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.