Wittfogel and marx on china volume 16 maurice meisner. Full text of karl august wittfogel oriental despotism. Memoranda and correspondence subject file family members folder 6 general folder 7 wittfogel. Sell on amazon see all 2 images oriental despotism. Today it is hard to find any treatise on ancient hydraulic society that does invoke wittfogel s ideas. Through an historical analysis of the theme of oriental despotism, michael curtis reveals the complex positive and negative interaction between europe and the orient. Karl august wittfogels american acculturation and the cold war, 19341963 a thesis presented to the department of history graduate school of arts and sciences brandeis university waltham, massachusetts by matthew d. The concept of oriental despotism from aristotle to marx. From 1925 to 1933 he was a member of the marxist institute for social research at frankfurt am main, the frankfurt school. Starting from a marxist analysis of the ideas of max weber on china and indias hydraulicbureaucratic officialstate and building on marxs sceptical view of the asiatic mode of production, wittfogel came up with an analysis of oriental despotism which. The book also criticizes the misconception that the orient was the constant victim of western imperialism and the view that westerners cannot comment objectively on eastern and.
Full text of karl august wittfogel oriental despotism see other formats. Wittfogels neglected hydraulichydroagricultural distinction. Karl august wittfogel 6 september 1896 25 may 1988. Wittfogels oriental despotism is not only a scholarly exposition of the hydraulic hypothesis but also a political polemic about soviet totalitarianism. Some nice wittfogel pages can be found at the luneburg school site, the.
It was here that wittfogel completed his most important book, oriental despotism. Originally a marxist and an active member of the communist party of germany, after the second world war wittfogel was an equally fierce anticommunist biography. Wittfogel was a german sociologist, historian and sinologist. The basis of despotism oriental despotisma comparative study of total power by karl a wittfogel. As the outline of oriental despotism provided above indicates, wittfogel asserts that geographical conditions are. One historian of the concept oriental despotism remarks that for wittfogel, the analysis of. Starting from a marxist analysis of the ideas of max weber on china and indias hydraulicbureaucratic officialstate and building on marxs sceptical view of the asiatic mode of production, wittfogel came up with an analysis of oriental despotism which emphasized. View karl august wittfogel research papers on academia.
Karl august wittfogel oriental despotism internet archive. Linton the focus of this paper is to analyze sinologist karl august wittfogels transformation. A fine introduction to oriental despotism in german. In this case the articles that marx and engels wrote on china during the 1850s have been rescued from obscurity and presented as major canonical texts in the evolution of the doctrine of oriental despotism. Karl august wittfogel wittfogel was born in 1896 in the hanoverian village of woltersdorg, germany. Scope and content note recording of lecture by wittfogel on oriental despotism given in germany map case oversize materials, 19191954. Register of the karl august wittfogel papers 66033 1 register of the karl august wittfogel papers finding aid prepared by linda bernard and katherine reynolds.
Register of the karl august wittfogel papers 66033 5 box 4, folder 1 memoirs by olga joffe kaws second wife circa 1941 folder 2 memoranda relating to kaws work folder 3 miscellaneous. In 1918 he joined the independent socialists uspd and from 1920 he was an active member of the german communist party kpd. Wittfogel does not mention that these two themes are connected. Originally a marxist and an active member of the communist party of germany, after the second world war wittfogel was an equally fierce anticommunist. A comparative study of total power, first published in 1957. Marxism in order to find support for the theory of oriental despotism. Includes 2 reichsbanknote folder 4 notes folder 5 oral history. Karl august wittfogel was born 6 september 1896 at woltersdorf, in luchow, province of hanover.
