A History of Franco-German Alliances and Differences

President Schroeder of Germany and President Chirac of France are the inheritors of what the German Philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1833) called, “Der Geist von der Deutsche Leute”, (The Spirit of the German People.). He defines this “Spirit” as the unspoken and unbroken bond that exists between the generations of Germans, extending from the pre-historic German tribes to the present time (circa early 19^th Century). The mysticism of this “Spirit” or “Geist”, according to Hegel, is the driving force, which motivates German action and German reaction to events. It is the very soul of their nationalism and the reason for their unification as a people, for they view themselves as unique and special. In essence, the French view themselves in much the same way.

The present day realization of this “Spirit” by both the Germans and the French must be understood in relationship to their individual histories.

Louis XIV created a France that thrived on the trappings of grandeur and power. Almost without exception, the French people, from serf to noble, viewed Louis as God’s lieutenant, and his success in uniting a fractious, civil war torn country, into the most powerful nation in Europe, only confirmed this view. Every royal court in Europe (with the possible exception of England) copied the French language, manners, architecture and culture.

In 1789, as a result of the revolution, the trappings were gone and for ten years the French found themselves in a quagmire of war and ostracism. Then came Napoleon and a new form of grandeur, conquest and power. After Napoleon was defeated (1815) the French would continue to look for another “man on a white horse”.

In the 1860s they would have Napoleon III and he would lose the Franco-Prussian War. Then General Georges Boulanger, who literally pranced about upon a white horse, in the 1890s, only to fall from grace when his bid for power was unmasked and again dashed their hopes.

The dreadful Dreyfus Affair (1890s) caused national humiliation when the cherished French Army was disgraced for their role in convicting and innocent man. In World War I they thought they had their great hero in Marshal Henri Petain, only to find him a collaborationist during the German occupation of World War II. Reduced to a defeated people, along came General Charles de Gaulle who, almost single-handed, would restore the fiction of France as a great nation. The trouble was that no one really believed it but, to this day, almost every subsequent French leader would embed his political fortunes upon this figment.

This manifestation of this national psychosis continues to this day.

Germany followed a not so different path, except that German unification did not become a solidified reality until 1870. However, they had Prussia early on and a mystical hero in Frederick II, the Great (ruled Prussia 1740-86). In the dark days of Napoleonic power, when Prussia was reduced to a vassal state, the Germans would reach back into the pre-Roman days of the dark forests where their ancestors roamed in pagan freedom, worshiping trees and other gods. Hegel would view these days as when the birth of the “Geist von der Deutsche Leute” happened and, to this day, even with the trappings of Christianity, this pagan spirit would live within German lore. Otto von Bismarck would use this “Geist” to help him unify Germany. The German Generals, having created the great Army General Staff, would infuse the military with the same mysticism, which would accept no condition of war short of victory. They believed themselves invincible and their short, victorious war (Franco-Prussian War 1870) over the French would only enhance this view.

Their defeat in World War I shattered the German “Geist” and opened the door to the one man capable of immersing himself into all of the paganism of German yearning. Adolph Hitler resurrected the “Geist” and embodied it with all of the pre-historic German sense of the superman. Almost as if they were cast for their roles, were his henchmen. The depraved pagan sadism of Nazi philosophy hit upon the thwarted dreams of people, believing themselves destined for greatness. He nearly delivered!

Again Germany was humiliated and lived in fearful anticipation of being the victims of revenge at the hands of those they so cruelly occupied. Only the United States and England stood between them and annihilation. Some, in Germany, as do some in France, will never forgive us for rescuing them. It has become a symbol of their weaknesses. These two peoples, who continue to dream of greatness, also awaken to find that their time has passed them by, and they blame us.

There is no gratitude from crushed dreams and ambition.

So Chirac, like de Gaulle before him, and Schroeder, like the unreformed nationalists around him, will attempt to humiliate the United States at every possible opportunity. They have formed a tenuous alliance, to afford them an opportunity to again dominate Europe. They see the European Common Market and the Euro monetary unit as a means to this domination. They have also attempted to control the actions of NATO, with some success. In the end they will have to face each other for the game they are playing is quite transparent and , if successful, will mean that only one of these countries will dominate Europe.

Will it be France, or will it be Germany?

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