A
point in German history that has always fascinated me has been learning how the
Nazi party came into power. It is important to know about the events of WWI and
the fall of the Weimar republic. When Germany decided to enter into WWI Germans
were excited about the idea. It was viewed by many as a great adventure and as
an opportunity for Germany to flex its power for the world to see. However,
that is not what happened when the war had ended. Germany was declared the
official “loser” of the war and obligated to pay war reparations to other
countries. This was a difficult transition in the German identity. Before WWI,
Germans viewed themselves as strong and proud. After WWI, Germans and the world
viewed Germany as weak, poor, and ashamed. The country went into a recession
like the rest of the world and it hit Germany hard. Inflation was out of
control and even though Germany was not destroyed physically in the war their
pride and identity were demolished. The shift from strong to weak, proud to
ashamed has shown me how Hitler came into power in the first place.
The
rise of the Nazi party and the formation of a new, forced identity was a shift
into a new world whether or not the Germans wanted it. It is no surprise that
the Germans were feeling weak and defeated once the Weimar Republic collapsed.
A country without an identity, without leadership is not really a country. So,
when a party came along fighting for the common German people the Germans were
eager to listen. The Nazi party wanted to make Germans proud of being German
again. They wanted the Vaterland to be a land of superiority and strength. It
is easy to get behind a group that makes you feel good and proud. Once the Nazi
party had become the political power of Germany the new, forced identity began.
Propaganda was a major tool in forming the Nazi/German identity. Thanks to the
mind of Joseph Göbbels the new German identity was forced down the throats of
Germans. With the images of the “perfect Germans” also came the images of those deemed
inferior by the Nazi party. The Germans decided that they would overlook the suppression
and violence against minority groups in Germany because they believed the good
Germany was experiencing outweighed the negative.
It is incredibly complicated to attempt to
understand how the Germans felt about themselves. Germans have experienced incredible highs and incredible
lows throughout their history, from the Holy Roman Empire to today. Many aspects
of German identity are shaped around war and violence. This makes me think of
the term Vergangenheitsbewältigung, which is coming to terms with the past. For
Germans this really looks at how Germans view themselves today and how they
understand their past. It is not an easy task for Germans to look at their past
because of the horrors that have occurred. An immense of guilt is felt and it
is common for memorials to be built in order to serve as a reminder. They want
to be reminded so that those things never happen again. However, I still
believe Germans view themselves as a strong people who have endured many
hardships and have come out stronger.
