Talk:Anti-German sentiment

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1. – December 2006

Merge

During the discussion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Organised persecution of ethnic Poles the consensus seem to to merge this article into anti-Polish sentiment; the German versions are used as an example in discussion and there are several suggestions they should be merged as well. Comments appreciated.-- _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus | talk}  12:57, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Soap operas are about sentiments. Rename all sentiment articles before you merge anything.Xx236 16:17, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

No, I do not think that merging is a good idea. For example, Antisemitism and Persecution of Jews are two different topics. Anti-German sentiment and Organised persecution of ethnic Germans are also different. Former is about sentiment and propaganda, later is about real action, such as imprisonment, execution, etc. However, there is some overlap here. The article about "persecution" includes anti-German sentiment and rightly so. This is because any action (persecution) requires first to convince people that such action is necessary (hence the "anti-sentiment"). Still, I think it is perfectly fine to have some degree of overlap in articles about different subjects if it makes articles more readable.Biophys 20:18, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

I think the two are quite inter-related (for instance regarding WWI), and sometimes the line between sentiment and persecution is a gray one. However, as Biophys points out, we have two articles for Jews, and now for Poles, so I'm not vehemently in favour of merging (though I do think readability will ultimately improve if we do combine the two). In either case, let's aim for some consistency across ethnicities - that's paramount. Biruitorul 03:34, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

Do not merge. Merging is a bad idea.

Skeeter08865 (talk) 21:22, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Germanization rather than germanization

Xx236 16:19, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

British public people...

The quote should be removed or supported with other sources.Xx236 14:54, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Vandalism by 194.9.5.10

The Wreschen repressions are described in the linked article. Maria Konopnicka existed and wrote an anti-German poem. What shall I prove more? I don't even know why do you protest - as German or as Polish?Xx236 12:49, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

It needs to be separate

This is of particular signifance to the expulsion of after World War 2. Harlowraman 09:28, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Fawlty Towers

No mention of the 'Germans' episode from Fawlty Towers! A quote from this comedy show: "Don't mention the war" has become a common catch-phrase here in the UK. Colin4C 19:53, 27 July 2007 (UTC) NO —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.62.215.169 (talk) 14:10, 20 April 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia should talk about world renowned shows not local quarrels —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.62.215.169 (talk) 14:11, 20 April 2011 (UTC)

wrong information

Germans sometimes complain of stereotypical associations of them with acts and a regime of more than sixty years ago, such as the use of anti-German sentiment in headlines by parts of the British press, recent examples arising when German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, though Ratzinger had been a member of the Nazi party and in the German army during World War 2, so the tabloids had some legitmacy rather than just relying on a stereotype.

Hi, I'm going to change this because as a short click on the Benecict XVI link shows, it's plain wrong. Ratzinger was never a member of the Nazi party (hey, he was just 18 when the war ended). He was a member of the Hitler Youth but it's not as if any german boy had had any choice about that. The same is true for the short time of military service that followed. So the tabloids didn't have any legitimacy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.109.222.60 (talk) 10:55, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Pope Benidict was not a member of the Nazi Party. However the German youth did have a choice. Yes it was cumpolsory by the end of the war (I do not believe it was before the war) to be a member, it was quite possible to avoid it especailly at the end of the war. There were several wartime 'gangs' of youths based on old SDP and Communist affiliation that resisted joining the HY. Though some died for thier defiance (White Rose movement). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.78.209.134 (talk) 14:22, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Evading Hitler Youth service was not outright impossible, though it certainly would have put the boy and his family at extreme risk. Remember, we're talking about a totalitarian police-state, where non-membership of ideological institutions such as the HY or Reichsarbeitsdienst would have had serious repercussions with near certainty. Joining one of "several wartime youth 'gangs'" so as to resist the regime or stay clear of its indoctrination, is an all-but hypothetical argument. Hence, it is legitimate to say that if German kids had any chance of avoiding HY service, it certainly was too remote to offer any 'choice'. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.176.206.130 (talk) 15:07, 17 May 2011 (UTC)

