Bridging the Atlantic

Bridging the Atlantic discusses comparative developments in modern European and American history. The case studies on British, German, and U.S. history since the eighteenth century assembled here seek to establish an integrated vision of Atlantic history. The contributions by European and American historians challenge the concept of American exceptionalism and present a vivid example of the ongoing debate among American and European historians on the structure and nature of European-American relations.

Introduction Elisabeth Glaser and Hermann Wellenreuther; Part I. Transatlantic Faiths and Beliefs: 1. Liberal democracy as a culture of rights: England, the United States, and Continental Europe Gerald Stourzh; 2. American exceptionalism: republicanism as ideology Ari Hoogenboom; Part II. Transatlantic Ideologies and the Perception of the Other: 3. The role of religion in Germany and America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Hartmut Lehmann; 4. The impact of Darwinism on religion and science in America and Europe during the nineteenth century Carl N. Degler; 5. Nationalism as a civil religion in the thought of Abraham Lincoln, Carl Schurz, and Otto von Bismarck Hans L. Trefousse; Part III. People in the Transatlantic World: The Perception of Self: 6. German catholic communalism and the American civil war: exploring the dilemmas of transatlantic political integration Kathleen Neils Conzen; 7. Toward a comparative history of racism and xenophobia in the United States and Germany, 1865¿1933 Kenneth L. Kusmer; 8. Movie stereotypes, 1890¿1918: some German and American national perceptions Daniel J. Leab; Part IV. Transatlantic Politics and Economics: 9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler: a contemporary comparison revisited Gerhard L. Weinberg; 10. The role of the banker in transatlantic history: J. P. Morgan and Co. and aid for the allies, 1914¿16 Elisabeth Glaser; Part V. Transatlantic History and American Exceptionalism: 11. Transatlantic history as national history: thoughts on German post-World War II historiography Peter Krüger; 12. American exceptionalism as national history? Hans R. Guggisberg; 13. The historical world of Erich Angermann Hermann Wellenreuther; Index.