I was talking to one of my German friend about this class and ti led on a discussion about Germany as a nation. He told me that there was never a true feeling of belonging to a unified nation in Germany. Every region had a different dialects, different accents and different customs making it difficult to feel as part of the same country. I was even more surpised when he told me that it was only in 1908 that the different regions agreed on a common grammar system for the German language. This led me into thinking that this disparity can be one of the reason why. firstly an Austrian was able to come to power but more importantly how the whole speech about being one nation was appealing. This idea of being one unified force probably was something that the country had been waiting for; the idea of finally being part of a nation.
What do you guys think?
I think that's a reasonable statement. In moving into the modern, more unified world-- with travel being made faster and easier than ever (thanks to the industrial revolution) and a growing sense of "nationalism" over loyalty to one's village or county, I think it is fair to say that the first leader to come around who promises to unify a wounded Germany-- to give them power and make them feel as if they were part of something much greater than themselves-- would probably be met with much joy.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. In a time of such cultural confusion, I'm sure that a leader with a clear vision of the future of an entire Germany was greatly appreciated.
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