Anti-German sentiment

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Anti-German sentiment should not be confused with Anti-German (ideology), sometimes called Anti-German.

Anti-German sentiment (or Germanophobia) refers to the view of the German people or of Germany with suspicion or hostility. As with all anti-ethnic terms, important distinctions should be made between sentiments in opposition to the people and culture, versus those against the government or its policies. However, such distinctions are often not made.

[edit] 16th, 17th and 18th century

Many poor Germans were hired as cheap workers by the Dutch during the Dutch Golden Age. The Germans were regarded as paupers, uneducated and dirty. Entire stories were published in which Germans were portrayed as inferior barbarians. <ref>http://www.engelfriet.net/Alie/Marieke/mof.htm</ref>

[edit] World War I

During World War I, in many countries, propaganda attempted to dehumanize the German enemy. The Germans were depicted as Huns capable of infinite cruelty and violence.

In Britain at least, anti-German feeling often took an anti-Semitic tone. The fact that Bismarck had been largely financed by a rich Jew was widely put forward as 'evidence' for a 'Jewish conspiracy' directed from Germany with the aim of achieving German world domination. The notorious crook and adventurer Horatio Bottomley<ref>Horatio Bottomley, 'John Bull'</ref>, the mad aristocrat Lord Alfred Douglas<ref>Lord Alfred Douglas, 'The Present Age'</ref> and the eccentric 'anti-alien' campaigner Arnold White <ref>Arnold White. The Hidden Hand</ref> all put forward the theory that pan-Germanism was directed against Britain by German Jews who had adopted Germany as their country and now wanted it to rule the world! Whether British attitudes to Germany were entirely negative can, however, be debated. The British writer and author Nicholas Shakespeare quotes this statement from a letter written by his grandfather during the First World War: "Personally, my opinion is that our fellows get on much best [sic] with the Germans, and would very much rather be fighting the French!". The soldier praised the Germans for their discipline and bravery: "it was a fine sight to see the Germans coming on in solid formation, in front of our machine guns....they were generally led by one officer in front who came along to certain death as cool as a cucumber, with his sword held straight up in front of him at the salute". [1]

When Australia, Canada, and the United States entered the war, some German immigrants were looked upon with suspicion and attacked regarding their loyalty. But it even went further and culminated in the killing of a German-born immigrant, Robert Prager. Prager was a coal miner living in Collinsville, Illinois and on the night of April 4, 1918, a group of co-workers accused him of spying, forced him to kiss the American flag and even though Prager insisted on his innocence, he was hung by the angry mob, on the outskirts of the town. In England, anti-German sentiment was so severe that the ruling House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became the House of Windsor, Battenberg became Mountbatten and the German Shepherd was renamed the Alsatian. In New Orleans, Berlin St. was renamed for General Pershing (head of the Allied Expeditionary Force) and sauerkraut came to be called (by some) Liberty Cabbage. In Canada, the Ontario town of Berlin changed its name to Kitchener, after the British military hero pictured on the famous "I want YOU!" recruiting poster.

See Main Article Organised persecution of ethnic Germans

[edit] Anti-German sentiment due to World War II

More recent anti-German sentiment is often related to World War II. Anti-German sentiment was particularly strong in countries that were in war with Germany and its allies during WWII. Although also present in some western countries, anti-Germanism was a predominantly Eastern European/Slav phenomenon. As a result of the devastating consequences of the war, anti-German sentiment was widespread and strong just after WWII. American General George S. Patton notoriously complained that the U.S. policy of denazification following Germany's surrender harmed American interests and was motivated simply by hatred of the defeated German people. Although views fluctuate somewhat in response to geopolitical issues (such as the invasion of Iraq), Americans regard modern Germany as an ally<ref>http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?PageID=825</ref> and anti-German sentiments are held by only small minorities in the U.S. In Poland and some other east European countries wartime memories can still revive tensions.<ref>http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/30/news/poland.php</ref>

Among Jews, Anti-German sentiment remains widespread among some, although not as strong in Israel as among certain diaspora Jews. Among some Jews mostly of Russian origin and with nationalist attitudes the German language is taboo,^{[citation needed]} despite being one of the historically most prominent languages of European Jewry and strongly present in the early years of the existence of Israel. Even today a sizable percentage of the Israeli public refuses to set foot on German soil or associate themselves with anything German^{[citation needed]}.

However, Germany has been Israel's most prominent supporter next to the US and contributed strongly to the state's existence. When Israel criticized the European countries for anti-Jewish stance, they made an exception for Germany, saying Germany was a true friend of the Jews. Germany's rapidly growing Jewish population also contributes to a more German-friendly attitude among Jews. In recent years more Jews from the former Soviet Union immigrated to Germany than to Israel, and the fall of Stalinism in Europe has led to a strong revival of Jewish life and culture in Germany.

[edit] European continental relations regarding contemporary Europe

After the separation into two countries following World War II, West Germany generally had good relationships with its western neighboring states, as did East Germany with its eastern neighbors. Many of these relationships continued after the end of the Cold War with the unified Germany. West Germany was a co-founder of the European Union and the reunified Germany continues as a leading member. Germany has a strong relationship with France, which had been a major enemy for quite some time, especially during the 19th century that saw Napoleon's invasion and the Franco-Prussian War. World War I represents the peak of ethnic hostility, even though the two countries were enemies in early World War II.

Anti-German sentiment has endured in some countries, particularly Poland. Anti-Germanism is heavily rooted in Polish popularized perceptions of its western neighbors, dating back to the Teutonic Order. Tensions had only increased with the rise of nationalisms and events such as the three partitions of Poland, germanisation in the 19th and 20th centuries, and pre-World War II situation. Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, controversies such as Bloody Sunday and the Polish experience until 1945 have only contributed to sentiments, as has bitterness over finalized borders. Recently Germano-Polish reltions have been damaged: the Poles are suspicious of the campaign by Germans expelled by Poland following the Second World War to seek reparation for their lost property; in addition, the proposed Russo-German pipeline through the Baltic Sea, which would undermine Poland's ability to negotiate with Russia over energy supplies, was described as a new Molotov-Ribbentrop pact by members of the Polish government. Against this, German analysts have accused the Kaczynski twins of stoking up popular anti-German sentiment in order to secure the survival of their government. [2]

Germans sometimes complain of stereotypical associations of them with acts and a regime of more than sixty years ago, such as the use of anti-German sentiment in headlines by parts of the British press, recent examples arising when German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.

[edit] References

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[edit] External Links

Article from Der Spiegel 31/10.2006 on Polish - German Relations [3]