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Monsieur le Président Directeur général Diederich Heβling. Le contexte socio-économique du roman Der Untertan de Heinrich Mann

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The second half of the 19th century brings about a radical transformation of Germany which, alongside political unification, experienced profound economic changes and ensuing social consequences. Catching up with its European competitors, Germany becomes the leading power on the continent. At this time the structures of modern Germany are put in place, but the speed of change and the failure of the 1848 revolution help – even if the epoch is more diverse than the novel shows – the emergence of the “subject” to the detriment of the “citizen”, a new bourgeoisie infatuated with power which puts its fate in the hands of an outdated elite whose hold on power it reinforces, an alliance which will be fatal for the future of Germany.