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The Political Fragmentation of Germany

Formation of German states by Infrastructures, Maps, and Movement, 1815–1866

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Shortlisted for the Waterloo Centre for German Studies 2019 Book Prize

  • Takes a comparative approach to five significant German states to examine how national and territorial identities were constructed

  • Argues that these political states are defined by the practices of the people, rather than intentional state- or nation-building ideologies

  • Explores the impact of rising literacy, the development of new communication and transportation technologies, and the growing success of commercial cartography on people’s spatial and territorial perceptions

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
  2. Introduction

    • Zef M. Segal
    Pages 1-24
  3. Infrastructural Layout and State Construction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 25-26
  4. Cartographic Representations of State Space

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 107-108
  5. National, Transnational and International Communication and Movement

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 175-178
    2. The Territoriality of Railway Travel

      • Zef M. Segal
      Pages 215-238
    3. Postal Communication as a Social Network

      • Zef M. Segal
      Pages 239-263
    4. Connecting the Dots

      • Zef M. Segal
      Pages 265-271
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 273-278

About this book

This book analyses the development of German territorial states in the nineteenth century through the prism of five Mittelstaaten: Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Württemberg, and Baden. It asks how a state becomes a place, and argues that it involves a contested and multi-faceted process, one of slow and uneven progress. The study approaches this question from a new and crucial angle, that of spatiality and public mobility. The issues covered range from the geography of state apparatus, the aesthetics of German cartography and the trajectories of public movement. Challenging the belief that territorial delimitation is primarily a matter of policy and diplomacy, this book reveals that political territories are constructed through daily practices and imagination.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel

    Zef M. Segal

About the author

Zef M. Segal is a Lecturer of History, Mathematics and Digital Humanities at the Open University of Israel and Tel-Aviv Jaffa College, Israel.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Political Fragmentation of Germany

  • Book Subtitle: Formation of German states by Infrastructures, Maps, and Movement, 1815–1866

  • Authors: Zef M. Segal

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19827-5

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-19826-8Published: 18 June 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-19829-9Published: 14 August 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-19827-5Published: 27 May 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVIII, 278

  • Number of Illustrations: 14 b/w illustrations, 10 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: History of Germany and Central Europe, Political History, Cultural History, Migration

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access