Anti-American sentiment in Germany

Demonstrators set an American flag in flames during a protest against the Pershing II deployment in Germany, 1982.

Anti-American sentiment in Germany is the dislike of the American government or people^[1] present in Germany. Anti-Americanism has been present in Germany throughout history with several notable incidents. Anti-Americanism was advanced by local leaders under the influence of the former Soviet Union, during the Cold War in East Germany, with dissenters being punished. In West Germany, this sentiment was generally limited to left wing politicians.^[2]

Scholars such as Noam Chomsky and Nancy Snow have argued that the application of the term "anti-American" to the population of other countries does not make any sense, as it implies that not liking the American government or its policies is socially undesirable or even comparable to a crime.^[3]^[4] In this regard, the term has been likened to the propagandistic usage of the term "anti-Sovietism" in the USSR.^[3]

History

The anti-American slogan “Go home, Ami” in West Berlin on the former sector border (the streets of Bernauer Straße and Schwedter Straße (1950). The sign to the left saying (in German) "Entrance to the French sector" was painted over.

Children’s home in the GDR (East Germany) 1951. The slogan can be seen on the blackboard.

During 1820-40 era, hostility toward America stemmed from its perceived cultural inferiority.^[5] Between 1820 and 1870, more than seven and a half million German immigrants came to the United States, buying farms or taking industrial jobs. Few returned to their homeland.^[6]

World Wars

Germany and the United States were at war 1917-1918 and 1941-1945.

Divided Germany

Anti-Americanism was common while Germany was divided after the Second World War. This anti-American sentiment was present in both West and East Germany. However, it was mostly present in East Germany due to Soviet and East German propaganda. Many Germans hated America because of capitalism in general, or because of the humiliation the Allies brought on them after World War Two.

Some right wingers saw the United States as a protector against communism, while others saw the American way of life as uncultured.^[7]

Since 1950,^[8] many European communist parties and their supporters used the slogan against the presence of US soldiers: In 1951, "disruptive troops of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and Free German Youth" on West Berlin train stations had adhesive strips with the slogan "Ami go home!" written on those strips. However, these protests were declared "unlawful" by the West Berlin Police Chief.^[9] In addition, the slogan “Yankee go home” was used mainly in countries where a strong Political Left turned against the US military presence within the framework of NATO, as in France (until 1966) or Italy.

In the 1960s, the slogan was used in response to the Vietnam War by the extra-parliamentary opposition and remained current during the time of the peace movement in the 1970s. After that, it increasingly disappeared from public perception, but rather passed into general language with an ironic undertone.^[10] The Iraq War gave the slogan new popularity in political demands since 2003.

21st century

Anti-Americanism reappeared among some intellectuals after the attacks on 11 September 2001 because of the perceived links between globalisation, Americanisation, and terrorism.^[11]

The War in Iraq in 2003 was highly unpopular at all levels of German society.^[12] Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stated that Germany would refuse to provide troops or money for the Invasion of Iraq.^[13]^[14] With the election of Donald Trump, there have been renewed fears among American think-tanks about the rise of anti-American sentiment in Germany.^[15] Donald Trump, the grandson of a German immigrant, has been noted for his euroscepticism,^[16] while Germany is one of the most Pro-EU countries in the world. In 2017, German magazine Stern published a cover depicting Donald Trump performing the Nazi salute, with the inscription Sein Kampf, in reference to Mein Kampf.^[17] Germans have generally been more negative about their relations with the United States than most other European countries.^[18] Trump was routinely criticised by German politicians, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel.^[19]

In films

In Billy Wilder's film One, Two, Three – which takes place in divided Berlin shortly before the construction of the Berlin Wall – the modified slogan "Yankee go home" is written on balloons. Justification of the writer, who comes from the America's southern states in the film, where the term "Yankee" is used for Americans from northern states: "It doesn't say 'Ami go home', but 'Yankee go home', and nobody likes it!"

