The Fusion Of German National Identity And European Identity And Its Causes

Germany has played an vital role in promoting European integration after the Second World War.Different from the traditional explanation of integration theory,the competition between German national identity and European identity is not obvious.Conversely,the two identities become unitive,not only just reflected on the continuity of German European policy but also demonstrated in the public opinion towards the EU.There are two reasons lead to this specific phenomenon.Firstly,the social and economic condition in Germany in the end of 19 th century combine with a cultural nationalism way to form an national states,lead to a relatively weaker national identity,especially comparing with those national states which build their countries in a political nationalism way.The lack of common language and culture made Germany have to build a totally new kind of culture to bond a German state.However,the one-sided exaggeration of German culture and the lack of democratic constriction at the same time make Germany become more easier to be influenced by right-wing and extremism.Germany has been destroyed 3 times before the Second World War,as a result,a stable national identity was not established.Secondly,the experience of the Second World War provided Germany a special opportunity to seek national development in European development.The after-war Germany has realized only by developing with other European countries and provide enough public goods could itself could become a normal and great power again.