LATE MODERN 413 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 The Historical Association and Blackwell Publishing. Revolutionary Refugees: German Socialism in Britain, 1840–1860. By Christine Lattek. Routledge. 2006. xiv + 358pp. £65.00. For several years now transnational history has been a kind of magic word for the historical profession, promising a way out of the deeply unsatisfactory and long-standing preoccupation of historians with nations. Christine Lattek’s painstakingly researched monograph provides us with ample evidence that such transnationalism is indeed a worthwhile undertaking if we want to arrive at a better understanding of political movements and ideas. She takes as her subject the many German refugees who came to London in the 1840s and participated in various political movements in the two decades from 1840 to 1860. After pro- viding a concise sketch of the German colony in London at that time, she deals with a whole range of organizations: the German Workers’ Educational Society (chapter 2), the Communist League (chapters 3–6) and the International Associa- tion (chapter 7). She deals with key actors, such as Marx, Wilhelm Weitling, Karl Schapper, Karl Vogt, Gottfried Kinkel, August Willich and Arnold Ruge, and carefully contextualizes and differentiates their thinking and their actions within the many schisms that characterized the milieu of German exiles in London. Overall, Lattek provides us with a rich tapestry of artisan exile politics in mid-nineteenth-century London, which is based on extremely thorough archival research in many archives in Germany, Britain, the USA, the Netherlands, Swit- zerland and France. She focuses on the Communist League where she can demon- strate how very diverse democratic, republican and early socialist positions could be found side by side. Marx and his disciples never really managed to stamp out such diversity and impose their own world-view on all sections of this political milieu. Ultimately the debates in exile did much to sharpen the differ- ences which were subsequently translated into separate liberal, democratic and socialist organizations and schools of thought. Hence these London networks were important for the path of liberal-democratic and socialist politics in Germany during the second half of the nineteenth century. But the debates in London were by no means debates which involved only Germans. The contacts of the German exiles with early English socialists and the Chartists were particularly numerous. Lattek argues convincingly that the origins of socialist internationalism can also be traced to London-based radical politics of the middle years of the nineteenth century. But the real strength of this volume lies in the vivid picture it paints of revolutionaries in waiting and their intense political debates, rivalries and solidarities. University of Manchester STEFAN BERGER Christianity and Social Service in Modern Britain: The Disinherited Spirit. By Frank Prochaska. Oxford University Press. 2006. xi + 216pp. £35.00. Frank Prochaska, the Yale historian who is known for his study of women in nineteenth-century English philanthropy, has now written a celebration of the place of voluntary associations as a method of delivering charity in Victorian Britain. Stimulated by religion, usually evangelical in character, they allowed full female participation and large-scale working-class involvement in the provision of facilities for the needy. By encouraging active citizenship, they helped shore up civil liberty. This perception, perhaps coming more naturally to an American than to a British analyst, is appropriately backed up by quotations from Alexis de Tocqueville. Prochaska examines four dimensions of British life. Schools, he

Revolutionary Refugees: German Socialism in Britain, 1840–1860 By Christine Lattek

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Page 1: Revolutionary Refugees: German Socialism in Britain, 1840–1860 By Christine Lattek

LATE MODERN 413

Revolutionary Refugees: German Socialism in Britain, 1840–1860. By ChristineLattek. Routledge. 2006. xiv + 358pp. £65.00.

For several years now transnational history has been a kind of magic wordfor the historical profession, promising a way out of the deeply unsatisfactoryand long-standing preoccupation of historians with nations. Christine Lattek’spainstakingly researched monograph provides us with ample evidence that suchtransnationalism is indeed a worthwhile undertaking if we want to arrive at abetter understanding of political movements and ideas. She takes as her subjectthe many German refugees who came to London in the 1840s and participatedin various political movements in the two decades from 1840 to 1860. After pro-viding a concise sketch of the German colony in London at that time, she dealswith a whole range of organizations: the German Workers’ Educational Society(chapter 2), the Communist League (chapters 3–6) and the International Associa-tion (chapter 7). She deals with key actors, such as Marx, Wilhelm Weitling, KarlSchapper, Karl Vogt, Gottfried Kinkel, August Willich and Arnold Ruge, andcarefully contextualizes and differentiates their thinking and their actions withinthe many schisms that characterized the milieu of German exiles in London.

Overall, Lattek provides us with a rich tapestry of artisan exile politics inmid-nineteenth-century London, which is based on extremely thorough archivalresearch in many archives in Germany, Britain, the USA, the Netherlands, Swit-zerland and France. She focuses on the Communist League where she can demon-strate how very diverse democratic, republican and early socialist positionscould be found side by side. Marx and his disciples never really managed tostamp out such diversity and impose their own world-view on all sections of thispolitical milieu. Ultimately the debates in exile did much to sharpen the differ-ences which were subsequently translated into separate liberal, democratic andsocialist organizations and schools of thought. Hence these London networkswere important for the path of liberal-democratic and socialist politics in Germanyduring the second half of the nineteenth century. But the debates in London wereby no means debates which involved only Germans. The contacts of the Germanexiles with early English socialists and the Chartists were particularly numerous.Lattek argues convincingly that the origins of socialist internationalism can alsobe traced to London-based radical politics of the middle years of the nineteenthcentury. But the real strength of this volume lies in the vivid picture it paints ofrevolutionaries in waiting and their intense political debates, rivalries and solidarities.University of Manchester STEFAN BERGER

Christianity and Social Service in Modern Britain: The Disinherited Spirit. ByFrank Prochaska. Oxford University Press. 2006. xi + 216pp. £35.00.

Frank Prochaska, the Yale historian who is known for his study of women innineteenth-century English philanthropy, has now written a celebration of theplace of voluntary associations as a method of delivering charity in VictorianBritain. Stimulated by religion, usually evangelical in character, they allowed fullfemale participation and large-scale working-class involvement in the provisionof facilities for the needy. By encouraging active citizenship, they helped shoreup civil liberty. This perception, perhaps coming more naturally to an Americanthan to a British analyst, is appropriately backed up by quotations from Alexisde Tocqueville. Prochaska examines four dimensions of British life. Schools, he