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German History in Context
Edgar Julius Jung, Right-Wing Enemy of the Nazis: A Political Biography
Fills a serious gap in German historical literature by providing the first political biography of Jung, a leading figure of the anti-Nazi Right.
By the time of his death, Edgar Julius Jung (1894-1934) was well known in Germany and Europe as one of the foremost ideologues of the political movement that called itself the Conservative Revolution and as a right-wing opponent of the Nazis. He was speechwriter for and confidant of Franz von Papen (first Hitler's predecessor as chancellor, then Hitler's vice-chancellor), which put him at the center of political events right up until the Nazi seizure of power. Considered by Baldur von Schirach and Goebbels to be one of the worst enemies of the Nazis, Jung was assassinated by the Nazi regime in June 1934. The eleven years of Nazi rule that followed contributed to Jung's neglect by historians, as did distaste, since the war's end and the founding of the Federal Republic on democratic principles, for his strongly antidemocratic stance.
Although there have been several studies on Jung's political thought,there has been until now no biography in German or English. Roshan Magub's book therefore fills a serious gap in German historical literature. It shows that Jung's opposition to National Socialism dates from the earliest days andthat he had a very close relationship with the Ruhr industry, which supported him financially and enabled him to reach a nationwide audience. Magub uses, for the first time, all the available material from the archives in Munich,Koblenz, Cologne, and Berlin, and the whole of Jung's Nachlass. Her book sheds new light on Jung and demonstrates his importance in Germany's political history.
Roshan Magub holds a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London.
By the time of his death, Edgar Julius Jung (1894-1934) was well known in Germany and Europe as one of the foremost ideologues of the political movement that called itself the Conservative Revolution and as a right-wing opponent of the Nazis. He was speechwriter for and confidant of Franz von Papen (first Hitler's predecessor as chancellor, then Hitler's vice-chancellor), which put him at the center of political events right up until the Nazi seizure of power. Considered by Baldur von Schirach and Goebbels to be one of the worst enemies of the Nazis, Jung was assassinated by the Nazi regime in June 1934. The eleven years of Nazi rule that followed contributed to Jung's neglect by historians, as did distaste, since the war's end and the founding of the Federal Republic on democratic principles, for his strongly antidemocratic stance.
Although there have been several studies on Jung's political thought,there has been until now no biography in German or English. Roshan Magub's book therefore fills a serious gap in German historical literature. It shows that Jung's opposition to National Socialism dates from the earliest days andthat he had a very close relationship with the Ruhr industry, which supported him financially and enabled him to reach a nationwide audience. Magub uses, for the first time, all the available material from the archives in Munich,Koblenz, Cologne, and Berlin, and the whole of Jung's Nachlass. Her book sheds new light on Jung and demonstrates his importance in Germany's political history.
Roshan Magub holds a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London.
- GenresBiography
308 pages, Hardcover
Published January 16, 2017
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April 25, 2025
In Edgar Julius Jung: Die rechte und die falsche Revolution, Roshan K. Magub delivers a nuanced and meticulously researched study of a figure often relegated to the periphery of Weimar and early Nazi-era historiography. Edgar Julius Jung, a conservative revolutionary, lawyer, and political thinker, played a pivotal but often misunderstood role in the ideological landscape of interwar Germany. Magub’s work fills a significant historiographical gap by offering a comprehensive intellectual biography that situates Jung within the broader context of German conservative thought, the crisis of liberalism, and the fatal contradictions of the Weimar Republic.
Magub’s central thesis revolves around the idea that Jung represented a strand of political conservatism that fundamentally opposed both liberal democracy and National Socialism, advocating instead for a “right” revolution that would restore a Christian, hierarchical, and organically unified German state. The title—Die rechte und die falsche Revolution (“The Right and the Wrong Revolution”)—encapsulates Jung’s dichotomous worldview, which rejected both the materialism of Marxist socialism and the nihilistic radicalism of Hitler’s regime.
