This dissertation argues that an idea of Germany played a large and hitherto unappreciated role in English religious, educational and cultural thought in the mid-nineteenth century. Through selected case studies, it asks why different groups in English society referred to Germany in domestic religious, educational and cultural debate. It concludes that an idea of Germany was closely connected with a critique of English spiritual shortcomings materialism, ignorance, neglect of the Bible's message- and the desire to see them redressed.

The first section, comprising three chapters, examines the reaction of different English religious groups- Anglicans, orthodox nonconformists and Unitarians- to German Protestantism. Together they show how they shared a common interest, which to some extent transcended denominational allegiances, in learning from German theology and biblical criticism how to defend and promote English Protestantism. The second section looks at the idea of the German primary school in English debates about education. The fourth chapter shows that radicals held up Prussian national education as an example of how the state could directly moralise and civilise the people. Though the Prussian administrative system was in fact decisively rejected as a model for English education, the fifth chapter shows how admiration for German pedagogy- notably singing tuition became widespread among a surprisingly wide range of parties in the debate on national education. The final section considers connections between German music and hopes for England's spiritual reform. The sixth chapter looks at the appeal of German hymns and oratorios as vehicles of a shared Protestant spirituality, while the last chapter illustrates how the desire to improve English taste was bound up with the admiration of German music.

By examining how an idea of Germany could be deployed in a variety of religious, educational and cultural contexts, the dissertation thus establishes its central importance for mid-nineteenth century English culture.