ABSTRACT
The introduction attempts to determine the fundamental issues behind the rise of antisemitism in the 1870s. Antisemitic writers and agitators were troubled by two basic concerns: the fear of Jewish domination and the loss of German unity. The fear came from the rise of Jewish control of the press, finance, and politics; the loss of unity came from the alleged Jewish refusal to assimilate, which made it seem as if the Jews formed a state within the state. The introduction takes issue with Hannah Arendt’s views about the rise of antisemitism, which are charged with anachronism.
