"... a richly textured intellectual biography... " —History
"... well worth reading and pondering by all who are concerned with the fate of humankind in capitalist civilization." —Socialism and Democracy
"... an extraordinary book. Although intellectually challenging, it is well worth the effort to read." —New York City Tribune
"... insightful and richly documented... " —Review of Politics
"The novelty and value of this book lie in Bergmann’s painstaking examination of Nietzsche’s reactions to and interaction with the political events and currents of his time." —American Historical Review
"... superb... " —The Historian
"... historian Bergmann has given the basic Nietzsche library a major addition... it is a reading of Nietzsche’s early life, educational influences and later career by a scholar intent on recording the interaction of the philosopher with the political events of his own time." —Monatshefte
Among both admirers and detractors, perhaps no issue has remained as hotly contested as Nietzsche’s actual relationship to politics. Peter Bergmann’s fine intellectual biography provides the first down-to-earth appraisal of Nietzsche’s place among the individuals, events, and concerns of the Bismarckian age.