Assignment 2: 15th through 17th Century Germany

The first page of Germania

A 2009 edition of Germania

What I found particularly interesting about Germany between the 15^th and 17^th century was how the German people were searching for identity by turning to the past and attempting to find evidence of their lineage in classic Greek and Latin sources. They eventually managed to find a work known as Germania (the first page of which is pictured to the left) written by Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman historian. This document demonstrated, in the opinion of the German humanists, that the Germans were a clearly defined group even in ancient times. Include the fact that this document is still being printed and read today and it's not difficult to see that this document was very important to defining just what "Germany" was. While the importance of this document is interesting in and of itself, what the German humanists then proceeded to do with the document is what interests me the most.

            Once this document was discovered, not only did German humanists use it to defend their name abroad, they also used it to belittle the other cultures that surrounded them. As noted by Schulze, “They [the German humanists] began presenting Germans as the representatives of a natural, unaffected culture…destined to succeed the jaded, worn-out civilization of the Italians and French…” (pg. 49). The fact that the German humanists were so quick to go on the offensive with their newly gained knowledge is interesting to me and, I believe, rather telling. Rather than simply defending themselves, which would have been understandable, they go the extra step to prove that the German people are superior to the other people of the continent. I think this reveals that the German people were both very proud and very ambitious. I believe this mentality carries on into the current day.

            I believe every country goes through a time when they're searching for identity, but what's interesting is how the countries go about it differently. Take for example comparing Germany and the United States. In the case of the United States, they wanted to sever all ties they had with the past, namely The British Empire, and forge a new identity completely free of the people that were their predecessors. This is the exact opposite of Germany, where they not only viewed the past as critically important to defining their culture, but it was something that elevated them to a greater position; they were tied to the great empires of the Greek and Latin people and so they were a greater people. These two very different ways of seeking confirmation of identity speak for two very different cultures and I believe these influences can  be observed in the culture of both countries today.

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