Now before you start screaming neo-nazi, keep in mind that a Fourth Reich need not be dominated by the National Socialists. All a reich is is a period of prosperity for Germany. The first two reichs (Those being the Holy Roman Empire and the Wiemar Republic) were for the most part benevolent. Yes, the Nazis created the Third Reich, but the word reich has nothing at all to do with Nazis. It just means a period of prosperity and wealth for Germany. In my mind, I think Germany is on the verge of another reich right now. They've almost fully recovered from the effects of WW2 and the Cold War and their economic powerhouses, having the fourth largest economy in the world and the largest in Europe. What do you guys think?
Halo, what were the common economic and historical factors that defined the First and Second Reich, and how do they compare or contrast with the same sort of factors that are present in Germany now?
The Holy Roman Empire was dominant of most of Europe, as well as being one of the richest, if not the richest power in Eurasia. The Wiemar Republic, while it was not as dominant, held influence over much of Europe, and again, was significantly richer then most other European nations at that time. Of course, the Treaty of Versailles wrecked that. For the comparison, Germany is once again becoming one of the richest powers in Europe, and again is becoming one of the most influential. At the moment, I am fairly certain that it is only slightly behind France in terms of influence in the EU. For the time being, it seems to me that they will continue to rise in influence and wealth, just as they have the last 3 times. True, they don't control as much land as The Holy Roman Empire, but neither did the Wiemar Republic. Off-topic, but only the First Reich (The Holy Roman Empire) has come close to Hitler's thousand year reich, being only ~100 years short of it.
It was Napolean who put paid the the HRE, wasn't it? From what little I recall of German history, after the 30 years war Germany was literally a bloody shambles, and divided into a couple of hundred little statelets. Napolean went about reorganising this mess and brought the states down to seventy. These seventy states were brought together by the diplomacy of Bismark, who helped form the German Empire in 1871; I stand to be corrected on any of these details, halo, or to have them expanded upon.
My own ancestry is recent German-American (first ancestors in th US in 1866, the bulk between 1880 and 1925), and I just wish Germany could remain a quaint little non-political state with a large and technologically adnaced economy. I HATE that Reich crap with a passion!!! I wish for Germany to be a commercial power, with a military strong enough to defend her, but not in the exaggerated sense of the US "defense" of her "overseas interests" (i.e., imperial policing), but just the actual and effective defense of her own territory. I hope Germany pulls out of that awful "Eurozone" as soon as possible, and reestablishes the Deutschmark as her currency (hopefully backed by gold and silver), but I hope that work "Reich" need never again be pronounced except with reference to shameful history.
pjdude1219 and mathman: Right you are!! Besides, the HRE was the Hapsburg Empire, which also looms large in my family history (and we all LOVE it, to the extent that I actually have two cousins born in Romania named "Franz" and "Ferdinand" (get it? Franz Ferdinand??) But the Second Reich was of the House of Hohenzollern, which is the traditional ruling house of my own ancestral KIngdom of Prussia. If I can be allowed this little bit of ethnic chauvinism (just a salute to the good old days!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIYbdyZqTN4
