Nietzsche's Era: Philosophy, Politics, and Culture in 19th-Century Europe

Friedrich Nietzsche's Historical Context

The Anti-Positivist Current

Friedrich Nietzsche was born in 1844 in Prussia and died in 1900. During his time in Europe, an anti-positivist current emerged, rejecting the absolute value of science. This movement, which became prominent in much of 20th-century Western thought, significantly influenced Nietzsche's work.

19th-Century Social and Political Upheaval

The 19th century witnessed workers' revolutions and the rise of socialism, anarchism, and the conservative counter-revolution. Confrontations also arose between the aristocratic values of the Old Regime and democratic values. This struggle led to a significant polarization of thought.

German Unification and Industrialization

With the arrival of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, a major strategy began to replace French hegemony in Europe with Germanic power. After the Seven Weeks' War between Prussia and Austria, in which Nietzsche served as a stretcher-bearer, the Franco-Prussian War followed. The Prussian victory over the armies of Napoleon III consolidated the unification of Germany under the rule of Kaiser William I. It is noteworthy that, at this time, Germany was one of the most industrialized countries in Europe, thanks in part to its relations with England.

Cultural Shifts and Artistic Movements

From the world of culture, there was a strong desire to break with the established order, much like the avant-garde movements. Music, painting, and poetry, reacting to a dull and decadent bourgeoisie, saw the emergence of a bohemian culture, resigned to living by values outside mainstream society. This environment is embodied in the works of different artists, such as the French artist Toulouse-Lautrec. Likewise, Nietzsche had great admiration and friendship with the musician Wagner, who developed a conception of musical drama as a union of all the arts.

Philosophical Landscape: Romanticism and its Critics

Romanticism formed the intellectual and philosophical framework within which Nietzsche's thought developed. In the second half of the century, a strong rejection of this current emerged, driven by the materialism of the Left Hegelians (Feuerbach, Marx) and Schopenhauer's pessimistic individualism, with which Nietzsche's thought shares connections. Nietzsche criticized historical materialism, and especially the socialist egalitarian vision. This is notable despite the similarity between Feuerbach's concept of religious alienation and the Nietzschean theme of God's death as an expression of nihilism.