German Spirit - Prussian Spirit

The colossal works of philosophers and poets had a decisive impact on the German people's spirit and the mentality of the individual. In the absence of political unity, Germany's destiny was of an intellectual nature. Germans have always believed in ideas, considering them the sole drivers of historical changes rather than political or military causes.

The primary elements of the German spirit were religiosity, metaphysical art, idealist philosophy, historiography, and poetry. This spirit was born in the 18th century when Germany's greatness lay in its intellect rather than its power. One of the most important architects of the German spirit was Kant. The concepts of state and freedom had the most significant influence on German thought. The concept of the state derived from Plato, Luther, and Hegel, not from Anglo-French interpretations. The Protestant view regarded the state as a divine institution, which led to an absence of resistance to the idea of state interest in these countries. People revered the divine order within the state.

By the 17th century, obedience to authority was characteristic: Germans obeyed whenever possible. During the era of enlightened absolutism in the 18th century, everyone served the collective; service was a duty. This contributed to the Germans' well-known governability. Order became almost a religious value, especially in the authoritarian Prussian state.

The Prussian spirit's political foundation emphasized the primacy of the state over individual interests or moral considerations. The ruler was seen as the father of the people, with both Luther and Kant advocating obedience to a single authority. For Hegel, the state itself was the constitution: it realized freedom and ensured moral compliance. The central problem in the philosophies of Kant, Hegel, and Fichte was the concept of freedom. They argued that an individual could only be active and free as part of a human community.

Kant's ideas, such as "autonomous will" and the "categorical imperative," became foundational to the German ethos: duty and discipline were deemed more important than rights. Freedom meant the individual flourishing within a community for the greater good, voluntarily dedicating oneself to the whole, and integrating into a community above the individual. Thus, the German concept of freedom was not political but tied to idealistic notions of duty.

The guiding principles of the Germans—an extraordinary sense of order, strict discipline, obedience, and a profound sense of duty—impacted the monarchy, the military, education, administration, the economy, and mentality. Without these traits, the country would have lost its strength, as these principles played a decisive role in shaping historical destiny.

The German spirit first sought innovation in Prussia, which drew intellectually from German cultural traditions. German culture and Protestant faith protected Prussia from Slavic assimilation. Prussia adopted a distinctly German character, with law, education, customs, and prosperity owed to the Germans. Prussian culture achieved significant accomplishments, and many well-known "pan-German ideas" originated with Prussians. Thinkers such as Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Marx, Engels, the Humboldts, E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Fontane were either Prussians or created their works in Prussia.

In the 19th century, authoritarian Prussia merged with a commercially and industrially oriented capitalist German state. Political unification also brought about a unification of spirit. The dominant ethos was that of the German bourgeoisie. The Prussian spirit was not alien to the German one; through coexistence and assimilation, the two mentalities and modes of thought grew closer. Prussia's openness to cultural exchange allowed for easy adoption of shared values, enhanced by Prussian contributions.

In the 19th century, new forces—militarism, nationalism, and capitalism—radicalized the raison d'état. Among the forces guiding intellectual life, first the Church, then the humanist ideals of the Enlightenment, and finally ethical individualism collapsed. With the enthusiasm accompanying the unification movement, the German spirit became intertwined with nationalist ambitions, giving rise to the German national idea.

The capitalist development of Western states represented both a model to follow and an economic, political, and military threat. Responding to this was a matter of existential necessity. Prussia reacted most swiftly, undertaking reforms in 1807 to begin catching up. Following German unification, the country reached a higher level of development than most Western states. Economic prosperity, population growth, and nationalist propaganda suggested that Germany was constrained by narrow boundaries. However, its international status changed more slowly than its economic growth, creating new tensions.

By the early 20th century, Germany had overtaken Britain economically and sought to rectify what it perceived as an unjust situation through force. Its military potential, economic strength, and pride in achieving its level of development independently emboldened Germany to challenge the old powers. The German military leadership felt that the nation had been relegated to a subordinate role within British global dominance. Breaking free from this "servile condition," Germany embraced an imperialist ideology.

One of the main causes of World War I in 1914 was the obstruction of national ambitions. Germany awaited the war with enthusiasm, seeing it as a path to justice. The war was also viewed as a clash of old and new ideas, with philosophers providing ideologies and new concepts. Nietzsche's philosophy marked a radical departure, advocating for new values to replace the old, as the values of the established order had lost their meaning. He was a forerunner of the cultural critique of the fin de siècle.

The prophet of the periphery's national revolt, the Italian Corradini, juxtaposed rich and poor nations. The concept of a "third way" development became the foundation of the mission of lagging nations. Ideologues moved from rejecting old values to demanding a reformative role for the Germans. Politicians and military leaders bolstered their raw interests and material demands with the German spirit.

Until 1914, German idealism was optimistic, believing in a rational world order. The outbreak of World War I raised humanity's existential question: Is humanity heading in the right direction? What led to the catastrophe, and what was the responsibility of German ideas in it?

Iggers G. Georg "A német historizmus", Gondolat kiadó, Budapest, 1988. 

Von Treitschke Heinrich "Das Ordensland Preußen", Insel Verlag, Leipzig Troeltsch E. "Deutscher Geist und Westeuropa", Mohr Verlag, Tübingen, 1925