How Germany’s past shaped the mentality of its people and makes them so afraid of change and disorder in general, and the influx of refugees especially

Yes, generalizations are misleading. To put 80 million people on an analyst’s couch and diagnose them with the same mental disease and mindset can hardly be legitimate.

It is as illegitimate as, for example, talking about Islam as a monolithic religion that forces all Muslims to the same beliefs and actions (and therefore declaring it to be fundamentally opposed to Western values, whatever these values may exactly be and how much they are put into practice by people in Western countries).

Nevertheless, people in a region, who share a similar history and follow a certain socially accepted or demanded code of conduct and certain values, may also tend to specific beliefs, mental mindsets, habits and reactions to events and challenges. No doubt: All Germans do not have the same character or mental mindset, but as in many cultures and regions in this world, you find amongst the people that call themselves Germans a concentration of certain values, certain ways of looking upon the world and oneself, and certain mentalities, which are stronger here then anywhere else.

Here are two examples taken from people, who examine differences of cultures and mentalities. Are they right or wrong?

Values

Germans place a high priority on structure, privacy and punctuality. The German people embrace the values of thriftiness, hard work and industriousness and there is great emphasis on making sure that “the trains run on time.” According to Passport to Trade 2.0, an online business etiquette guide by the University of Salford in Manchester, England, “Germans are most comfortable when they can organize and compartmentalize their world into controllable units. Time, therefore, is managed carefully, and calendars, schedules and agendas must be respected.”

Germans are stoic people who strive for perfectionism and precision in all aspects of their lives. They do not admit faults, even jokingly, and rarely hand out compliments. At first their attitude may seem unfriendly, but there is a keen sense of community and social conscience and a desire to belong. (Source: http://www.livescience.com/44007-german-culture.html

Do Germans find some truth in these descriptions? Well, I do, in many points. Some of this described behaviour is feeding a certain work ethos, for which Germans have a reputation.

On the other hand the mental mindset of many Germans makes them, more than most other people in the world, worry about the status quo and the condition of the world, and look warily and pessimistically to the future. It makes them fear disorder and change more than anyone else does. And it leads many Germans to look with distrust, envy, malice and sometimes despise on other people and even fellow Germans, but foremost on immigrants from other cultures, who might challenge the status quo.

This mindset is largely responsible for the stress and turmoil the influx of around 1 million refugees in the year 2015 sparked in Germany.

Is Racism especially widespread in Germany?

There is no doubt, that racism or fear of immigrants is strong in many places worldwide, as nationalism nowadays is much stronger outside Germany. Due to historic reasons, the limited and senseless ideology of 19. and 20. century nationalism proved its lack of validity in Germany clearer than anywhere else. The abuse of national enthusiasm by the Nazi regime led vast parts of Europe and Germany in the biggest war so far and killed 50–80 million human beings.

In countries like the USA or France, but also India or Russia, prejudices, insults and violence against minorities are a huge social problem. Nevertheless, nearly 1000 attacks against foreigners and homes of refugees in Germany in 2015 and the growing attraction of an aggressive discourse against refugees and the Muslim population are a clear sign, that Germany is a special case.

Before focussing on the reasons, why many Germans have problems with refugees and immigration of people from other cultures, it should be admitted to the benefit of Germans, that the German society has a lot of advantages, which attracts a lot of people to come to this country. Germany is a wealthy and since decades peaceful land. Petty corruption is much lower than in most other countries (nevertheless existent in sectors like real estate and construction or in internationally operating German companies). The crime rate is low and there was rarely an openly aggressive policy against other nations since the Second World War (something that seems to change step by step with a more active military engagement of the German army, the Bundeswehr, in more and more places outside Germany in recent years).

The rule of law is comparatively working well in Germany and the state bureaucracy is providing the citizens with services according to their right- and lawful demands. The healthcare system is one of the best and the social system is more developed than in most countries of the world.

A (self-) critical attitude towards the (very) dark spots of history of the country seems to be much stronger in Germany than anywhere else in the world. A working ethos based on a certain discipline and seriousness about the work to do is a strong part of most German’s character. In addition to that, most Germans are straightforward and quite honest in stating their opinion without covering it in small talk. Germans have a relatively good reputation in most countries and are, at least for now, not seen as enemies anymore and thus respected.

