Teutoburger Wald 2000th anniversary today
Steve McNallen:
Two thousand years ago this day, the Germans struck for their freedom and for their very existence as a people! // It was a step forward - a handful of tribes united, for a limited time. Germany was not yet a coherent nation, but a beginning had been made.
Elsewhere:
But modern Germans are cautious about celebrating this battle and the man. Adolf Hitler used his legend to forward the propaganda of the Third Reich. Because of this baggage, many Germans don’t even know about him; this part of German history is not taught in many schools. And during a recent modern re-enactment of the battle with Chancellor Merkel in attendance, the organizers were hard pressed to find any Germans who wanted to play the ancient Germans.
[. . .] It was Martin Luther himself who gave Hermann his name and deemed him a worthy heir apparent for the job of nation builder. During Luther’s time, Germany was not a united country [. . .] Arminius’ win at the Battle of Teutoberg [. . .] was just what the then splintered nation needed to unite into one nation—at least in Luther’s estimation.
4 comments:
I'm with Goethe and Max Stirner. A divided Germany (with Habsburgs on the throne in Austria) is better than a united one. And the victory of barbarian tribes over civilization isn't much to celebrate, even if the Roman empire had passed its sell-by date and started to smell funny.
"And the victory of barbarian tribes over civilization isn't much to celebrate ..."
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
TGGP,
I also favor political decentralization, at least in principle.
"A divided Germany [. . .] is better than a united one."
Why then would you have supported the expansion of Roman hegemony?
"And the victory of barbarian tribes over civilization isn't much to celebrate ..."
Unfortunately it was the Romans who became the real 'barbarians' in the latter days of their Mammonite empire.
And they were kept alive well past its 'sell-by' date thanks to the Germanic Foederati.
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