Liberal Diplomacy and German Unification: the Early Career of Robert Morier.

Bruce, Gary

by Scott W. Murray. Westport, Connecticut, Praeger Publishers, 2000. xxii, 277 pp. $72.95 U.S. (cloth).

Murray's work is best summarized by its first line: "This is a study in the history of ideas as reflected in the early diplomatic career of Robert Burnet David Morier." In particular, Murray traces changes in Morier's liberalism as a result of his time in Germany.

As a British diplomat in Austria, Prussia, and Bavaria during the crucial years 1853-76, and arguably Britain's most knowledgeable diplomat on German matters, Morier makes a splendid subject of investigation, yet historians have written little about him. Important works in English include his daughter's Memoirs and Letters of the Right Honourable Sir Robert Morier and Agatha Ramm's Sir Robert Morier: Envoy and Ambassador in the Age of Imperialism. Murray notes that although both are important contributions, the former is hindered by lack of Foreign Office records while the latter barely addresses Morier's time in Germany. Ilse Neumann's Die Geschichte der deutschen Reichsgrundung nach den Memoiren von Sir Robert Morier was written too early (1919) to profit from access to archival material now available.

The author has approached his subject thematically, dealing with four key areas which provide insight into Morier's shifting liberalism: constitutionalism, nationalism, economics, and religion. These categories correspond to major issues which Morier observed in Germany including, respectively, the Prussian constitutional crisis, the establishment of the German Empire in 1871, free trade in the form of commercial treaties, and finally, church-state relations as evidenced in the Kulturkampf The chapters are divided accordingly.

Murray's diligent research allows him to trace Morier's often subtly expressed shift from an emphasis on classical individual liberalism to a belief in the state as the preserver of liberalism. This shift is convincingly argued in this work, particularly in the discussion of Morier's approach to German unification, one of Morier's ardent desires, and of the Kulturkampf, which found Morier grudgingly supporting the May Laws of his nemesis Bismarck because he believed that the Kulturkampf was jeopardizing the newly created German nation-state.

Because he is dealing with liberalism in German history, Murray must address the Sonderweg debate--the extent to which liberalism "failed" in Germany (in contrast to Britain and France), ultimately leading to the Third Reich. Murray addresses the Sonderweg at appropriate junctures in his study, yet he does not allow the Sonderweg framework to shape his entire analysis. Consistent with recent historiography, Murray seeks to understand the history of German liberalism on its own terms.

Murray's account also introduces much information that will be of interest to historians of nineteenth-century European diplomacy. His account of Morier's secret dealings with the minister president to expose Prussia's plans to use military force to quell potential rioting in 1862 is an intriguing example of unofficial nineteenth-century diplomacy. Historians will also delight in reading of Morier's sleuthing in Alsace-Lorraine following the Franco-Prussian war to determine the popular view toward annexation by the German Empire. Morier acknowledged that there was little popular support to join the German Empire, but a few years later Morier rhapsodized over Germany's administration of Alsace-Lorraine. Murray broadens this example into his overall theme of Morier's shift toward a clear connection between national and liberal interests.

The lack of narrative detracts from Murray's sophisticated analysis however. As is the case with many works divided thematically, the story of events is lost. German (and British) history unfolds in a foggy background, occasionally poking through the strictly themed chapters. Historians unfamiliar with German history during this period would gain little factual knowledge on German history from this work. I understand that is not Murray's goal, but simply inserting words like Zollverein or referring to "Prussia's recent conduct in Poland" (p. 111) without explaining what, precisely, is being referred to makes for an awkward read, even for the specialist. The work would have profited from being more firmly grounded in the political events in which Moirier was embroiled. Because of the vast knowledge of German history that is expected of the reader in order to understand its complex argument, this book can be recommended only to advanced graduate students, and then only tentatively.

Nevertheless, Murray's work is thoroughly researched, offers intriguing details, and provides an important dimension to understanding liberalism in nineteenth-century Britain and Germany.

Gary Bruce
St. Francis Xavier University