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Proud to be German

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In a post-genocide society, how much time needs to pass before the next generations of citizens—those who have inherited the guilt and shame of such a painful history—can begin to once again feel pride in their country and their heritage?
We all carry with us both the burden and pride of our individual and group histories. For a society like Germany or Rwanda, forever identified with crimes against humanity, the burden is enormous. But so is the need to move towards a healthy, productive society. And although genocide becomes a huge stain on a nation’s history, it is not the full history. And so there needs to be a balance between accepting and acknowledging the darkest moments of our pasts, while removing the yoke of that burden, in order to restore a healthy level of collective self-esteem.

Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup and it provided an opportunity that many people did not consider: it gave Germany a chance to re-present itself, not only as a unified country, but as one that was proudly democratic, tolerant and multicultural. A country that was proud to be.

Reflecting on the World Cup, political reporter Mark Wachtelborn writes, “The world community has celebrated the vital role Germany has played in the democratic world since 1945. Now, Germans themselves have cast off their dark past and, finally, feel free to take civic pride in their own democratic accomplishments.”1

[<div align="left">German flags wave before the opening game of the 2006 World Cup. (photo: (cc) <a mce_thref="http://www.flickr.com/photos/surgenor/167281880/" target="_New">Malcolm Surgenor</a>)</div>]

In an interview for PBS, Franklin Foer, editor of The New Republic talked about the World Cup and its role in helping Germany to “show itself off.”
...Germany has actually used soccer as a way of reintegrating themselves into the community of nations. After the war, they won the 1954 World Cup, surprisingly, and this was a great psychological boost to the country, in which they felt like they were able to feel good about Germany in a publicly, internationally acceptable sort of way.

Then, in 1990, they won the World Cup again, which was a triumph that occurred just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and there was a certain sense of national euphoria that came with this.

And this World Cup is, I think, an example of a very mature Germany that really doesn't have a lot of angst about the past, showing itself off in a very modern, proud way.2
Perhaps writer Roger Cohen most clearly captured what happened to Germany during the World Cup when he referred to the return of stolz or pride. Cohen writes:
And there has been the frequent appearance in relation to Germany of a once almost taboo word—“stolz”—or pride.

Horst Köhler, the German president, declared in an interview published Wednesday by Bild that he was “proud of this land.”

Klinsmann, the coach, said: “The World Cup has been a huge success for the team and for the country and has shown a whole new German face to the world—and that is something we can all be proud of.”

Klinsmann himself has become a kind of emblem of Germany’s World Cup makeover....Certainly, on the footballing front, it is hard to imagine that Klinsmann has not sown the seeds of a fine side for years to come.

Elsewhere, too, it appears that a breakthrough of sorts has occurred. German business confidence has reached new highs and many middle-aged Germans are talking of being more comfortable with themselves and their identity than ever before.

Germany’s postwar psychological journey has been a long one, from denial to avowal, from numbness to awakening, from American tutelage to emancipation and even confrontation, from self-doubt to self-assertion, from talk of the “German condition” to talk of “German normality.”

That a soccer team, of all things, and a very successful World Cup should bring all of this to a kind of culmination may seem surprising. But the elements were there; Germany was ready to unshackle itself with the right spark.3
Perhaps this emerging sense of pride, extinguished for so many years after such a shameful episode in human history, and then re-ignited by the 2006 World Cup, is best summed up by a German taxi driver, Anthony Albaque: “I'm proud to support my country and everyone can support their flag—it's natural now.”4

Connections for the Classroom...
  • Hitler and the Nazis were in power in August of 1936 when the Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. Like the recent 2006 World Cup, in 1936 the eyes of the world were on Germany. Research these two sporting events. German pride was high at both, but for very different reasons. In your journal, reflect on the idea of national pride. When can pride lead to oppression and violence? Why do the people quoted in this reading see pride today in Germany as a positive attribute?
  • Billions of people around the world follow the World Cup, which occurs every four years. On such a grand stage, it is not surprising that the effect on the host country—both internally and internationally—can be enormous.

    Write down a list of sporting events that have made an impact in your own community, state, or country. Maybe your school won a state or national tournament. Maybe your favorite athlete set a world record. How did this event affect your community? Did the effect last? How might sports and athletics play a part in healing and rebuilding a community or nation in transition?

1 “World Cup revives patriotism in Germany,” by Martin Wachtelborn. San Francisco Chronicle. July 12, 2006. Source.
2 “2006 World Cup Kicks Off in Germany.” PBS News Hour. June 9, 2006. Source.
3 “World Cup: Team Spirit Grips Germany,” by Roger Cohen. International Herald Tribune. July 6, 2006. Source.
4 “Germany rolls out flag of pride,” by Claire Heald. From BBC News at bbc.co.uk/news. June 23, 2006. Source.