A. Weber 'Farewell' pub. hist. AI

Perplexity

Publication history of alfred weber's farewell to european history, including german editions. What did weber do during ww2?

Alfred Weber's Abschied von der bisherigen Geschichte (Farewell to Previous History), often translated as Farewell to European History or the Conquest of Nihilism, was first published in German in 1946 by Claassen & Goverts in Hamburg. English translations appeared shortly after, including a 1947 edition by Kegan Paul in London and a 1948 Yale University Press version translated by R. F. C. Hull. Later reprints include a 1977 Praeger edition and references to 1947 international library versions.

German Editions
The original 1946 German edition (Abschied von der bisherigen Geschichte) followed Weber's wartime writings like Das Tragische und die Geschichte (1943). No earlier German precursors are noted, though Open Library lists related works from the 1920s-1940s under similar titles, likely misattributions or variants.

WWII Activities
Alfred Weber (1868-1958), a sociologist and brother of Max Weber, opposed the Nazi regime; he resigned his Heidelberg professorship in 1933 upon Hitler's rise. During World War II, he lived in internal exile in Germany, avoiding collaboration while continuing scholarly work on culture and history. Postwar, he helped revive Heidelberg's social sciences institute.

​ Summarize his 1943 das tragische...

Alfred Weber's Das Tragische und die Geschichte (The Tragic and History), published in 1943 by Piper Verlag in Munich, explores the tragic worldview of ancient Greek culture as a pivotal response to life's inherent conflicts.

Core Thesis
Weber contrasts the Greek classical period's tragic outlook—exemplified in tragedians like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides—with earlier magical/mythical views in cultures like China, India, and pre-Asian societies. He argues this tragedy stems from recognizing the inseparability of divine and demonic forces, fueling heroic struggle yet foreseeing downfall due to overextension, social disorganization, and the "will to power."

​ Historical Context
Printed during Nazi rule but banned from public sale in Germany, the work reflects Weber's internal exile and philosophical turn amid totalitarianism. It critiques cultural stagnation in stable civilizations (e.g., China's serene cosmos, India's transcendent metaphysics) while warning against Greek-style pessimism without resolution.

Link to Later Works
This text anticipates Weber's 1946 Abschied von der bisherigen Geschichte, urging a break from history's nihilistic cycles toward new meaning amid modern catastrophes like world wars.