented theory claims, as we see by examining separately the expansion of parliamentary power and of the voting franchise in each country. England and France were also in many respects undemocratic and authoritarian societies until the turn of the 20th century. The image of Germany as an anti-modernist society came from geopolitical causes: the reversal of alliances leading to World War I; and war defeat which laid the basis for fascist seizure of power. Analytically, the roots of militaristic movements of extreme ethnic violence are found in all societies; whether such movements become dominant depends on conditions independent of the modernization process. Given future conditions of geopolitical crisis and ethnic struggle, fascist-like movements are possible in any society in the world.