The unique historical relationship between capitalism and the Jews is crucial to understanding modern European and Jewish history. But the subject has been addressed less often by mainstream historians than by anti-Semites or apologists. In this book Jerry Muller; a leading historian of capitalism; separates myth from reality to explain why the Jewish experience with capitalism has been so important and complex--and so ambivalent. Drawing on economic; social; political; and intellectual history from medieval Europe through contemporary America and Israel; Capitalism and the Jews examines the ways in which thinking about capitalism and thinking about the Jews have gone hand in hand in European thought; and why anticapitalism and anti-Semitism have frequently been linked. The book explains why Jews have tended to be disproportionately successful in capitalist societies; but also why Jews have numbered among the fiercest anticapitalists and Communists. The book shows how the ancient idea that money was unproductive led from the stigmatization of usury and the Jews to the stigmatization of finance and; ultimately; in Marxism; the stigmatization of capitalism itself. Finally; the book traces how the traditional status of the Jews as a diasporic merchant minority both encouraged their economic success and made them particularly vulnerable to the ethnic nationalism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Providing a fresh look at an important but frequently misunderstood subject; Capitalism and the Jews will interest anyone who wants to understand the Jewish role in the development of capitalism; the role of capitalism in the modern fate of the Jews; or the ways in which the story of capitalism and the Jews has affected the history of Europe and beyond; from the medieval period to our own.
#296073 in Books Princeton University Press 2007-02-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .44 x 6.14l; .83 #File Name: 069112843X160 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Beyond the Murder of a Rabbi: Insights Into the Jewry of Austrian-Ruled Poland (Galicia)By Jan PeczkisThe author; Michael F. Stanislawski; is Professor of History at Columbia University. The stated inspiration for his research was the assassination of Yitshak (Yitzhak) Rabin on November 4; 1995 and the ensuing question; "How could a Jew kill another Jew for political and religious reasons?" (p. 1). Stanislawski then examined the September 1848 arsenic murder; of reformist Rabbi Abraham Kohn; by Orthodox Jew Abraham Ber Pilpel--the culprit "virtually certain". (p. 112).The most notable part of this book; apart from the analysis of early forms of "reformed Judaism" (not only in Germany!); is its information on the Jews of Galicia. Interestingly; Rabbi Kohn characterized not only medieval Jews; but also Poland's Jews; as "Oriental" ones renowned for their backwardness and fanaticism. (p. 49; 51). [This is ironic; because the Endeks; and authors such as Feliks Koneczny; have frequently been attacked for holding similar views about Jews as an "Oriental" culture; moreover one that does not fit into Poland's Latin culture.]There were some modern-thinking Jews; such as Rabbi Dov-Berish Meisels; and the Lemberg (Lwow; Lviv) maskil Meir Mintz; who were sympathetic to the Polish cause; in part; because the pro-German orientation of most local Jews was driving the Polish nationalist movement in an anti-Jewish direction. (pp. 66; 68). Rabbi Abraham Kohn also appeared to be supportive of the Polish cause. (p. 69). However; as the following paragraphs make obvious; pro-Polish Jews were the exception.Stanislawski elaborates on the usually strong pro-German orientation of the erstwhile-Polish Jews of Galicia; and implicitly rejects the exculpation that this was a defense against Polish anti-Semitism. He comments; (quote) The fight for Polish national freedom was led by Polish nobles both in situ and in emigration--especially in Paris--but also was attracting to its cause the Polish middle class; including the non-noble intelligentsia. But not (at least as yet) the "progressive Jews" in Galicia--as opposed to those in Congress Poland or indeed in independent Cracow--who had little or no sympathy for the Polish nationalist cause; and were deeply committed to the German language and German culture. This was so both for pragmatic reasons--they were subjects of a German-speaking state that encouraged the Germanization of the entire population of the empire; a process easier to adapt to for native Yiddish speakers than for other groups--but also out of an ideological; and even spiritual commitment. In line with the Romanticism described in the previous chapter; many modernist Jews deeply identified with German culture as the most advanced bearer of modernity and progress in Europe; if not the world. (unquote). (p. 31).In addition; consistent with the premise that Jews did not usually forms strong bonds with the nation in which they lived; they had ephemeral loyalties. The author generalizes that; "The vast majority of the Jews adhered to the traditional principle of loyalty to whatever regime was in power." (p. 67).During the Insurrection of 1846 in Krakow (and the infamous jacquerie); Galicia's Jews openly sided with the Austrian occupiers of Poland. Stanislawski notes that; (quote) The leaders of the Jewish community of Lemberg; for example; volunteered to raise a Jewish brigade to support Austrian control of the city [Krakow] and of Galicia; but the authorities declined this request... (unquote). (p. 57). The aloofness or hostility to the Polish cause was the rule among Jews; (quote) However; as we have seen; the Jews en masse demonstrated anew their loyalty to the Austrian state during the 1846 Polish rebellion. (unquote). (p. 68).7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Ideas that need more workBy Werner CohnThere are at least three good books buried in this rather cursory little booklet; trying to get out; but not quite succeeding:1) A thoughtful analysis of how and why the Reform Rabbi Abraham Kohn died in Lviv (then Lemberg) in 1848. Stanislawski does furnish details that he found in archives; and he advances the theory (not totally convincing) that the man charged but acquitted of the murder; Abraham Pilpel; was in fact the murderer. But these details do not add up to a coherent explanation of just how and why Pilpel; presumably together with Orthodox Jewish co-conspirators; would conceive and carry out a deed so alien to the methods traditionally used in internal Jewish disputes.2) A religious history of the Jews of Lviv-Lemberg. Some elements of this history are of course familiar; in particular the disputes between Hasidim and the traditional Orthodox. But Rabbi Kohn was a Reform Jew; and the appearance of Reform Judaism so far east of Germany requires fuller and more careful explanation than given to us here.3) The use of assassination in internal Jewish disputes; which Stanislawski says interests him so much; needs much more; and much more careful analysis. It appears that in addition to the (questionable) case of Rabbi Kohn; there were only two other cases that come easily to mind: that of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995; and that of the Labor Zionist leader Haim Arlosoroff in 1933; presumably at the hand of right-wing Zionists. Now if; as Staniswaski maintains; these cases are very rare; this rarity needs to be established; say through a careful comparative analysis of other groups similarly located. In Lemberg; that would involved the Poles; the Germans; and the Ruthenians. Is assassination more common in the internal affairs of these groups ? If not; perhaps the Jews are not as unique here as Stanislawski suggests. Moreover (and this goes back to book #1; above); if assassination is indeed generally considered unacceptable by all factions of Jews (except perhaps the clearly mentally imbalanced); Stanislawski has much explaining to do if he insists; as he does; that the murderers in the Rabbi Kohn case were organized by part of the local Jewish leadership.In short; this is a stimulating outline for a number of books. Let's hope that the author will get to work on at least some of them.