Drawing on an impressive array of primary sources, including Jung’s published works, private correspondence, and official documents, Magub reconstructs the intellectual development of a man whose thought was shaped as much by the trauma of the First World War as by the failures of the Weimar political order. Of particular interest is Magub’s analysis of Jung’s magnum opus, Die Herrschaft der Minderwertigen (1927), which is carefully contextualized as both a product of the conservative revolutionary milieu and a critique of modern mass society. Magub convincingly demonstrates that Jung’s elitist and anti-parliamentary stance was not proto-fascist, but rather rooted in a deeply moral and metaphysical conception of the state.
One of the strengths of the study lies in its treatment of Jung’s political activity, especially during his tenure as speechwriter and advisor to Franz von Papen. Magub’s detailed account of Jung’s role in the Schleicher-Papen-Hitler political intrigues, culminating in his arrest and execution during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, illustrates the tragic fate of conservative opposition to National Socialism. In doing so, Magub repositions Jung not as a precursor to the Nazi regime, but as a victim of its ideological totalism.
Methodologically, the book is rigorous and balanced. Magub avoids the twin pitfalls of hagiography and anachronistic moralism. Instead, he presents Jung as a complex figure whose ideas were at once anti-modern and forward-looking, elitist yet idealistic, deeply German yet European in scope. The work engages critically with previous scholarship, particularly the writings of Armin Mohler and Karlheinz Weißmann, while contributing a fresh interpretation that neither romanticizes nor dismisses Jung’s political vision.
Edgar Julius Jung: Die rechte und die falsche Revolution is a landmark contribution to the study of German conservative thought. It provides both a compelling portrait of a neglected figure and a broader reflection on the ideological currents that shaped twentieth-century Europe. For scholars of political theory, intellectual history, and German studies, Magub’s book is indispensable.
GPT
Magub’s central thesis revolves around the idea that Jung represented a strand of political conservatism that fundamentally opposed both liberal democracy and National Socialism, advocating instead for a “right” revolution that would restore a Christian, hierarchical, and organically unified German state. The title—Die rechte und die falsche Revolution (“The Right and the Wrong Revolution”)—encapsulates Jung’s dichotomous worldview, which rejected both the materialism of Marxist socialism and the nihilistic radicalism of Hitler’s regime.
Drawing on an impressive array of primary sources, including Jung’s published works, private correspondence, and official documents, Magub reconstructs the intellectual development of a man whose thought was shaped as much by the trauma of the First World War as by the failures of the Weimar political order. Of particular interest is Magub’s analysis of Jung’s magnum opus, Die Herrschaft der Minderwertigen (1927), which is carefully contextualized as both a product of the conservative revolutionary milieu and a critique of modern mass society. Magub convincingly demonstrates that Jung’s elitist and anti-parliamentary stance was not proto-fascist, but rather rooted in a deeply moral and metaphysical conception of the state.
One of the strengths of the study lies in its treatment of Jung’s political activity, especially during his tenure as speechwriter and advisor to Franz von Papen. Magub’s detailed account of Jung’s role in the Schleicher-Papen-Hitler political intrigues, culminating in his arrest and execution during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, illustrates the tragic fate of conservative opposition to National Socialism. In doing so, Magub repositions Jung not as a precursor to the Nazi regime, but as a victim of its ideological totalism.
Methodologically, the book is rigorous and balanced. Magub avoids the twin pitfalls of hagiography and anachronistic moralism. Instead, he presents Jung as a complex figure whose ideas were at once anti-modern and forward-looking, elitist yet idealistic, deeply German yet European in scope. The work engages critically with previous scholarship, particularly the writings of Armin Mohler and Karlheinz Weißmann, while contributing a fresh interpretation that neither romanticizes nor dismisses Jung’s political vision.
Edgar Julius Jung: Die rechte und die falsche Revolution is a landmark contribution to the study of German conservative thought. It provides both a compelling portrait of a neglected figure and a broader reflection on the ideological currents that shaped twentieth-century Europe. For scholars of political theory, intellectual history, and German studies, Magub’s book is indispensable.
GPT
Displaying 1 of 1 review