What are the causes of antisemitism? How did a new form of anti-Jewish sentiment emerge in the 19th century? What role did the societal conflicts of that time play? What were the specific characteristics of German antisemitism? Ulrich Wyrwa employs the method of historical comparison as well as the field theory developed by Pierre Bourdieu for the study of antisemitism, exploring these questions through the examples of Germany and Italy between 1879 and 1914. Antisemitism, as a result of the study, was a symptom of a total anti-attitude towards the societal upheavals of the time. Jews were blamed for all the associated problems. The projection of social upheavals and mental insecurities onto the Jews led to antisemitic attitudes that became part of the struggles for cultural hegemony across various societal conflict areas. The comparison sheds new light on both the German Empire and Liberal Italy. Neither was German society permeated by an omnipresent antisemitism, nor was Italian society free from it. Ulrich Wyrwa is a professor of Modern History at the University of Potsdam and the scientific director of the European research college on the emergence and development of antisemitism in Europe (1879-1914/1914-1923) at the Center for Antisemitism Research at the Technical University of Berlin.