History in Germany (and Italy)

[Sheilbh]

I'm reading a history of Prussia at the minute. It just made me wonder what the general approach in Germany is to pre-1870 history (and pre-unification Italy too)? I imagine a sort of Whiggish story of Prussia's not taught, given the connotations of that state. But do you learn about the history of your region, just general German events like the Thirty Years War or something else?

[Syt]

My middle school curriculum:

Egypt
Greece
Rome
Charlemagne
Holy Roman Empire (Otto the Great, Barbarossa etc.)
Crusades
Hansa
Reformation
Age of Discoveries
Thirty Years War
Founding of Prussia
French Revolution/Napoleon
Prussian Reforms (Hardenberg/Stein)
1848
Industrial Revolution
Founding of Germany
Bismarck's politics and reforms
Colonies/Imperialism
WW1
Weimar
Third Reich
Cold War (division of Germany, Ostpolitik etc.)

[Zanza]

I had to look up Whiggish history as I didn't know the term.

Whig history (or Whig Historiography) is the approach to historiography which presents the past as an inevitable progression towards ever greater liberty and enlightenment, culminating in modern forms of liberal democracy and constitutional monarchy. In general, Whig historians stress the rise of constitutional government, personal freedoms and scientific progress.

That's certainly not how history about Prussia is taught in Germany. Some characteristics of Prussia are considered as one of the roots of Nazi ideology and as the Nazi time is considered civilization's greatest failure, the concept of inevitable progress towards liberty and democracy does not fit.


As far as regional history goes, I am from Schleswig-Holstein, like Syt. I can't remember anything about regional history other than maybe some stuff about my hometown in elementary school. But then Schleswig-Holstein's history isn't particularly exciting either. 

I am not sure we had all the topics that Syt mentions in my school time.

In the senior years, I can remember talking a great deal about republicanism/democracy in Greece and Rome, skipping virtually everything until the state philosophers of the modern time (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu etc.) and the French Revolution and Prussian Reforms, then a lot about liberal thought and 1848 (Marx, Mill, various other liberals), a bit about the founding of Germany, a bit about how WW1 started, a lot about Weimar and why it failed, a lot about Nazi ideology and the Holocaust, and a bit about how postwar Germany was created constituitionally. So a lot about various political ideologies, but very little about e.g. wars. IIRC the military aspect of WW2 was just one hour and I don't think the Napoleonic Wars were really mentioned. The teacher I had was interested more in the underlying motivations and ideologies.

[Syt]

Why is it, btw, that the two active Germans on Languish are both from Holstein (and no longer live there)?

And even if we include Syko, he's from Lower Saxony (and the weird guy Isebrand was obviously a big Dithmarschen fan ).

[The Brain]

German official history: Junkerism led inevitably to the NS-Zeit, around which everything in German history from Arminius onwards revolve. The end.

[Zanza]

Which history about Prussia do you read, Sheilbh? Christopher Clarke? I read that a year or so ago and found it very well written.

[Valmy]

I'm reading a history of Prussia at the minute. It just made me wonder what the general approach in Germany is to pre-1870 history (and pre-unification Italy too)? I imagine a sort of Whiggish story of Prussia's not taught, given the connotations of that state. But do you learn about the history of your region, just general German events like the Thirty Years War or something else?

Are you reading Iron Kingdom perhaps?  I am reading that as well.  I was especially interested in the 17th century stuff.

[Valmy]

German official history: Junkerism led inevitably to the NS-Zeit, around which everything in German history from Arminius onwards revolve. The end.

Lies!  Arminius and his tribe are ancestors of the Franks and thus French

[Crazy_Ivan80]

German official history: Junkerism led inevitably to the NS-Zeit, around which everything in German history from Arminius onwards revolve. The end.

Lies!  Arminius and his tribe are ancestors of the Franks and thus French

it's oddly disconcerting how germans/germanics go to shit once roman blood enters their cultures. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy...
:p

[Valmy]

it's oddly disconcerting how germans/germanics go to shit once roman blood enters their cultures. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy...
:p

If by going to shit you mean become the greatest civilization evah on Continental Europe then it is a little strange.

[The Brain]

Sweden taught Prussia that they needed a military.

[Zanza]

The area of Germany that was ruled by Sweden is still the poorest and most backward area of the country.

[The Brain]

The area of Germany that was ruled by Sweden is still the poorest and most backward area of the country.

We take, we never give.

[Zanza]

You gave us flat pack furniture. 

[The Brain]

You gave us flat pack furniture. 

Gave and gave. Do you know the markup on IKEA stuff?