After reading the course description and why Germany was chosen to explore the topic of Nihilism, it makes great sense. Russia may have been where the idea of Nihilism was created but Germany is in a unique position. Germany had the strongest army at the beginning of World War I. Towards the end of World War I, Germany had suffered more than any other country in the war. Their economy was crushed by the reparations they were forced to pay to France, Britain and the United States. They were publicly condemned and blamed for the war. Their national pride plummeted. It almost seems as though destroying their past to create something new was something they needed to do in order to move forward.
I think Nietzsche saw Nihilism as the effect of Christianity. He believed that Christianity suppressed human desires and wants which in turn caused those human desires and wants to explode and perhaps become more grotesque than they would have had they been allowed to flourish. I think he embraced the natural human qualities and rejected the moral codes in which one was forced to live by in order to fit into society.
Great points on how Germany was outcast by other big countries, and how they felt the need of a fresh and new beginning, especially after the war
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think the way Germany felt after the war is very important to capture.
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