So, there are many good reasons to live in Germany and to be a bearer of a German passport, which opens the doors to most countries in the world easily. But…

The dark side of the German mentality. Here it is…

As we talk about a nation of 80 million inhabitants in the core of Europe, with a still strong economic performance and growing political and military influence, plus a country, that attracted many Europeans and lately refugees from Africa, the Arab World and Asia, one should be conscious about the dark sides of the Germans’ mental structure, in order to understand, why many of them behave as they do and why this could be dangerous.

1. First of all, economic strength has become the core of the German identity. It became a substitute for the nationalist fervour, the feeling of “racial” and cultural superiority, and for monarchism and militarism as a sign of German power that was for decades the fabric of the German identity before the end of Nazism in 1945. Post-war-Germans had nothing much to be proud of except economic recovery and social advancement in West-Germany for many people.
2. Democratic structures were established step by step not because of the will of the majority of the people, but under the pressure of the Western Allied powers (USA, United Kingdom, France) that had defeated and occupied the country. In Eastern Germany, democratic values and structures were not established at all and an authoritarian socialist leadership governed the people by stressing the importance of an economic development by socialism.
3. Even if in Western Germany, economic and social development strengthened the stability of and loyalty of Germans towards democracy, and if a friendly relationship with foreign countries and a close cooperation with other European states became the only way for Germany to reintegrate step by step in the international arena, the growing success of German products and the development of a consumerist middle class was the basis of a renewed German self-confidence. Whereas many Germans tried to forget the dark past of Nazism they were directly linked to, a younger generation that was born in the last years of the war or shortly after the war went to the streets from the mid-60s on to definitely break with the past and to abolish the last ideological and institutional remnants of Nazism in the minds and behaviour of people. The protest against the older generation and against an authoritarian style of education and politics was also a demand to confront the society with the past in order to take responsibility and to do everything possible never to forget or repeat the mistakes of the past (exaggerated nationalism, fascism, anti-semitism). This self-critical attitude became an important new part of the German identity, first on the political left, then also in the political centre and even amongst conservatives (nevertheless, the perception of history stayed disputed during the 1970s and 80s). The German reunification in 1990 brought forward those, who feared the return of German nationalism. This was countered with an even stronger integration in supranational European structures (i.e. via the common currency, the Euro). But as time went on, it became clear that Germany was not only the strongest economic force in Europe, but also willing to participate in military interventions. German political self-confidence grew significantly over the past 20 years. Despite the growing political and military influence, the economic performance (and soccer) continued to play a major role for the development of German national pride.
4. As the German identity is strongly linked to economic strength, it is a working ethos that comprises punctuality, hard work and a search for perfection that constitutes the most important values for many Germans. Yet, in times of economic and social problems, real or perceived, the German identity is touched at its core. Whenever Germans fear that their social status or wealth is endangered by foreign states, by immigrants or fellow Germans, they can develop quite an aggressive attitude. Hence, the topic of less efficient or lazy foreigners or immigrants trying to abuse the German economic or welfare system for their own benefit is stressed by politicians and in media since some decades.
5. Germans do not have a reputation to be particularly unfriendly or aggressive, when they are in a foreign country or at home. They gained a reputation of being hard-working, straightforward and generally honest people. Their search for a certain perfection constitutes the good image of German cars and other products. But every foreigner, who had to do with Germans noticed a behaviour that can have dramatic effects, when it comes to unforeseen, disorganized events.

The Germans: Eager, but emotionally blocked

Many Germans suffer under an emotional blocking that has a lot to do with Germany’s history of militarism, fascism and war on one hand, and an authoritarian way of education on the other hand. At least from the beginning of the German empire in 1870 till the 1960s, showing feelings was not a respected behaviour in Germany. The German ideal of behaviour was to show strength, to follow orders of superiors and to be prepared to self-sacrifice. The only feelings allowed were enthusiasm towards the Emperor and later the Führer Adolf Hitler (replaced by football and cars after the war). Furthermore, the generation that was born between 1938 and 1946 (the parents of those between 40 and 50 today) was brought up by parents, who were often Nazis or bystanders, with fathers who fought in a war that they lost, seeing or committing atrocities, and returning in a destroyed and occupied country, in which many women and children had suffered under bombs, hunger and rape.

