The Conservative Revolution and the Power of Hermetically Sealed Rhetoric

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Benedikt Stuchtey
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 438610286

It is to their own detriment that researchers have neglected to look into the cluster "Conservative Revolution" for a long time. This is mostly due to its alleged topical vagueness and inherent contradictions. However, it is precisely the scintillating ambiguity of the two elements that make up the term that contributed decisivley to its resonance. It allowed the adherents of different camps to swear by the same colors and achieve unity. For "Conservative Revolutionaries", form followed signification and even sported a metaphysical dimension - precisely since nihilistic ideas had a high presence in Weimar culture. Simultaneously, hermetically sealed rhetoric protected the relevant texts against critical inspection. Due to the relentlessness of ideology conflicts, this was required ingredient for political success. The deliberately chosen language intensified the connection with a disillusioned public, while at the same time simulating a type of intellectual modernity that seemed advisable, even required in view of a powerful discourse of the future. It is no accident that recent abvocates of the radical right established a connection with the ideas of "Conservative Revolution". Unveiling their deliberate self-riddle is, therefore, not just academically appealing, but also politically significant.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants