Good Neighbors After a Century: The Danish-German Rapprochement

The European idea of the nationstate was a major source of conflict over the past two hundred years; after World War II it seemed as if nationalism-the demand of each self-defined ethnic group for political control-had burnt itself out at tremendous human cost. The Danish king ruled Denmark proper b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Scandinavian review 2021-04, Vol.108 (1), p.20-34
Main Author:	Einhorn, Eric S
Format:	Magazinearticle
Language:	eng
Subjects:	19th century Cooperation Culture Language schools Minority & ethnic groups Nationalism Nazi era Oppression Political representation Politics Referendums Refugees Voters War World War I
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The European idea of the nationstate was a major source of conflict over the past two hundred years; after World War II it seemed as if nationalism-the demand of each self-defined ethnic group for political control-had burnt itself out at tremendous human cost. The Danish king ruled Denmark proper but was also the Duke of three duchies: The border adjustments therefore would have numerous unhappy "losers" as a result. [...]1933 the German minority in southern Denmark and the Danish minority in northern Germany concentrated on maintaining schools and cultural activities. Popularly called "home Germans" (Hjemmetyskere), the German minority in Denmark accepted their status and succeeded in electing one representative to the Danish parliament (Folketinget) as well as to several local councils, and German language schools were permitted with state support. [...]the German minority north of the border began to agitate for a border revision while organizations became "nazified"; meanwhile the Danish minority in Germany again felt the cold winds of oppression. [...]in the final phase of the war nearly 300,000 German refugees crossed into Denmark.
ISSN:	0098-857X