The founding of a single German nation seemed to be
inevitable looking back at its history. So many of the regions in the Holy
Roman Empire were German speaking that a unique culture was bound to form. Also
with all the turmoil that was happening within “Germany,” it made sense that
people were ok with breaking off and becoming their own state. However, the
most interesting aspect is that Germany culture existed before Germany was
founded. Composers had a German style, there were German intellectuals meeting—all
without actually belonging to a German state.
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| von Seckendorff |
Germany
did not come to geographical existence for years even though it basically
existed in an intangible sense. Schulze explains that Ludwig von Seckendorrf, a
political philosopher, said that “a ‘German nation’ existed in the political
sense, but conceded that it was difficult to describe and that many other
nations existed within it on lower levels” (Schulze 86). So there was a German
culture established in politics yet it was not a single nation for a long time.
This is interesting because having one German language helped give way to this phenomenon
which resulted in uniquely German academia and art. Schulze says, “Pan-German
literature, drama, and opera created a unified opinion and taste that extended
across the borders of the German territorial states” (Schulze 89). With a
common language and culture, what else would happen next but an official
country forming?
My
whole life I’ve had a passion for music. During the period of peace called “Biedermeier,”
art really took off. Music especially grew into the German legends we know and
love today. Of course I’ve always known a little about Ludwig van Beethoven but
I was not aware he was popular when Germany was not even officially a country
yet. Also, Schubert and Mendelssohn who are immensely popular composers today over
200 years later.
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| Beethoven |
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| Schubert |
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| Mendelssohn |
Architecure
also took off (and I expect we will see some of this in Germany) which is also
interesting. The way Schulze describes the style makes it even more intriguing:
“In architecture, the classical style was exemplified in the clear forms and proportions
[…] although already threatened by an antiquarian approach that saw beauty in
anything that looked old and had a whiff of history about it” (Schulze 114).
This had many buildings restored as well. But how interesting that history in architecture
was already valued in a time we deem to be history itself?
Between
the conflicts and the hunger, the language and the art, all arrows pointed
towards Germany coming into geological and official existence. It is amazing
that a culture already existed with a patriotic air without Germany being
founded for a few more decades. All the pre-existing culture and single
language only create a more unique identity for Germany today, though. What we
consider “German” now was just inklings of what was to come back when it was
started. That knowledge is not realized by many even though it is incredibly
important to German identity because without it and the work of those who
created it all, there would be no “German.”
