Germany: a country, never a nation

Outsiders seem to admire the temporary Germany for its economic strength and Wirtschaftswunder number one in Europe and number four in the world. Insiders of the country of the Thinkers and Poets see their country in a very different light. Before I graduated from Hamburg University in 1985, I established my new life in Sutton Courtenay near Oxford, England, for the simple reason that I was unable to say I am German. Being a proud Hamburger, I felt ashamed and confused about being of German heritage. Looking from the outside of the island in the North Sea, over three years, I had to find my inner peace and identity. By God's grace, I moved back to Germany, still seeing England as my true destiny, with Africa as my job; Germany as the country that formed my character and way of thinking, gave me education, jobs, food, and a place to stay. Germans have more problems with themselves; foreigners hardly realize seeing Germans from the outside. Germany is a very interesting case study when Africa talks about Nation-Building and wants to find ways to achieve it.

The Roman Empire occupied German territory for approximately. 900 years dividing Germans to ensure they stay under Roman rules, Roman values. The Holy Roman Empire of German Descent replaced for another 1000 years the Roman Empire (that's why Adolf Hitler wanted to establish his 1000-year 3rd Reich until 1806, when French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte ended this period in German history. During the Holy Roman Empire of German Descent, several German Emperors like Karl V ruled German regional tribes and moved around Europe with no single permanent Capital and constantly changing borders. A state is defined by the 3 Ss: State-Population, State-Power, and State-Territory. The 1000 years of this Empire never saw any of these three Ss in force for a substantial time. The Empire was split into sectarian kingdoms held together by the force of the respective Kaisers, who were elected by local kings. After 1815, when the Vienna Congress stopped dancing and the new shape of Europe was formed, Germans were ruled over by the Deutscher Bund / German Union, a construct of 39 different kingdoms, each having its own passports and currencies, with several border checks when travelling from Hamburg to Munich.

In 1971, Fürst Otto von Bismarck ended the German divide by letting the King of Prussia in Versailles be crowned as the Kaiser, Kaiser Wilhelm 1, head of the Deutsches Kaiserreich. Until 1918 came and the Kaiserreich disappeared into the dust of history. The Weimar Republic was inaugurated in 1919 until Adolf Hitler established his 3rd Reich, being the 3rd on German soil.

When World War II ended in 1945, Germany was divided into two states, West and East. It took until 1990 before Germany was united in its borders.

This historic outline makes it visible for foreigners to understand that Germany throughout all the time past and generations gone and dusted never had the chance to unite and form one nation. Unlike European nations like France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, Portugal, etc. Germany can still only be called a country, not a nation. Germans take great pride in their regional identity but feel ashamed to be proud Germans. Based on our recent history, during which Millions of soldiers lost their lives in two World Wars in the Holocaust, we still very much feel the shame that lies above our heads and let us hide our German national flag except during football matches with foreign nations. By law, we are only entitled to sing the 3rd verse of our National Anthem, and voters are not allowed to vote for the German President directly.

In addition, our Thinkers and Poets character does not allow us to relax but find the smallest mistake in everything we do, say, think, and feel. Nations around us are more laid back when it comes to issues we Germans debate and debate about controversially; people who want to be perfect in everything. “Foreigners” who live in Germany in the second or third generation wonder about our nonexistent national identity, which makes it hard for them to feel at home in Germany. People can only fully be loved when they love themselves; it is merely impossible for Germans to make it happen. To be accepted as a true Hamburger is only possible in the third generation living in Hamburg. Nation-building takes time!

Africa: learn from our mistakes and move ahead better.

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