A few questions about current (and former?) German feelings.

As so often, it depends who you ask.

In the region of the former GDR, especially in recent years, a strong skpeticism towards the current political system in Germany is growing. West-Germans tend to cling more to the established system, however. I don't think many have a positive feeling towards the DDR hymn though. It is a good hymn, but too much is emotionally connected to the DDR oppression, I guess.

The Deutschland Über Alles evokes a VERY negative feeling in approx 90% of all Germans. It DID mean "Germany is the most important for us" not "Germany should rule, but nowadays nobody could publicly argue that without being socially outcast IMMEDIATELY. The anti-fascist left are very strong in mainstream media and politics at the moment. Anything even remotely relativizing the past as not "all was evil" is immediately shouted down. It is entirely impossible to discuss the past in anything but total condemnation. There is the joke from a German Jew, Henrik M Broder who said, if Hitler had said 2+2=4, today's leftish Germans would say 2+2 is 5. That is the affair on ALL about "German past". NOBODY would sing Deutschland Über Alles, and even the 3rd verse, Germans rarely sing the National Anthem at all.

Let me give you an example. I went to school in the 1970s and 80s. Virtually all my teachers where lefties of the 1968 era. My history teacher said, only Nazis wave Germany flags. (He was referring to football fans!) I would even go so far to say, Germans are still traumatized and scarred from WW2, and they will be for the next 100 years. See, contrary to common belief, I don't think history is something fleeting. See how deep the US is still dominated by the events of their Civil War. Events from hundreds of years ago deeply influence the collective psyche of nations. Such national identities form over centuries, even millenia. They do not change in a mere few decades.

Prussian feelings are extinct. The funny thing is, while Poland is our direct neighbour, and it has beautiful landscapes - formerly Prussian in part - almost no German ever makes holiday there. Most Germans when it comes to travel, pretent Poland doesn't even exist. It's like a black dot on the map, but almost no German does that conciously. The German lefts have succesfully identified Prussia with NaziGermany, and thus all refference is overshadowed. We see nothing of the good, the progressive from Prussia nowadays, the Lefties have succesfully dominated the historic representation of Prussia as directly leading to Nazi-Germany.

Regioal identity is still strong, though not as strong as 100 years ago or so. Some regions are strong in their identity. Bavaria, Swabians and Saxons have a stronger identity. I guess Rhinelanders too, and Berlin of course.

The German psyche is probably the most complicated of the world. You see, Germany is not just "one country of many". We are too big and too much involved in virtually everything that happened in Europe, to be overlooked. Germany has been part of practically anything in one way or the other, being large and being in the center of Europe. Germany is too large to be "one of many", but too small to just dominate Europe. Germany's main political fear stems from Geography, the size and the place. Germany was frequently invaded fron all sides. The 30 years war left a deep impact in political thinking as threatened middle nation. As a result of these, German states began to evolve this dreadful militarism. Prussia didn't just began to become a Military State out of the blue, but after being surrounded by Superpowers (Sweden, Russia, France, Austria) for centuries, mostly as reflection of the devastation on the 30 years war, Purssia decided never again to be playfield of greater powers, and decided, the only way to prevent being plaything of Superpowers was, to become MORE powerful than they.

The entire political history of Germany can be read as reaction towards the fear to be encircled. Keep in mind, the Holy Roman Empire, while great in name, was terribly weak due to the split and constant internal struggle. Bismarcks entire politics was to prevent Germany being encircled by alliances. Today Germany does not play a military role anymore, but the European politics is driven by the same fears. The ENTIRE Euro- and EU politics of our German politicians is driven by the idea, never to be isolated or encircled by hostile powers. Literally all political parties in our parliament are very strong pro-EU and Euro, despite the strong critique from the German public. The politicians from Germany practially want to dissolve Germany in a EU Nation, all to escape the shadow of the past and to prevent any isolation ever again. It goes beyond all reason, and is proof that the German collective psyche is IMVPO still deeply traumatized and scarred by the past.

Sorry for the length. ^

/r/germany Thread