The Nietzsche legacy in Germany

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The twentieth century witnessed numerous attempts to appropriate Friedrich Nietzsche's ideas for various cultural and political purposes, particularly in Germany. In a comprehensive chronicle, Steven Aschheim examines Nietzsche's influence on German life and politics from the turn of the century to reunification. He begins with the aesthetic fervor of fin-de-siècle Europe and traces Nietzsche's impact through the tumultuous periods of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. Despite Nietzsche's desire to avoid disciples, his work shaped and was adapted by a wide array of contradictory movements, including anarchists, feminists, Nazis, Socialists, Marxists, avant-garde artists, and more. Aschheim highlights the significance of Nietzsche for prominent figures like Martin Heidegger and Thomas Mann, as well as lesser-known thinkers such as Rabbi Cesar Seligmann and Otto Gross. He offers a nuanced account of the connection between Nietzsche and National Socialism while exploring the philosopher's pervasive presence in contemporary German history's major tensions. Aschheim ultimately illustrates that Nietzsche's "untimely" thoughts remain highly relevant to the moral, aesthetic, and intellectual challenges faced in today's world.