Articulating Europe During the Great War: Friedrich Naumann’s Idea of ‘Mitteleuropa’ and Its Public Reception in Germany, England and the USA

Abstract

The article briefly outlines the major aspects of Friedrich Naumann’s concept of Mitteleuropa and shows how his idea derived from the experience of the First World War. Although the plan is often viewed as an expression of annexionist war goals, Naumann actually argued for a rather informal German economic hegemony in Central Europe. The public reception of Mitteleuropa in Germany as well as in Allied countries is traced in detail by conducting a discourse analysis of newspaper coverage. Especially in Great Britain the Central European scheme was seen as a great menace and triggered discussions about alternative pan-European concepts. Although Mitteleuropa can be considered well-researched, this aspect has been surprisingly neglected by previous studies. The aim of the article is to link intellectual and cultural history by carving out the strong transnational interweavements that existed within the public debates on Europe during World War I: at a crucial moment in history Naumann’s idea promoted the articulation of European thinking in wider circles.

Keywords

• Central Europe
• European idea
• First World War
• Friedrich Naumann
• Mitteleuropa