- Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism ( _de. Pangermanismus" or "Alldeutsche Bewegung) was a political movement of the 19th century aiming for unity of the German-speaking peoples of
Europe .Origins
Pan-Germanism's origins began in the early 1800s following the
Napoleonic Wars . The wars launched a massive new movement that was born in France itself during the French Revolution,Nationalism . Nationalism during the 1800s threatened the old aristocratic regimes. Many ethnic groups of Central and Eastern Europe had been divided for centuries, ruled over by the old Monarchies of theRomanovs and theHabsburgs . Germans, for the most part, had been a loose and disunited people since the Reformation when theHoly Roman Empire was shattered into a patchwork of states. The new German nationalists, mostly young reformers such asJohann Tillmann ofEast Prussia , sought to unite all the German-speaking and ethnic-German (Volksdeutsche) people.Prussia, Austria and Nationalism
By the 1860s,
Prussia and theAustrian Empire were the two most powerful nations dominated by German-speaking elites. Both sought to expand their influence and territory. The Austrian Empire like German Empire was a multi-ethnic state, however German-speaking people there didn't have an absolute numerical majority; the creation of theAustro-Hungarian Empire was one result of the growing nationalism of other ethnicities such as theCzechs ,Slovaks , andMagyars . Prussia underOtto von Bismarck would ride on the coat-tails of nationalism to unite all of modern-day Germany. TheGerman Empire ("Second Reich") was created in 1871 following the proclamation ofWilhelm I as head of a union of German-speaking states, while disregarding millions of its non-German subjects who desired self-determination from German rule. German-speakers living outside the new Empire preferred living under its rule or in an ethnically homogeneous environment, but this wish clashed with the opposing wishes of other ethnicities. Regions like Austria and Bohemia witnessed nationalistic controversies for decades.Even some Austrians themselves began to resent their own diverse Empire. Identifying themselves as descendants of the
Bavarians , who had conquered and expanded into the region, many Western Austrians supported a separation from the Habsburg Empire and unity with the new German Empire.Post WWI developments
Following the defeat in
World War I , influence of German-speaking elites over Central and Eastern Europe was greatly limited. At thetreaty of Versailles Germany was substantially reduced in size. Austria-Hungary was split up. Rump-Austria, which to a certain extent corresponded to the German-speaking areas of Austria-Hungary (a complete split into language groups was impossible due to multi-lingual areas and language-exclaves) adopted the name "German-Austria" (Deutschösterreich) and voted by an overwhelming majority for the unification with Germany. Both the name German-Austria and the unification with Germany were forbidden by the victory powers of WWI.Volga Germans living in theSoviet Union were interned ingulag s or forcibly relocated during theGreat Patriotic War .Post WWII and Decline of Pan-Germanism
World War II brought about the decline of Pan-Germanism, much as World War I had led to the demise of
Pan-Slavism . The Germans in Central and Eastern Europe were expelled, parts of Germany itself were devastated, and the country was divided, firstly intoRussia n, French, American, and British zones and then intoWest Germany andEast Germany . The scale of the Germans' defeat was unprecedented. Nationalism and Pan-Germanism became almost taboo because they had been used so destructively by the Nazis. However, the reunification of Germany in 1990 revived the old debates. The fear of nationalistic misuse of Pan-Germanism nevertheless remains strong. It is for this reason that many Germans themselves fear the idea of a united "Volksdeutsche ". Today, there are still sizable populations of German-speakers outside Germany inSwitzerland ,Belgium ,Denmark ,France ,Italy ,Central Europe , and the formerSoviet Union . For economic reasons many German-speakers from Central and Eastern Europe acquired German citizenship after the collapse of the Communist bloc. Still today, the idea of a unified Germany and Austria strikes memories ofNazism . The very fact that ethnic German unity would stir forgotten and fearful memories that most people on both sides would rather not remember forestalls any such union in the foreseeable future.Austrian identity today
In Austria, only the extreme right still clings to Pan-Germanism. During most of the Second Republic, this part was represented mostly by the
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) (founded in 1955 and led by the internationally-known populist politicianJörg Haider from 1986-2000).Even though the party ranks of the FPÖ are largely made up of members of Pan-German
Studentenverbindung en, the old Pan-German wing is in a minority. At the very least, Pan-Germanism is not part of its official program or a seriously proposed policy, as it is not popular with the Austrian electorate today. Jörg Haider attempted to refashion the party more into Austrianpatriotism . Especially, instead of the usual definition of "Austrian" to refer to "all" Austrian citizens, independent of their mother-tongue, he fostered the historically unfounded definition of "Austrian" referring only to German-speaking Austrians.Likewise, the
Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) party created by Haider in April 2005 does not promote pan-Germanism, although some of its prominent members (such asHerbert Haupt ) have been known to participate in activities by right-wing "Studentenverbindungen" which can, at the very least, be called nostalgic towards Pan-Germanism.Since the end of the War, and with the growth of newer
generations , the self-image of Austrians has changed considerably. After the War, most still did not have any confidence in an independentAustria . With the passing of time and the consolidation of the state and the passing of new generations this attitude has changed to a more independent viewpoint. This change in attitude has been reflected in the way Austrian history is viewed. The rule of theBabenberg and Habsburg are seen as times from which the country and its people can forge and build their identity.See also
*
Alldeutscher Verband
*Völkisch movement
*Ethnic nationalism
*Romantic nationalism
*Philology
*Folklore
*Irredentism References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.