Robert Graves

I've requested an additional source to support the claim that in 1919 the anti-German sentiment started to diminish in Britain. The only reference given is a quote from a writer of German descent and thus he may have had a POV to express. An anti-French POV it seems. Was his view the common view in Britain as is implied in the article? A reference other than Graves is needed. 125.7.44.167 21:45, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

Furthermore, Graves isn't considered an authority on this subject and the book from which the quote is taken is not a referenced scientific publication but an autobiography. Autobiographies are not a recounting of facts but a recounting of perspective. I will remove the quote if it remains unsupported by other references. 125.7.44.167 12:25, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

From you logic one could also argue that as Graves's father was Irish he may have had anti-English bias as well! He is reporting on the bias as he found it at Oxford which he was well qualified to express. --Philip Baird Shearer (talk) 13:34, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

From your logic any statement made in an autobiography is without POV and objective. His opinion means nothing Without external sources backing his POV. Shouldn't be difficult to find if his view was the common one. LuciferTom (talk) 00:47, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Showing point of view

As a member of WikiProject Germany, I have begun to neutralizes this article. I advise others to do so. --Alien joe (talk) 21:26, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Quality

This article needs a lot of work. Many sections are incomplete, examples are patchworked together, and the tone is inconsistent. While not perfect, the Anti-Italianism article shows many ways in which this article could be improved.Udibi (talk) 01:28, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Quote: Anti-German sentiment has endured in some countries, particularly Poland.

Why particularly Poland? This is absolute non-sense. The country that - by far - is the most anti-German is the United Kingdom. The Polish are much more anti-Russian than anti-German.

well, watch this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/euro2008/article-1024469/Germany-star-Ballack-caught-decapitation-row-ahead-Poland-clash.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.164.253.111 (talk) 19:26, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Don't have to watch it, it's all over the media. But that's football. AND: Mentioning this shows how you don't understand the Polish. They have always admired the Germans, felt inferior to them, that's why they like to annoy them. They aren't Anti-German. I'd even say they are - if only in some ways - the most germanophile people in the world! A recent poll in Poland has shown that on a "popularity scale" from +3 to -3, Germany among Polish is at -0.05. I want to know the results from the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland!! Therefore, I've now deleted that faulty section.

oh, you're right the demand for decapitation is a true evidence of admiration —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.164.192.35 (talk) 13:46, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Anti-German sentiment in the Netherlands

I think the section on Anti-German sentiment in the Netherlands, which starts saying that ‘for centuries a feeling of animosity exists towards Germans among the Dutch.’ is much too imprecise, although a popular opinion. First of all, Germany as a single state, which it is today, did not exist in the 16th century; furthermore opinions swayed along with the wars the Dutch fought, or were based on a particular group, such as the Hannekemaaier (or in German: Hollandgänger) who were indeed depicted as being rude, stingy and stupid. For example, after the Boer wars in South Africa, Dutch opinion was much more anti-English than anti-German: the Dutch Queen at that time, Wilhelmina, actively tried to form an alliance against the English to help the Boers, who were felt to be strongly related to the Dutch (a feeling which was shared among many Dutch). After the end of the Boer war she did not marry an Englishman, which would have been inappropriate, but a German (and so did her daughter, Juliana, and her grand-daughter Beatrix). The German Emperor Wilhelm II was even granted asylum in the Netherlands (not wholeheartedly however). Also, with the rise of the German industry in the Ruhr area Rotterdam flourished, which led to much trade between the Netherlands and Germany. Of course, after WW II there was much resentment and hatred, but I think it is incorrect to extend this view before WW II in general. More about the political and trade relations between Germany & the Netherlands can be read in Dutch here: [1] --82.170.225.52 (talk) 10:17, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

The whole section on supposed anti-German sentiments in the Netherlands is vastly exaggerated. Beyond some petty football rivalries and relatively good-natured humourous references to a neighbouring country (which exist everywhere - compare British/Irish relations for example), Dutch/German relations are fine. Opinion polls show Germany and the German people to be viewed by the Dutch in an overwhelmingly positive light. The most Germanophobic countries in Europe today are probably the UK, Poland, and the Czech Republic - and in the latter two such sentiments have been in decline over the past couple of years.

