Description
Book SynopsisGerman environmental organizations have doggedly pursued environmental protection through difficult times: hyperinflation and war, National Socialist rule, postwar devastation, state socialism in the GDR, and confrontation with the authorities during the 1970s and 1980s. The author recounts the fascinating and sometimes dramatic story of these...
Trade Review “This narrative of the rise and repeated adaptation of the German environmental movement to a variety of social and political contexts is a fascinating one…Ultimately, Markham's sociological analysis of German nature protection organizations proves readable and engaging. He makes significant efforts to write a broadly accessible work. Discussions of sociological theory are limited to a methodological chapter and part of the conclusion; otherwise, his prose is clear and highly organized. This book therefore would make an excellent introduction to the history of German environmentalism.” · H-German
“…a welcome addition to the topic of German environmentalism … [that]is well organized…[and] succeeds, in part, because of its theoretical perspective…[It] also succeeds because of meticulous research.” · Canadian Journal of History/Annales canadiennes d’histoire
"...a profound, comprehensive study... which is singular in its kind and is sure to become a standard reference (Standardwerk) on this subject. In many research stays in Germany, Markham acquired a profound knowledge of the history and the present characteristics of German environmental organizations, of their changing role in politics, and the strategic dilemmas they face." · Nature + Culture
"The main contribution of this book lies in its thorough and informative account of the historical development of German environmentalism...an impressive work that will be of interest to researchers well beyond the boundaries of environmental sociology and politics, or European (German) studies." · American Journal of Sociology
"...a well-researched and highly accessible historical-sociological investigation of German environmental organizations in the twentieth century as well as a critical assessment of the strategic dilemmas and decisions that these groups faced as they entered the twenty-first…an excellent contribution to a growing historical literatue dedicated to the ‘greening’ of German history." · The American Historical Review
“William T. Markham… has written a very useful historical and sociological overview of several major twentieth century German environmental organizations...augmented by a broad historical overview of twentieth century German environmentalism and a lucid, historian friendly discussion of the major theories that sociologists and political scientists have used in analyzing social movements...a fine book that should be essential reading for anyone interested in environmental organizations and how to go about studying them.” · History: Books in Review
“This study will be of interest to those concerned with German politics or comparative environmental politics, and also to readers interested in applications of organisational theory…this is a significant contribution to our understanding of environmental organisations.” · Environmental Politics
Table of Contents List of Figures
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Environmental Organizations: Theoretical Considerations
Chapter 2. The Origins of Nature Protection Organizations in Germany: Conservative Reactionaries, Protectors of Nature, and Social Democracy at the Beginning of the Century
Chapter 3. Nazism, the War, and Its Aftermath: The Causes and Consequences of Right Wing Ecology
Chapter 4. Confrontation and Counterculture: Ecology from the Left in a Turbulent Era
Chapter 5. Nature and Environmental Protection Eastern Style: Environmental Organizations in the German Democratic Republic
Chapter 6. New Challenges at Century’s End
Chapter 7. The Social Context of Environmental Organizations at the Beginning of a New Century
Chapter 8. Major Environmental Organizations in Germany: Four Profiles
Chapter 9. Dilemmas of Internal Structure: Professionalization and Centralization
Chapter 10. Dilemmas of Resource Acquisition: The Perils of Fundraising
Chapter 11. Dilemmas of Goals and Strategies: Confrontation, Cooperation, and Competition
Chapter 12. Concluding Observations
References
Index
