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Politische Religion, Civic Religion oder ein neuer Glaube - Walther Rathenaus Vision einer anderen Moderne

The phrase ‘man with many qualities’ frequently used to describe Walther Rathenau expresses the difficulties historians have to pin down this leading industrialist and cultural critic who combined rational analysis with vaguely religious calls for a new idealistic worldview. He rejected capitalism and socialism and his ideal of a communal economy could inspire both Lenin and Nazis, but he had no sympathies for political extremists. The chapter shows that there is an underlying logic to what can seem so contradictory to readers today – and that a key aspect to this inner coherence is the desire for a single communal faith.