The Birth of Germany

The birth of Germany as a nation, and the humanist aspect of German culture is one that I find very interesting.  Germany is a relatively “young” country despite its rich history.  Although Germany is young, it has history that was created prior to it becoming a nation.  In Schulze’s book, he states that the humanists’ mission was “to lead Germany out of barbarism” and that in this journey, “the first clear and lasting outlines of a German nation took shape” (Schulze 50).  Germany is a country that many people associate with religion and politics.  Religion for the famous Martin Luther and his “95 Theses”, and government for the radical dictatorship of Hitler in World War II.  With this in mind, it seems surprising that Germany’s birth as a nation is rooted not in religion or politics, but humanism.  Germany, at its roots, is all about its people, and the belief that a nation can exist off of human goodness.  Like every other country, Germany has points in its history where it has swayed from these humanist ideas.  However, it is important to recognize that Germany’s belief system originated with the thought that people can exist together by doing good.  It is also interesting, that Germany’s most broken times were when they did stray away from humanist ideals.  The Reformation divided Germany into many separate belief systems and created strife for the unity of the nation.  Religion only served to separate Germany further as a nation.  Politics is what kept Germany separated at its beginning, where several areas were led under different Germanic princes.  Schulze also talks about Germany’s longest peace time  from 1555-1618, which ended because “ambitious leaders had formed alliances along denominational lines and were only waiting for the right moment to strike” (Schulze 62).  Germany’s history manages to prove a point in this way.  It reveals how a nation focused on the people, and the natural goodness people can have will help to make a nation thrive.  When a nation is for the people, the people will be happy. The history also shows that differing religious and political beliefs will often serve to divide a nation and create trouble and strife.  The power struggles that come along with these topics always manage to cast some out, while elevating others.  I know that most of the things we will study concerning Germany, will have to do with its politics and its movements through religion, but I think it is important to note what exists at the roots of a country’s beliefs.  

Schulze, Hagen. Germany: A New History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.

Philipp Melanchthon(1497-1560) was a famous German humanist who worked with Martin Luther.

Berlin, the capital city of modern Germany! 

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