Of course, in a brief essay one can't cover everything, but there was also great resentment against the German language Mittel Europa uniculture. Starting in the 19th century there was desperate effort to create indigenous language cultures in contrast to the dominance of elite German culture. When these emerging national cultures got their unexpected chance at the Versailles conference post WWI, they were ready to pounce and destroy the dominant culture that you so value.
Incidentally, you were right about the need to log in to successfully make a comment. Thx!
Yes, the story of the 19th century is a movement from complementary nationalism, with different peoples hoping to support each other in their cultural and political development, to competitive nationalism. Luka's book is excellent on this.
Oh this is very good, and hits more than a little close to home. One way to think about this is via or maybe with the irrepressability (necessity?) of the nation as social and especially military fact and idea. Older forms of political organization ultimately could not cope, not just in central Europe but worldwide. I argued in City of Gold that the EU and global integration generally represented the emergence of a new, post national, political grammar. But maybe I was wrong. At any rate, central Europe, and Germany in that old cultural sense among polities, is gone.
Nationalism is just such a powerful force, and as you say, one with an incredibly compelling logic behind it. The fact that it is historically contingent does not subtract from its power!
Of course, in a brief essay one can't cover everything, but there was also great resentment against the German language Mittel Europa uniculture. Starting in the 19th century there was desperate effort to create indigenous language cultures in contrast to the dominance of elite German culture. When these emerging national cultures got their unexpected chance at the Versailles conference post WWI, they were ready to pounce and destroy the dominant culture that you so value.
Incidentally, you were right about the need to log in to successfully make a comment. Thx!
Yes, the story of the 19th century is a movement from complementary nationalism, with different peoples hoping to support each other in their cultural and political development, to competitive nationalism. Luka's book is excellent on this.
I enjoyed that!
I’m glad.
This was such a beautiful piece, made my week
Very happy to hear it.
Oh this is very good, and hits more than a little close to home. One way to think about this is via or maybe with the irrepressability (necessity?) of the nation as social and especially military fact and idea. Older forms of political organization ultimately could not cope, not just in central Europe but worldwide. I argued in City of Gold that the EU and global integration generally represented the emergence of a new, post national, political grammar. But maybe I was wrong. At any rate, central Europe, and Germany in that old cultural sense among polities, is gone.
Nationalism is just such a powerful force, and as you say, one with an incredibly compelling logic behind it. The fact that it is historically contingent does not subtract from its power!