Friedrich Meinecke (October 20, 1862 – February 6, 1954) was a
liberal German historian, probably the most famous German
historian of his generation. As a representative of an older
tradition still writing after World War II, he was an important
figure to the end of his life. Meinecke was born in Salzwedel in
the Province of Saxony. He was educated at the University of
Bonn and the University of Berlin. In 1887-1901 he worked as an
archivist at the German State Archives. He served as editor of
the journal, Historische Zeitschrift between 1896 and 1935, and
was the chairman of the Historische Reichskommission from 1928
to 1935. Meinecke was best known for his work on 18th-19th
century German intellectual and cultural history. The book that
made his reputation was his 1908 work Weltbürgertum und
Nationalstaat (Cosmopolitanism and the National State), which
traced the development of national feelings in the 19th century.
Starting with Die Idee der Staatsräson (1924), much of his work
concerns the conflict betwee