Carl Schmitt: A Biography

by Reinhard Mehring

Carl Schmitt is one of the most widely read and influential German thinkers of the twentieth century.  His fundamental works on friend and enemy, legality and legitimacy, dictatorship, political theology and the concept of the political are read today with great interest by everyone from conservative Catholic theologians to radical political thinkers on the left. In his private life, however, Schmitt was haunted by the demons of his wild anti-Semitism, his self-destructive and compulsive sexuality and his deep-seated resentment against the complacency of bourgeois life. As a young man from a modest background, full of social envy, he succeeded in making his way to the top of the academic world in Germany, and yet he never felt at home in the academic establishment and among those of high social standing. When the Nazis seized power, Schmitt was susceptible to their ideology. He broke with his Jewish friends, joined the Nazi Party in May 1933 and lent a helping hand to Hitler, thereby becoming deeply entangled with the regime. Schmitt was irrevocably compromised by his role as the 'crown jurist' of the Third Reich. After the war, he led a secluded life in his home town in the Sauerland and became a key background figure in the intellectual scene of postwar Germany. Reinhard Mehring's outstanding biography is the most comprehensive work available on the life and work of Carl Schmitt. Based on thorough research and using new sources that were previously unavailable, Mehring portrays Schmitt as a Shakespearean figure at the centre of the German catastrophe.

Genres: Biography, Law, History, Germany

700 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2009

Reviews

[The American Conservative]

“Reinhard Mehring’s study of the long-lived German political and legal theorist Carl Schmitt (1888-1985) is the most exhaustive biography known to me of a deeply fascinating subject. Given his opportunistic embrace of the Nazis in 1933, Schmitt does not fit the image that postwar Germans have worked to create for themselves. Yet Schmitt’s Concept of the Political, Legality and Legitimacy, Dictatorship, Law of the Earth, and Political Theology continue to be read because of their conceptual depth and stylistic brilliance.

These elegantly phrased works cannot be reduced to the circumstances that inspired them—Weimar Germany, the Nazi regime, and the postwar American order—any more than Hobbes’s masterpiece Leviathan can be seen purely as an artifact of the English Civil War. Indeed, aphorisms can be found in Schmitt’s works that are so pregnant with meaning that they invariably fail in translation: ‘Sovereign is the one who determines the challenge of the exception,’ ‘All modern political teachings are secularized theological concepts,’ and ‘Historical truths are true only once.’

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[Wim Hermans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl Schmitt, renowned as the ‘Crown Jurist’ of the Third Reich, the architect of the concept of the state of emergency, and primarily, the underminer of liberalism.

Liberalism, touted as an ideology transcending others, is a school of thought where political conflicts find resolution through parliamentary discussions and consensus-building. For Schmitt, this notion is untenable. He posits that politics solely revolves around the concept of enmity, where political identity is defined by its negation. Schmitt argues that unchecked liberalism not only leads to ambiguity regarding our desires but also to a confusion about our fundamental identity. Moreover, liberalism fails to adhere to its own principles, as the sovereign intervenes when necessary, disregarding legal provisions and imposing a state of emergency. Much of Schmitt's criticism of liberalism finds resonance in contemporary right-wing populist movements. By comprehending Schmitt's work better, contemporary liberals can gain insights into the challenges they face.

However, one may question Schmitt's legacy due to his association with Nazism, tarnishing his work permanently with the stain of the Holocaust. Reinhard Mehring’s research presents a nuanced portrait of a troubled individual who, after the Nazi Party's ascent to power, was primarily driven by his intellectual ambitions. Feeling neglected during the Weimar years, he emerged resentful, becoming a fervent supporter of the regime, only to become entangled in Nazi bureaucracy by 1936.

In this context, Schmitt followed the same trajectory of other "revolutionary conservatives," intellectuals embittered by the Treaty of Versailles, eager to dismantle what they saw as a corrupt liberal democracy. Many hoped for advisory roles within the regime, only to realize their futility in the upcoming Führer state. In this regard, Schmitt's narrative aligns with his peers', somewhat excusing his intellectual pursuits during the Weimar era. His work lacks overt National Socialist ideology, with Völkisch and social Darwinist elements of eternal struggle and Lebensraum absent. Schmitt's notorious anti-Semitism primarily manifests as personal attacks rather than forming a part of a coherent Nazi Weltanschauung.

Mehring’s biography is essential for historians seeking a comprehensive understanding of Schmitt. Through impressive archival research, a significant portion of Schmitt's academic life is documented, shedding light on his lectures and impact on his students. However, readers interested solely in Schmitt's intellectual contributions may find this biography a tough read.

[Florian Lorenzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reinhard Mehrings Biografie über Carl Schmitt, die ein Stück weit auch eine Geistesgeschichte der jungen Bundesrepublik ist, fällt kritisch aber auch fair aus und bietet insgesamt einen guten Mix aus der Darstellung seines Lebens und Werks.

Vollständige Review hier: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgL5ydXLYJF

[Luke Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

a most detailed biography

[Adrian Granado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monumental estudio del "caso Schmitt", uno de los enigmas intelectuales del siglo XX.