"Der Untertan" by Heinrich Mann is a novel written in 1914. It traces the life of Diederich Heßling, a fictional opportunist who climbs the social ladder in Imperial Germany under Wilhelm II. Mann crafts a sharp satire of authoritarian personality types, depicting Heßling as a coward who tyrannizes those below him while eagerly submitting to power above. The novel critiques nationalist fervor and the mentality that would lead to World War I, contrasting Heßling with Buck, an aging revolutionary witnessing liberalism's collapse. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
