A German Community

Identity was a large issue for Germans throughout a lot of their history.  However, as they moved forward, closer to gaining a German identity, they began to think about the idea of community.  As WWI began to close in around Europe, William II was quoted to say “I do not recognize parties any longer, I recognize only Germans” (Hagen 191).  This thought goes to show how Germany was feeling at the time.  After struggling to find a unified German identity, there were still internal struggles about what a German was made up of.  This thought encountered issues with religions, political parties, and class issues.  The people of Germany wanted to believe that being German fell under one sort of identity.  What William II raises with his quote, is that no matter what differences the individuals have within a German identity, they are still Germans.   That is the beauty of being associated with a nation.  There is still a sense of belonging no matter what social differences exist.

William II

 The sense of community felt within Germany was great for building up morale as a nation; however in hard times it led the Germans to follow anyone who could give them hope.  “Disappointment over the terms of the peace treaty, continuing economic difficulties, and the dreary, oppressive conditions of everyday life all combined to alter the mood of the general public, making it more receptive to the propaganda campaigns of nationalist and monarchist groups” (Hagen 205).  The End of WWI was met with a lot of grief for the Germans.  Their national identity had barely been forged and already they were taking the blame for the first World wide War.  The Germans were defeated, broke, and searching for a way to hold on to an identity that made them proud.  It didn’t help that their land had been used for battleground and was full of debris and destruction. This despair led to a move towards community with the Weimar Republic, the German’s first democracy.  

WWI German tank

The Weimar Republic helped Germany to get back on its feet after the devastation of WWI.  Germans began to feel a sense of community again, and began to feel like they had a say in their government.  Slowly, but surely, the Weimar Republic helped Germany to reach back towards a stable place.  There was still a lot of shakiness within politics as the Socialist party was beginning to rise, and economics were still rough due to the large war reparations they had to pay.  However, “the mid-Weimar period is nonetheless recalled as the Golden Twenties, the principal cause was neither political stability nor the deceptive appearance of an economic upturn but a cultural flowering that has become legendary” (Hagen 219).  Despite the distress still happening, the Weimar Republic helped Germany to find a cultural identity that survived in spite of all the bad things that had happened.  This culture helped a community to form and band together during the hard times that followed WWI. “This model of community, originally developed as part of romantic Catholic doctrine on the corporative state, seemed to promise a solution to the class tensions of modern industrial societies” (Hagen 230).  The culture that had developed also saved some class issues as a community was finally forming in Germany.

Flag of Weimar Republic

The desperation for community became even more clear with the rise of the Socialist movement and Adolf Hitler.  Hitler came in when morale was still weak, and was able to form a feeling of community amongst Germans with his motivating speeches.  Despite the horrible actions that Hitler made possible during WWII, he was an incredible rhetorician, which helped him gain support during his reign.  WWII was a time for Germans to feel power, but unfortunately, the end of WWII brought sadness, death, and loss to all of Europe.  Germany was again, blamed for WWII.  Hitler was able to create a sense of community, but sadly it was lost on the tragedies and horrors of WWII.  Luckily, since then, Germans have been able to move past this stereotype and once again, build a strong identity and national community. 

Adolf Hitler

Word Count: 681