A semimanagerial system of total power1 among the great historic systems of power, probably none has been more neglected, and certainly none deserves the attention of social science more than oriental despotism. A comparative study of total power is a book of political theory and comparative history by karl august wittfogel 18961988 published by yale university press in 1957. The book offers an explanation for the despotic governments in oriental societies, where control of water was necessary for irrigation and floodcontrol. In his seminal book oriental despotism 1957, historian and political scientist karl wittfogel presented a general theory of the development of ancient civilizations. A comparative study of total power 1960 author, from marx to mao. Inflecting the older notion of oriental despotism in this way, wittfogel deployed his model of an exploitative but historically fettered state, which he referred to as the hydraulic sponge, to explain the fate of a wide range of social formations including ancient egypt and mesopotamia, hellenistic greece and imperial rome, the abbassid. A comparative study of total power, new haven, conn. He found examples of largescale systematic organization of work, the emergence of social classes, and widespread specialization. Nov 12, 2014 and long before the british, the indian subcontinent had a number of empires and dynasties that governed in a decentralized fashion, putting marx and wittfogel s theory in serious jeopardy.
Wittfogel is best known for his monumental work oriental despotism. And long before the british, the indian subcontinent had a number of empires and dynasties that governed in a decentralized fashion, putting marx and wittfogels theory in serious jeopardy. Oriental despotism, i would submit, is a politically incorrect phrase that captures one aspect of our world, but an aspect that may be receding. Karl august wittfogel wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. A comparative study of total power is a book of political theory and. Wittfogel advanced the term in his book oriental despotism 1957. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. His was a wild, heady life, one that was always in the thick of momentous issues. Regarding wittfogel s classic work with the politically correct lens of today, it is unfortunate that he titled his book oriental despotism because that too often leads to readers hasty and erroneous conclusion that a wittfogel believed that only the orient or governments east of west europe were dictatorial.
Power, he has given a comprehensible account of social, political, and economic history of asian. A comparative study of total power karl wittfogel on. Today it is hard to find any treatise on ancient hydraulic society that does invoke wittfogels ideas. Historically, the terms meaning has varied and today it is hardly ever used at all, largely because of all the issues surrounding the concept of orientalism. Oriental despotism, to some extent, is a successful effort by the author. Register of the karl august wittfogel papers, 17281992 66033 6 tape cabinet videotape cassette, 1982. Before becoming embroiled in coldwar oriented political debate about oriental despotism, karl wittfogel. Regarding wittfogels classic work with the politically correct lens of today, it is unfortunate that he titled his book oriental despotism because that too often leads to readers hasty and erroneous conclusion that a wittfogel believed that only the orient or governments east of west europe were dictatorial. The book views the european concept of oriental despotism as based not. In the 20th century, karl august wittfogel 18961988 recovered the term oriental despotism in his provocative work oriental despotism in 1957. A comparative study of total power 1957, which laid out his schema for the origins of bureaucratic totalitarianism based on the control of a societys water supply. Etude comparative du pouvoir total karl a wittfogel on free shipping on qualifying offers.
Hydraulic civilization, according to the theories of the germanamerican historian karl a. Scope and content note placards announcing speeches, research materials for the chinese history project, and. He studied philosophy, history, sociology, geography at leipzig university and also in munich, berlin and rostock and in 1919 again in berlin. Oriental despotism, a comparative study of total power. China and the writing of world history in the west pdf. Wittfogel has discussed how sources and supply of water for irrigation were the basis of asiatic mode of production, which eventually led to despotic empires and bureaucracy. A good wittfogelrelated link on the web where i found the biographical information above is the one of the hoover institution archives. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. He developed the idea of the economic necessity of supporting irrigation systems as the foundation of. As the outline of oriental despotism provided above indicates, wittfogel asserts that geographical conditions are of fundamental importance. He developed the idea of the economic necessity of supporting irrigation systems as the foundation of a. Mature reflection suggests that as a multi linear rather than unilinear interpretation of marxism oriental despotism elevates the importance of noneuropean history and society.
From his reading of the scripture, professor wittfogel has concluded. Wittfogels theory of oriental society or hydraulic society and the. Wittfogel, any culture having an agricultural system that is dependent upon largescale governmentmanaged waterworksproductive for irrigation and protective for flood control. The first general theory advanced to explain the development of ancient civilizations with systematic organization of work on a large scale, the emergence of social classes, and widespread specialization was elaborated in the united states by the historian and political scientist karl wittfogel in his seminal book oriental despotism 1957. Some nice wittfogel pages can be found at the luneburg school site, the high school attended by wittfogel in his youth. Referring to the oriental society as a hydraulic society, he has tried to introduce his.