Germany’s New World Cup Nationalism

The World Cup, the event that unites the whole world.

Currently, people from countries all around the world gathered together with only a single name on their hearts; homeland. The country, which made it to the World Cup games overcoming lots of hardships, and the country, which wants to present itself proudly on the world stage, relieving itself from the past crime and guilt—each and every country has come together with the same pure passion. The homeland we love so much.

“Deutschland, Deutschland!”

Gisella Paulan’s (25) face was glowing with excitement. On Monday afternoon, right before the match between Germany and Ecuador, Paulan, waving the black, red, and yellow German flag, was cheering on the German soccer team with her friends along the Main River, the official cheering spot of Frankfurt. Paulan introduced herself as “the most ordinary career woman in Frankfurt.” She was a bank teller.

-How come you came here today when the German team already made it into the next round?

-“It is just so much fun being here all together shouting ‘Germany!’ I’ve never experienced something like this before.”

-I suppose it was not like this in 2002 FIFA World Cup, then?

-“No. First of all, the event didn’t take place in Germany, and second of all, people weren’t cheering on the German team as crazy as this time back then.”

Recently, the German media is reporting that “the Germans are rediscovering the Vaterland” (fatherland). Only a few years ago, back in 2002, people marching down the street with the national flag in their hand were regarded as neo-nazis, but now people are waving the German flag while strutting down the streets without hesitating.

I asked Paulan whether people waving the national flag were once considered extreme rightists.

“The extremists are not fond of the black-red-yellow German flag anymore. This flag used to be the symbol of the liberalism movement in the 19th century. Nowadays, the ultra rightists march with a black-white-red flag of the second Reich.”

Germany is the third largest economic powerhouse and home to Goethe and Beethoven. However, Paulan never had a chance to learn about either the national flag or the national anthem at school. The only way she learned the national anthem was by humming the tune of it when it was occasionally played in TV or radio programs.

“When I was young, “nation” was something to be proud of but not to be proudly talked about—some kind of a taboo. We learned this naturally by looking at the faces of adults. Earlier, we hurt others by the name of Germany. We committed crimes. We realized that many were even thinking that the happiness we are now enjoying is ‘not just.’”

In 1989, when the Berlin Wall was torn down, Paulan was eight years old. She still remembers the euphoria that swept over the whole family. Her father said that they should hang the national flag in front of their house. Her mother, however, was reluctant. After all, the flag was not hung.

“Me? I love Germany. I do not think that only because we love our country, this will lead to an invasion of another country. What we want is just to love our country as much as the French or the Polish do. We want to cry, shout, and wave our national flag, when our country wins a match.”

The three-colored flag was drawn on her face. On my compliment that it was very pretty, she showed a broad smile on her face.

“Do you know the second verse of the German national anthem? I learned it recently from the newspaper.” She started to sing the “could-not-be-funnier” second verse of the national anthem. It was a forgotten part. People surrounding her laughed hilariously, clapping their hands.

“German women, German loyalty, German wine, and German song, Shall reign in the world…”

Yoon-Jong Yoo gustav@donga.com