It goes without saying that the atrocities perpetrated by German troops and the Nazi terror were worse than what Germans had to suffer themselves, yet the combination of enthusiasm for a brutal dictator, the promises of a great future through a war and oppression of other countries, and then an absolute defeat following the occupation of Germany and its division was a contrast that became a burden for the development of a mentally sane population.

Listening to dance music, dancing, being in love, being happy, doing things that were beyond traditional acceptance was even harder for young people in post-war Germany than anywhere else in the world. It was something not well seen by an older generation that was raised in an authoritarian, strict manner and that had been part of fascism and war. It seemed unacceptable after this generation had gone through pain and an authoritarian, oppressive system that forbid certain kind of music and sanctioned the showing of affection as an act, strong Nazi-Germans would not do. Hitler’s ideal German was hard as (Krupp-) steal, enduring as leather, fast as a weasel. But neither sensitive nor empathetic towards other people.

The motto of postwar-Germany was not: “Enjoy your life and be happy!”, but rather “Work hard and don’t complain!”

This attitude was contradicted by the arrival of Western (mostly US-American) consumerism and culture, and directly disrupted from the mid-60s on by a younger generation that had enough of the oppressive, strict and emotionally limited behaviour of their parents. This social and cultural revolution of 1968 changed a lot of Germans and adapted them to the world outside Germany by breaking up many conservative traditions based on an aggressive view of everything outside Germany, the fear of change and the new. But in the same time, the emotional legacy of the past kept to press heavily on many German’s souls. As many of those, who became parents between 1965 and 1975 were raised by traumatized parents themselves, they passed certain emotional dysfunctions on to their children. A certain working ethos and emotional restrain made it still difficult to show feelings or using ones body in a natural, affective way. And the weak connection of many Germans to their own emotions led to a lack of affection and empathy towards other people, the near ones and the far ones.

Many Germans are disciplined, when it comes to work, and longing for perfection by exact planning. They abhor spontaneous action and unforeseen events. Futhermore, they focus on work, but not on the human beings involved and their emotional needs. Germans are well-known for being weak in connecting to other people on a personal level, something that is a very important ability in most cultures around the globe.

In intercultural communication and in business connections, Germans are seen as very specific, because they do usually not establish a personal relationship with their counterpart before doing business, contrary to most other Europeans, Americans, Africans, Australians and Asians. Germans want to come to the topic immediately. Is it, because they don’t want to waste their time? Or is it, because they have problems on an emotional, social, inter-human level?

Refugee influx and German hysteria

As a result, the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Germany in 2015 led to panic and hysteria amongst many Germans fearing for their safety, money, social status and generally the status quo. These fears were strengthened by a fierce public debate and by alarmist reporting in the majority of mainstream media and by many politicians. A general feeling of insecurity by violent conflicts in the Arab World and the Ukraine and by terrorist attacks in Europe led to even more fear of the arriving refugees. The idea of solidarity and affection to foreigners from another culture and with a different mentality was and still is a hard challenge for a lot of Germans.

A glimpse of hope in the emotional darkness of German minds?

So, are Germans, despite their wealth and economic strength, but due to their pessimistic and rather fearful mindset centred around the protection of a good economic and social status unable to master the challenge of an influx and integration of a large number of immigrants in general, and from Islamic countries especially?

I am convinced that they can master this challenge and even prepare mentally and institutionally to accept more refugees and immigrants in the coming years.

Why and how?

1. On a practical level, many thousands of Germans, young and old, got engaged as volunteers in order to support and help integrate refugees in the German society. These volunteers sometimes do a work, that the state bureaucracy should do, but instead of fear-mongering at the sidelines, as many other Germans, journalists and politicians were over the past 10 months, they acted, helped and met those people others were just afraid of, without knowing them. It is a clear sign, that there is a part of the German population that wants an open, democratic and solidary society that supports people in need and is not limited to supporting Germans only. By the way, it would be an important step forward, if the voluntary activism for refugees would expand in the future to poor people in Germany in general.
2. Nevertheless, it would be naïve to ignore the many million Germans who go on being afraid of immigrants and refugees or who see them as social parasites taking advantage of German taxpayers and workers money. As migration is a natural historic pattern since thousands of years, a necessary movement to rejuvenate societies, unstoppable by force and even if stopped by force for a certain time would come with a huge moral prize for Germans and Europeans, it is necessary to analyse and understand the fears and attitudes of those opposing immigration.
3. Those fervently opposing the acceptance of refugees and more immigration do it out of different motives. Some belong to a social group that fears social disadvantages by competitors on the market for flats and jobs. Others are afraid of criminality by young immigrants, others even of terrorism in the form of political Islam. A third group refuses any cultural change in Germany and would like to restore conservative values already weakened and destroyed in the last decades by social and cultural change. And a fourth group really believes in a German superiority as hard workers.
4. Well…

