Soldier nationalism

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The Soldier's nationalism was a conservative-national literature group of younger journalists who in the early 20th century, through the war brought embossed mindset literary expression. Since war and the nation formed the central points of reference for this literary group, the ideology it represents has been referred to as "warlike" or "soldier nationalism". Ernst Jünger played a leading role in the group .

Philosophy of war

All Soldier Nationalism writers were born in the last decade of the 19th century and had participated in the First World War . According to her self-assessment, the war became an educational experience for her that had a decisive influence on her. They understood war as a law of nature, as a fateful process, which they assessed positively in principle, for example as a "fountain of youth" and as a suitable means for national integration. In contrast to a pacifist and distancing interpretation of the war experience ( Alexander Moritz Frey , Edlef Köppen or Erich Maria Remarque ), the national front-line literary writers were concerned with relativizing the suffering and destruction caused by the war. Instead, they demonstratively tried to bring out a positive image of the world of war and its effects: "We want to try to eradicate the negative, conditioned, decaying part of this war from our memory, as is the tendency of memory - and only the living "Keep large, continuing generations"

The ideology of soldier nationalism can be summarized in the following four elements:

  1. Idealization of the world war experience
  2. General appreciation and glorification of war and warriorism
  3. Pronounced nationalism
  4. Demand for a state of soldiers at the front, to which the task of imperialist conquest should fall

The writers were not concerned with a political, social or economic analysis of the world war, but rather with describing the war as an experience. According to Jünger, it plays a minor role "in which century, for which ideas and with which weapons" it is about the war itself. Friedrich Hielscher formulated the self-image of soldier nationalism as "being a warrior for the sake of war" and thus one is also "certain of the highest inner peace". In the context of the combat-oriented, social Darwinist- influenced philosophy of life, the contrast between war and peace disappeared and became "two sides of one and the same state of the transformation that we call life": "War is always there; and peace is always there. Because everyone Life comes about by destroying other life "

Writer of Soldier Nationalism (selection)

Political influence

The group rejected any form of binding program and did not belong to any party. When the economic situation began to stabilize in 1924, the experience of war and the question of war guilt were no longer at the center of public discussion to the same extent as they had been before. As a result, the frontline literati got into isolation for a few years. But the weakening response did not impair their activity, but increased their sense of mission. In the years that followed, their ideology had an impact on the opposition right-wing parties and the numerous national defense associations that felt committed to martial traditions. Friedrich Georg Jünger, Schauwecker, Franke and Kleinau, but especially Ernst Jünger, found a wide variety in the " Wehrwolf ", the " Jungdeutscher Orden ", the " Bund Oberland ", the " Bund Wiking " and other military leagues , but above all in the " Stahlhelm " journalistic platform. From 1924 to 1926 the Stahlhelm newspaper " Die Standarte " was available to them as a mouthpiece. When it came to the break with the "Stahlhelm" because, in the opinion of the group around Jünger, it persisted in reactionary nationalism, the writers of the soldier nationalism tried in the coming years to combine the other military leagues without being able to realize these intentions. The great success they were to experience in the final phase of the republic was a literary one: now their war books were sold in unimaginable quantities and thus exerted a direct influence on a broad audience.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Prümm: The literature of the soldier nationalism of the 20s (1918.1928). Group ideology and epoch problems, 2 vols, Kronberg / Ts. 1974 , Volume 1 (1977), ISBN 3589000503 .
  2. ^ Ernst Jünger: Foreword to Friedrich Ernst Jüngers, Aufmarsch , 1928, ISBN 978-3-922119-43-2 , p. XI.
  3. ↑ Martin Greiffenhagen: The Dilemma of Conservatism in Germany , ISBN 978-3-518-28234-2 , pp. 258 ff.
  4. ↑ Wilhelm von Schramm: Creative criticism of the war . In: Ernst Jünger (Ed.): War and Warriors. Junker and Dünnhaupt, Berlin 1930., p. 35.
  5. ↑ Ernst Jünger: Mobilmachung , 1930, p. 11.
  6. ^ Friedrich Hielscher: Metamorphosis , 1930, p. 131.
  7. ^ Friedrich Hielscher: Metamorphosis , 1930, p. 129.
  8. ↑ Hans-Peter Schwarz: The Conservative Anarchist , p. 65.
  9. ^ Karl Prümm: The literature of the soldier nationalism of the 20s (1918.1928). Group ideology and epoch problems, 2 vols, Kronberg / Ts. 1974 , Volume 1 (1977), ISBN 3589000503 , p. 57.