The crisis of the nation-state and “true self-determination” in Baltic German political thought, 1918–1934

2025/10/27 by Eva Piirimäe · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Central European national history #European Cultural and National Identity #Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics

paper · doi:10.1080/01629778.2025.2576024

openalex publication_date 2025/10/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The theoretical foundations of interwar debates on the ideals of the nation-state and self-determination remain underexplored. This article examines the political thought of three Baltic German thinkers – Paul Schiemann, Werner Hasselblatt, and Kurt Stavenhagen – between 1918 and 1934. By tracing their intellectual debt to long-running German and Austro-Hungarian philosophical discussions, it highlights their distinctive Baltic perspective while also positioning them in relation to one another. All three advanced visions of constitutional and international order that extended beyond minority protection, yet their differing conceptions of statehood and nationhood are crucial for understanding the intellectual roots of their split over attitudes toward National Socialism.

Citations

• Between the individual and the group: minority rights in interwar Estonia

Discussions

• Recently published online in the Journal of Baltic Studies: "The crisis of the nation-state and “true self-determination” in Baltic German political thought, 1918–1934," by Eva Piirimäe. Article avail [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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