This book analyzes in vivid detail the German debate about the importance and meaning of work as it changed under the impact of industrialization, with special emphasis on the period between the two world wars. A social history of ideas, it covers the writings of such thinkers as Hegel, Marx, and Weber, but also examines contributions made by industrial psychologists, engineers, educators, and others who actively promoted reforms designed to solve the problem of alienation whether by changing the nature of work or by altering worker attitudes. A final section deals with the National...