Forced Identity

            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.