The article makes it sound as if there is a deeply entrenched Germanophobia running through Dutch society, which is simply nonsense. I'd say rewrite of scrap that bit of the article. Any other opinions on this? Vlaflipje1982 (talk) 13:46, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Cleaning up some small portion

1.Inflation was certainly not caused by anti-German sentiment. This is I think obvious. 2. Claims about "German lands" in Poland and Lithuania are contradictory to themselfs. A carefull look will show that everywhere mentioned Germans were minority. As to Plebiscites-areas where Germans voted for Germany stayed with it, where Poles voted for Poland in certain cases went to Poland in others to Germany. 3. Polish terrorist acts is obviously POV-ed and I wonder where does the language come from... --Molobo (talk) 12:21, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

Reverted. Don't feed the trolls -- Matthead  Discuß   23:46, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

Neutral point of view

In the United States between 1917-18, German-American schools and newspapers by the thousands were forced to permanently close. In cities and towns across the nation, libraries burned their German-language books in public burnings. The officials of German-named towns that had been founded by German-Americans were intimidated by county, state, and federal government officials into anglicizing their names, and into destroying all traces of their German heritage. In cities across the United States, German-sounding street names were banned. Many families with a German-sounding last name changed their surname. The vast majority of German-Americans, however, were loyal to their adopted country and thousands of them served in the United States military.

I would strongly suggest to rephrase this section in a more neutral way. The term loyal is merely a value judgement, and reflects the anglo-american view of the time. The last part makes it look as if these americans of german origin were in fact the offenders. Considering everything laid out before this gives an rather odd impression of the facts. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.85.246.57 (talk) 10:57, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

France

Currently in the article, you would think that Britain and Russia are the main basis of "Germanophobic" sentiment. Yet people like J. R. R. Tolkien were able to "blend in" to the cultural realm of what is "British" without question. Historically Germanophobia from France, far, far exceedes either of those two. Intellectual, cultural and political (people like Maurras seem to have resented Germany almost as much as he resented Jews). There is also the Alsace Question and other such things tied in, but no section is dedicated to it at all. - Yorkshirian (talk) 05:39, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

True. German-France agression and hate was the cause of 3 major wars. Also I vote this article be scheduled for rapid deletion. CJ DUB (talk) 15:55, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Czech Republic

I miss some comments about the Czech point of view. There are wide spread germanophobic sentiments within the main part of Czech population, not only as a result of living under Habsburg rule, problems with Sudeten Germans, World War II and East German troops taking part in supressing Prague spring in 1968 but also nowadays with Germans as main visitors of prostitutes along Czech-German border. --91.16.116.44 (talk) 09:06, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

East German Troops are not taking part in supressing the Prague spring, and Habsburg was Austria-Hungary, not Germany. And the increasing prostitution is mainly a problem of the Czech society and not caused by Germans. --84.187.66.242 (talk) 23:04, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

pics

Per WP:Bold i have removed a section that offers nothing to the article, is not even on topic and furthermore is wrong on so many levels. Per the edit comment, here are the removed pics.

British Empire Union poster

Polish poster, probably originating from a nationalist organization, claiming large parts of Germany and Czechoslovakia

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.17.0.3 (talk) 10:43, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Source

An editor has been adding a newspaper source to the article, yet the online archive of the newspaper contains no article or any article related to the subject. I request the editor to deliver the source to prevent falsification of information. Bram.ellis (talk) 18:12, 26 December 2010 (UTC)

Conspicuous by its absence

This article is missing the most obvious anti-German propaganda of all time. The myth of the "Holocaust". The article clearly shows outlandish anti-German propaganda during the First World War, and that that was just Anti-German sentiment. But similar (and even more outlandish) propaganda during the Second World War is not included? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sheamus McDonald (talk • contribs) 14:05, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

This article should include a section "German self-hatred"

IMHO to be complete this article should include a section about the German self-hatred which can be found especially among the left-wing in Germany. Like it says here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Arthur_Harris,_1st_Baronet#Legacy "Phrases like "Bomber-Harris, do it again!" and "Bomber-Harris Superstar - Thanks from the red Antifa" are popular slogans among the so called "Anti-Germans" which is a political movement in Germany and Austria." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.34.176.18 (talk) 04:50, 3 August 2011 (UTC)