Once Upon a Time in Berlin: D-Term 2011: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Deutsche Identität

October 31:

Deutsche Identität

The desire to have a definable identity was always an issue that Germany struggled with. As Germany: A New History has shown us, this struggle has been on going for quite some time. We have seen Germany change from tribes that sacked Rome to an organized group of principalities headed by one leader known as the Holy Roman Emperor. We have seen the idea of identify at its beginning and watched it grow as the word “Germania” was invented and the Holy Roman Empire fell. After Germany was conquered by France a new desire for a nation was born. When Napoleon lost power in France and the empire that he had built crumbled, Germany was finally free to become a nation. However not long after, it found itself in a war that would affect the country and the idea of identity once more.

World War I was a chance for Germany to prove that it was a powerful nation that held a position of importance in Europe whether the other countries were willing to accept it or not. However, Germany was defeated in the war and was forced to pay more than it would ever be able to in order to serve punishment for the war (198 and 209-210). At the same time the previous governmental system that had perviously untied Germany was disbanded leaving the country in a state of political upheaval(198). After the Germans had waited so long for a nation and a sense of identity, losing both in such a short period of time left them yearning. Of course Germany still existed. It had not be separated as the Austro-Hungarian empire had. Yet it was not the Germany that gave the Germans a sense of who they were.

German soldiers, who were allied with a political party, demonstrate.

With the old regime gone, Germany was left open to any new political party that wanted to step into power. Unfortunately multiple parties felt as if they would be the best option to run Germany and a struggle of politics ensued (200). The already weakened Germany now saw its future become even more unstable. It seemed for a time, as if civil wars were fought within the country all in an attempt to gain control of the nation (202-205). This left the German people feeling at a loss and confused. Who were they as a nation? Where did they stand in the world? They also had to cope with the sudden change of power in Europe. The country was in so much debt it seemed impossible that it could ever be paid off (210-211). The people were starving and with no political power able to take charge, the nation seemed doomed (211-212). Where once they had been a strong and powerful nation, they were now struggling for existence. This extreme reversal of power destroyed any understanding of identity, leaving Germans with the desire to feel like a nation once more.

A woman burns German Marks to keep warm. The Mark had lost so much value it cost 399,000,000,000 marks to buy a loaf of bread in 1923 (212)

It seems to me no surprise that the Germans so easily accepted Adolf Hitler as their new chancellor (221). When a man comes to such a broken country and promises to put it back together and make strong once again, how could anyone say no? Hitler new exactly what the Germans needed, and wanted, and used his campaigns to let them know he was going to bring the power back to the German “Volk” (221). Hitler was the man who promised to reestablish the German identity for Germany. After the German people had struggled for centuries to become a unified nation, Hitler seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel. No one knew what was to come in the days that would follow, however, it seemed that for once, Germany may have been able to become a strong and honorable nation that the Germans were proud to indentify with. It seemed as if Germany would finally find a permanent identity.

I have come to the conclusion that, the desire to have an identity is the driving factor in many of the decisions and events that have happened in Germany’s history.

Adolf Hitler came into power after the Weimar Republic fell.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Napoleon Bonaparte

Although the formation of the German state was a long time coming, there were a lot of events that occurred around the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries that seemed to speed up the process. For example, Martin Luther’s German Bible set the standard for the German language and his ninety-five theses allowed for the people of the Holy Roman Empire to break from the Catholic Church and practice a religion of their own. Ferdinand I’s cuius regio provided the principalities the power to choose what religion they practiced, therefore choosing the religion for their subjects as well. Later, the Enlightenment lead common people to believe they had the right to power and happiness which spawned revolutions in America and France (93).

After the fall of the French Monarchy, chaos ensued in France (93). Eventually, Napoleon Bonaparte, a small man from the island of Corsica, came to power as the emperor of France. It was his goal to eventually conquer all of Europe and he set out to do so (97-98). While he was very successful with the mainland, he failed to capture Britain. After his defeat in the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleon fell out of favor with the French and was eventually exiled to Elba, where he planned how he would reclaim his power over France, led a successful campaign over the Alps and once more became emperor of France. Napoleon faced the Duke of Wellington, who was joined by Prussian troops, at Waterloo and lost. Again facing defeat, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena and never was able to regain that which he had lost (106).

Napoleon is most often associated with France, however, the effects of his campaign to conquer Europe had a direct effect on the formation of the German State. Although, Germany as a nation had not existed prior to 1871, the German principalities, cultural region and Holy Roman Empire (from now on HRE) functioned with little interference from outside nations. Of course the Catholic Church held some power over the HRE and the threat of the Ottoman Empire always loomed near. At the same time, battles were fought between people of the same culture of religion in the Thirty Years War, however, the people of the HRE had never suffered a substantial defeat like the one dealt it by Napoleon. In defeat, the German principalities, specifically the Confederation of the Rhine, found themselves conquered and embarrassed by the swift advancement of the French troops (102). The lack of prior confrontation left little preparation for an attack which allowed for a quick takeover by Napoleon and the consequent dissolution of the HRE. Under French rule, state lines were drawn and laws were enacted for the newly formed regions (102). The old regions lost the individual power that they held, however, the new laws that were put into place built up the foundation for the formation of the nation of Germany (103).

French occupation was not something that was welcomed by the German people. They were not French, therefore, the French soldiers that inhabited their cities were taking away from their culture (104). Words such as “fatherland” and “nation” gained power in what was to become Germany. The idea of a German nation grew with the use of these words and the German people took more steps closer to the 1871 Unification. Napoleon started to lose his control over Europe in the eighteen-teens and was eventually defeated in the War of Liberation (106).

Napoleon left the HRE dissolved, however, he also left the German people with a sense of unity. Through French rule they had come to know what the word “nation” truly meant to them and they wanted it for themselves. Although it would still be almost sixty years until Germany officially unified, its people had already begun to think of a unified German state.