Herbert Lüthy (January 15, 1918 - November 16, 2002) was a Swiss historian and journalist. His book ''France Against Herself'', published in the mid-1950s, criticized French
tradition
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
alism.
Life
Born in
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, Herbert Lüthy attended school in
Glarus
Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.St. Gallen. He then studied at the universities of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
and
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, gaining a PhD in history in 1942. He became a journalist, writing for the ''St. Galler Tagblatt'' during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. From 1946 to 1958 he lived in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Der Monat
Der or DER may refer to:
Places
* Darkənd, Azerbaijan
* Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US
* Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq
* d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...
''. He also wrote for '' Encounter''. In 1958 he became Professor of Education and History at
ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
. In 1971 he moved to the
University of Basel
The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
) ''Essais'' by
Michel de Montaigne
Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...
, Zurich: Manesse Verlag, 1953
* ''Frankreichs Uhren Gehen Anders'' (French clocks tick differently), Zürich: Europa Verlag, 1954. Translated by Eric Mosbacher as ''France against herself : a perceptive study of France's past, her politics, and her unending crises.'', New York: Praeger, 1955; published in England as ''The state of France; a study of contemporary France'', London: Secker & Warburg, 1955
* ''La Banque Protestante en France, de la Revocation de l'Edit de Nantes à la Révolution'', Paris: S.E.V.P.E.N, 2 vols, 1959-1961
* ''Nach dem Untergang des Abendlandes; zeitkritische Essays''
* '' Le passé présent: combats d'idées de Calvin à Rousseau'', Monaco: Éditions du Rocher, 1965. Translated by Salvator Attanasio as ''From Calvin to Rousseau; tradition and modernity in socio-political thought from the Reformation to the French Revolution'', 1970
* ''In Gegenwart der Geschichte. Historische Essays'', 1967
* ''Fahndung nach dem Dichter Bertolt Brecht'', 1972
;Articles
* "Die Vierte Republik" (The Fourth Republic), ''Der Monat'' 10 (July 1949), pp. 39–48