Abstract

The outbreak of World War I compelled writers, artists and scientists to make a stand. Most of these intellectuals followed, with a plethora of nuances, the patriotism surrounding the beginning of the conflict. This article discusses the work of two writers, Thomas Mann and Romain Rolland. Even though their paths diverged, the work produced by them impacted greatly and transcended as the foundation of significant intellectual and political trends. Mann, a vehement germanophile, in 1914 exerted considerable influence on the German “conservative revolution” that ultimately led to the national-socialism victory, in spite of the distancing that his 1922 “democratic turn” meant. Rolland, in turn, with his utter rejection of war was at the heart of the humanist spirit that afterwards nourished the antifascist struggle. I outline a polemic discussion that has not yet been recovered by intellectual history. The debate has been overshadowed by the dispute between the two Mann brothers but Rolland was the third and crucial party in this feud. Such controversial exchanges in the context of the ideological struggle on World War I anticipates the figure of the “engaged intellectual” that has had a long lasting significance (also in Latin America) since the second postwar period.

Abstract

Abstract