Query to Our Negotiators

The German Void

Thus, unable to invoke the historical bond uniting generations— here the discontinuity, unfortunately, is painfully apparent—Chancellor Adenauer appealed to a sentiment which most Europeans now view quite critically. The choice, on the other hand, is limited. The young soldier, called upon to defend the West, must be driven by something higher (or more emotional) than some sort of enlightened self-interest —as for instance, by the fear that a Communist victory would render government bonds unredeemable or that the shares of the Volkswagen Works would be declared null and void. Thus nationalism in the ethnic sense (as we always understand it here) must be cultivated as a transitory measure.

CM

About the Author

Corinna Marsh

Featured Tags

Manage following

Germany

The German Void

Thus, unable to invoke the historical bond uniting generations— here the discontinuity, unfortunately, is painfully apparent—Chancellor Adenauer appealed to a sentiment which most Europeans now view quite critically. The choice, on the other hand, is limited. The young soldier, called upon to defend the West, must be driven by something higher (or more emotional) than some sort of enlightened self-interest —as for instance, by the fear that a Communist victory would render government bonds unredeemable or that the shares of the Volkswagen Works would be declared null and void. Thus nationalism in the ethnic sense (as we always understand it here) must be cultivated as a transitory measure.