• When people are fleeing from war, terror or oppression, every sane person should be ready to help, support and shelter these people. Or this person principles are neither based on Christianism nor other human morals.
• There is a reason for the anger of socially disadvantaged people in Germany and even for the fears of the middle class to socially descend. This reason is called neoliberalism and a policy in Germany since the 1980s that favoured big companies, weakened workers and employees rights, created a vast army of freelancers with low social security and favours the income by capital over the income by work. But this has nothing to do with refugees coming to Europe.
• The fear of terrorism in the name of Islam is a logical consequence of the attacks in Europe and the United States and on Western tourists in Arab countries in the past 15 years. But it is also a consequence of a focus in the media on attacks, when they hit Western citizens. There is much more reporting about attacks in the name of Islam than about attacks out of other reasons or conflicts in other regions (notably South Sahara Africa, were many more people die by conflicts than anywhere else in the world) and war atrocities committed by Western armies, e.g. in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen etc. There is nearly no reporting about the responsibility of European countries, the US-government or the Russian government for the rise of terrorism in the name of Islam.
• There is a very biased reporting and talking about Muslims in Germany since decades (it started with the fall of the Shah of Persia in 1979 and the ascent of the Islamic Republic in Iran). Muslims were rarely portrayed as an enriching social group of the German society, but as a foreign and somehow incompatible group endangering the social fabric in Germany. The never ending and disproportionate discussion about the veil and headscarves is one example for that. Furthermore, there was always the tendency to mix up the danger of attacks by Islamists and Islam or Muslims in general. This led to a general mistrust and even fear of Muslims in Germany.
• The fear that cultural values, mentalities or a social structure might change is much linked to a pessimistic view on change in general and the feeling that the status quo is better than anything the future might bring. It is also linked to a general human inability to think rationally and constructively about the future. It is thirdly linked to an ignorance about other cultures, other ways of living and other ways to perceive the world. Those Germans, who had the opportunity to know other languages, countries and people from other cultures are generally more open-minded than those, who didn’t have this opportunity. Those Germans with a weak tradition or positive and open identity tend to perceive people belonging to a different religion, nation or cultural background with distrust and refusal.
• There are a lot of positive aspects about the mentality and values of many Germans that are worth being protected. But there are other aspects that are an obstacle to the creation of a more peaceful, tolerant, fair and stronger society. The arrival of people from other countries is a chance to keep the positive aspects and change the negative aspects of the German mentality. Germans should get rid of their arrogance concerning their economic performance. The idea of German superiority due to a special work ethos doesn’t take account of the high price German workers paid in the last decades for lowering wages and social standards. And it doesn’t take into account that much of the German economic performance is linked to a position of power and to unbalanced economic structures inside Europe and on an international level.
• Germans should restore some kind of respect for elders, for families, for children, for people in need and for friendship in general. As the inter-human and emotional level of the German mentality is low compared to many other cultures, it would be a big step forward, if Germans could lower their egoism and focus on work and money, and develop a sense of community and solidarity with all other members inside this country, old and young, living here since decades or newly arrived.
• Finally, as Germans have a low connection to their own emotions and body, it would be helpful to strengthen this connection on a practical level, by singing, dancing, maybe even therapeutic measures. Maybe, a lot of those people that come and still want to come to Germany from all over the world can help us in becoming a more open-minded, tolerant, emotionally balanced and warm-hearted people.

Germany is, despite all the destructions of the past, a beautiful spot of land on this planet. With some efforts, courage, political will and the support of an active and optimistic part of our society, it can be a wonderful place to live in for generations to come. For those, who already live here, and those, who will join us in the future.

WIR SCHAFFEN DAS!