Fridrich Meinecke (October 30, 1862-February 6, 1954) was an liberal German historian and was probably the best famous German historian of his generation. Meinecke served as editor of the Historische Zeitschrift journal between 1896-1935 and was the chairman of the Historische Reickskommission between 1928-1935. He was born in Salzwedel, Prussia ad was educated University of Bonn and the University of Berlin. He worked as a archvist at the German State Archives between 1887-1901.

Meinecke was best known for his work in 18th century-19th century German intellectual and cultural history. The book that made his reputation was his 1908 work Welbürgertum und Nationalstaat (Cossmopolitanism and the National State), which traced the development of national feelings in the 19th century. Starting with Die Idee der Staatsäson (1924), much of his work concerns the conflict between Kratos (power) and Ethos (morality), and how to achieve an balance between the two.

Under the Second Reich, Meinecke had called for more democracy in Germany. One of his students was Heinrich Bruning, the future Chancellor. Under the Weimar Republic, Meinecke was an Vernunftrepublikaner (republican by reason), that is someone who supported the republic as the least worse alternative. Under the Third Reich, Meinecke had some sympathy for the regime, espeically in regards to the early anti-semitic laws. Meinecke's best known book was Die Deutsche Katastrope (1946) which depicts Nazi Germany as result as series of unfortunate accidents, and argued that National Socialism was a aberration which had no connection to the course of German history. In 1948, he helped to found the Free University of Berlin.

Work

• Das Leben des Generalfeldmarschalls Hermann von Boyen, 2 volumes, 1896-1899.
• Das Zeitalter der deutschen Erhebung, 1795-1815, 1906.
• Weltbürgertum und Nationalstaat: Studein zur Genesis des deutscehn Nationalstaates, 1908.
• Radowitz und die deutsche Revolution, 1913.
• Die Idee der Staatsäson in der neueren Geschichte, 1924.
• Geschichte des deutsch-englischen Bündnisproblems, 1890-1901, 1927.
• Staat und Persönlickeit, 1933.
• Die Entstehung des Historismus, 2 volumes, 1936.
• Die deutsche Katatastrophe: Betrachtungen und Erinnerugen, 1946.
• 1848: Eine Säkularbetrachtung, 1948.
• Werke, 9 volumes, 1957-1979.

Reference

• Erbe, Michael (editor) Friedrich Meinecke heute: Bericht über ein Gedenk-Colloquium zu seinem 25, Todestag am 5. und 6. April 1979, Berlin: Colloquium Verlag, 1981.
• Hofer, Walther Geschichtsschreibung und Weltanschauung; Betrachtunger zum Werk Friedrich Meineckes, Munich: Oldenbourg, 1950.
• Iggers, George The German Conception of History: The National Tradition of historical Thought fromr Herder to the Present, Middletwon, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1968, revised edition, 1983.
• Meinecke, Stefan Freidrich Meincke: Persönlichkeit und politisches Denken bis zum Ende des ersten Welkrieges, Berlin: du Gruyter, 1995.
• Pois, Robert, Friedrich Meinecke and German Politics in the Twenthieth Century, Bekeley: Univeristy of California Press, 1972.
• Shulin, Ernst "Fredrich Meinecke" from Deutsch Historiker, edited by Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Gottingehn: Vandehoeck & Ruprecht, 1971.
• Sterling, Richard Ethics in a World of Power: The Political Ideas of Friedrich Meinecke, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1958.