Entstehung und Entwicklung der Nationalallegorie Germania an Beispielen der politischen Kunst veranschaulicht
Origin and Evolution of the National Allegory Germania Illustrated by Political Works of Art

Summary/Abstract: National identity is represented in modern times by national symbols like flags, emblems and anthems. The article discusses another, old and traditional way of expressing national togetherness – the national allegory. It shall aim to reconstruct, by examining its various manifestations, the process of awakening and change of national consciousness. How this interaction precisely looks and what kind of messages and ideas have been communicated is demonstrated by the specific example of Germania, the German national allegory. This martial woman has been present from the earliest times, from the first Germanic tribes to the present, and the perception of her signifies different periods of becoming an independent, organic community. These stages divide the study into four topical sections. The Germania of the ancient times is not yet a national allegory; she stands for the barbarian Germanic peoples and reflects the Roman perspective. An important turning point is defined by her return a thousand years later: the national identification occurs and Germania will be called on as a national allegory to create a bridge to a glorious past. An era follows with a continuous increase in Germania’s political importance. This comes to a climax in the revolutionary 19th century: quite new and complex, artistically moulded and narratively elaborated variations of the allegory appear. The last portion deals with forgetting and mentions historical and psychological causes for the disappearance of this basic figure. The article ends with some hypothetical thoughts and an outlook on the future.

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