In literature

A selection of literature in German contains the words "Ami go home" in the title. These include:

Amt für Information der Regierung der DDR (Office for Information of the Government of the GDR), (ed.) Ami go home. Warum die Amis heimgehen sollen (Ami go home. Why the Americans Should Go home). Die Wahrheit dem Volke, Heft 7 (The Truth to the People, Issue 7), Deutscher Zentralverlag, Berlin, 1950 (German Central Publishing House, Berlin, 1950.)
Ernst Busch, Hanns Eisler: Ami – go home! Ernst Busch (ed.): Friedenslieder. Heft 2 (Peace Songs, Volume 2), Verlag Lied der Zeit (Songs of the Time Publishing House), Berlin o.J. (1952)
James Wakefield Burke: Ami go home. Ein Roman aus unseren Tagen (Ami go home. A Novel from our Days), Amsel, Berlin, 1954
Reinhard Federmann [de]: Ami go home. Stück in 25 Szenen (Ami go home. Piece in 25 Scenes), Sessler, Pfarrkirchen, Munich o.J. [around 1983]
Rolf Winter [de]: Ami go home: Plädoyer für den Abschied von einem gewalttätigen Land (Ami go home: Plea for the Farewell to a Violent Country), Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1989, ISBN 3-89136-288-9
Ingrid Bauer [de]: Welcome, Ami go home. die amerikanische Besatzung in Salzburg 1945–1955; Erinnerungslandschaften aus einem Oral-history-Projekt (Welcome, Ami go home. The American Occupation in Salzburg 1945–1955; Memory Landscapes from an Oral History Project), Pustet, Salzburg 1998, ISBN 3-7025-0371-4
Wilhelm Langthaler, Werner Pirker: Ami go home. Zwölf gute Gründe für einen Antiamerikanismus (Twelve Good Reasons for anti-Americanism), Promedia Vienna 2003 ISBN 978-3-85371-204-7

References

^ Chiozza, Giacomo (2009). Anti-Americanism and the World Order. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
^ Dan Diner, America in the eyes of the Germans: an essay on anti-Americanism (1996).
^ ^a ^b Chomsky, Noam (1993). "Totalitarian Culture in a Free Society". Internet Archive. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
^ Snow, Nancy (2006). The Arrogance of American Power: What U.S. Leaders Are Doing Wrong and Why It's Our Duty to Dissent. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 27ff. ISBN 0-7425-5373-6. OCLC 69992247.
^ Gerrit-Jan Berendse, "German anti-Americanism in context." Journal of European Studies 33.3-4 (2003): 333-350.
^ Guido A. Dobbert, "German-Americans between New and Old Fatherland, 1870–1914". American Quarterly 19 (1967): 663–680 online.
^ "Ami Go Home". The Economist. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ “Zusatz (Addition).” In: Der Spiegel No. 18, 1950 (online)
^ "Im S-Bahn-Schacht verschütt (Spilled in the S-Bahn shaft)", Der Spiegel, 16 July, no. 10, 1951
^ cf. e.g. B. "Ami go home" (Article on US students at British universities), Spiegel Online, 12. April 2002
^ Berendse, "German anti-Americanism in context." Journal of European Studies 33.3-4 (2003): 333-350.
^ Tuomas Forsberg, "German foreign policy and the war on Iraq: Anti-Americanism, pacifism or emancipation?." Security Dialogue 36.2 (2005): 213-231.
^ Hooper, John (6 August 2002). "German leader says no to Iraq war". The Guardian.
^ Tuomas Forsberg (2005). "German foreign policy and the war on Iraq: Anti-Americanism, pacifism or emancipation?". Security Dialogue. 36 (2): 213–231. doi:10.1177/0967010605054649.
^ Erlanger, Steven (11 October 2017). "German Foreign Policy Experts Warn Against Anti-Americanism". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ Kleefeld, Eric (18 August 2016). "Why is Donald Trump calling himself "Mr. Brexit"?". The New Republic. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ "'Sein Kampf': German magazine Stern's controversial cover". Toronto Sun. Associated Press. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ "America's Global Image". pewresearch.org. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
^ "Merkel criticizes Trump attacks on congresswomen". politico.eu. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2022.