| Abstract: | The relationship between societal values and political, particularly democratic development has been of interest to many students of politics. This paper reports data on the values of German society before WW I. An instrument to measure value orientations on the basis of Action Theory is described and its underlying assumptions as well as those pertaining to the use of fiction as a source on values in historical periods are discussed. Findings are reported concerning Prussians and Southerners, two major groups in German society. The data show that Germany was characterized by high value heterogeneity of its population, a factor which contributed to the lack of national democratic development before WW I. |
