Max Kade Institute Library Search

Use the above window to search all fields. Otherwise, search individual fields below.
Please note: In many of the bibliographic records, MKI has not used umlauts (ä, ö, ü) or the letter ß. Try searching both for umlauts and for ae, oe, or ue, and ss.

FormatBook Whole
Author, MonographicKloberdanz, Timothy J.
Title, MonographicThe Volga Germans in Old Russia and in Western North America: Their Changing World View
Place of PublicationLincoln, NE
PublisherAmerican Historical Society of Germans from Russia
Date of Publication1979
Extent of Work14
AbstractEthnocentrism, fatalism, intense pietism, and idealization of work characterized the Weltanschauung of the Volga Germans in pre-revolution Russia. When emigration to the New World began, the Volga Germans attempted to recreate their former way of life, but were largely unsuccessful. Their idealization of work however, proved valuable in establishing an ecological niche in the undeveloped agricultural areas of western North America. Many second and third generation Volga German Americans became increasingly ambivalent toward a heritage that emphasized hard work as an end in itself, and tended to reject other values once shared by their ancestors in Old Russia. This paper examines the historical and cultural background of the Volga Germans with particular reference to their Weltanschauung which has undergone considerable change in the New World.
NotesReprinted from "Anthropological Quarterly" 48, no. 4 (Oct. 1975): 209-222
Call NumberMKI P85-11
MKI TermsRussian Germans/ Ethnic identity/ Assimilation/ History