German History and the Flag

It is my host's birthday, so he had a gathering of his parents and grandparents. Those generations only knew German, so I spent considerable time in my own world thinking.

It's pretty neat to be sitting her with four generations of Germans. My, what a broad range of experiences this lives have had and will have. I imagined each one representing a different facet of German history and experience. These young boys are being raised in a society that is vastly different from that of their grandparents and great grandparents. So much has transpired here over the past 80 years.

I thought of the memories the great grandparents must have, living through World War II. The stories they could tell, the reflections held deep within. And my generation present would speak of the fall of the Berlin wall and the changes before and after the German reunification in 1990, when East Germany was incorporated into West Germany.

We have even seen a significant shift within the last 2 years. Ever since WWII, there has been a serious reluctance by Germans to display their flag. Any show of patriotism conjured up negative images of what nationalism did as Germans blindly followed their leader in the past. It seemed to have an association with aggression and the continuity of the Third Reich (even though it used a different flag...). So while national pride could be present, one certainly did not want to proclaim it by waving flags and other symbols of their allegiance. Until 2006, the German flag was only seen in official government contexts, such as flying over the Parliament building, but never by the general public.

Then came the surprise. Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, and German flags were suddenly flown by the exuberant sports fans. Germany was a top contender in these soccer championships, and the black, red, and gold began to appear on t-shirts, stickers, umbrellas, etc. It seems so natural for us Americans to see the flag of our country, but for the Germans this was a new development, a step of freedom from the past and great hope for the future. Way to go, Germany!