Everything about Pan-german totally explained
Pan-Germanism 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 the
Romanovs and the
Habsburgs. Germans, for the most part, had been a loose and disunited people since the
Reformation when the
Holy Roman Empire was shattered into a patchwork of states. The new German nationalists, mostly young reformers such as
Johann Tillmann of
East Prussia, sought to unite all the German-speaking and ethnic-German (Volksdeutsche) people.
Prussia, Austria and Nationalism
By the 1860s,
Prussia and the
Austrian 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 the
Austro-Hungarian Empire was one result of the growing nationalism of other ethnicities such as the
Czechs,
Slovaks, and
Magyars. Prussia under
Otto von Bismarck would ride on the coat-tails of nationalism to unite all of modern-day Germany. The
German Empire ("Second Reich") was created in
1871 following the proclamation of
Wilhelm I as head of a union of German-speaking states, while disregarding milions 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 the
treaty 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 the
Soviet Union were interned in
gulags or forcibly relocated during the
Great Patriotic War.
Post WWII and Decline of Pan-Germanism
World War II brought about the decline of Pan-Germanism, much as World War I'd 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 into
Russian,
French,
American, and
British zones and then into
West Germany and
East Germany. The scale of the Germans' defeat was unprecedented. Nationalism and Pan-Germanism became almost taboo because they'd 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 in
Switzerland,
Belgium,
Denmark,
France,
Italy,
Central Europe, and the former
Soviet 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 of
Nazism. The very fact that Germanic 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 politician
Jörg Haider from
1986-
2000).
Even though the party ranks of the FPÖ are largely made up of members of Pan-German
Studentenverbindungen, the old Pan-German wing is in a minority. At the very least, Pan-Germanism isn't part of its official program or a seriously proposed policy, as it isn't popular with the Austrian electorate today. Jörg Haider attempted to refashion the party more into Austrian
patriotism. 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 doesn't promote pan-Germanism, although some of its prominent members (such as
Herbert 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 didn't have any confidence in an
independent Austria. 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 the
Babenberg and Habsburg are seen as times from which the country and its people can forge and build their identity.
Nowadays the overwhelming majority of Austrians (except for a very few dwindling
diehards) are quite happy to enjoy an independent "Austrian" identity,
Further Information
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