Pessimistic Nationalism The Tacit Slavery Essay

Optimistic Nationalism: The Tacit Slavery The idea of patriotism is a subjective ideology. One maybe patriotic for putting his national flag outside his house, while another man is called patriotic for fighting for his nation. This love for one’s homeland is one that is natural and not all may possess such affection. However, during the reign of the German empire in the early 1900’s we see from historical evidence that patriotism was not a natural emotion that came about, however it was embedded into the mind of the citizens from a young age. â€Å"Love for the Furor and death for the Furor† was an idea preached like religion in Germany. As we can see in the novel All quiet on the Western Front and the movie Stalingrad both the main character, â€Å"Paul Baumer† and â€Å"Lt Hans von Witzland† respectively, succumbed to the patriotic ideas being spread and entered into an experience they did not expected. Within both the novel and the movie the resp ective authors aimed to portray the brutal image of world war one and two from the eyes of German officers. Although the novel focuses on world war 1 within the western front and the movie focuses on world war 2 on the eastern front we can see a contrast on the experiences of both the main characters of the novel and movie. From how they enter with high patriotic heads and leave in dreaded dismay. Within both stories I feel the authors have given a realistic understanding of the transition both characters faced emotionally and mentally.