Based on Ernst Robert Curtius’ understanding of tradition, Golo Blasche analyses the cultural philosophy and the political stance of this probably most discussed Romanist of the 20th century. The focus lies on the degree of his critical awareness in dealing with the normative demands of tradition towards the freedom of modernity and an undetermined future. In this context, the author shows to what extent the famous scholar of the European literature - who is often criticized as conservative, restorative and sometimes even as a pre-fascistoid - actually developed a systematically founded, explicitly modern and ideology-critical perception of the various challenges of traditional power to culture, education, society and politics.