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The late 1990s—a time when a change in government, as well as a rise in right-wing violence fuelled debates about Germany’s collective memory and the “proper” concept of identity for this troubled nation—are the starting point for this book. Its case studies cover the period of 1998 to 2005. In these 8 years Germany saw two changes of government: (1) In 1998 Gerhard Schröder’s “Red-Green” (i.e., “Red-Green” refers to the social democrat/Greens) coalition ended conservative-liberal rule, and (2) in 2005 his government was succeeded by a coalition government of conservatives and social democrats, under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). This book explores discourse surrounding a number of key national and international policies during this time in which Germany was challenged to clearly formulate its sense of self. In Europe, debates about enlargement were on the agenda, while at home in Germany the reform of citizenship and immigration policies inserted civic elements into the concept of the German nation. Against the context of European integration, citizenship reform and immigration, chapters 1 and 2 explore how German identity negotiates both civic and ethnic concepts of the nation and makes the past the measure for the rights and wrongs of politics.
Chapter 1 shows how press discourse mobilises the memory of the past to propagate the concept of an integrationist Germany in Europe, a Germany that tones down its national identity in favour of a European alternative. Europe is the framework through which Germany can signal its postwar democratic credentials, as well as its support for liberalism and market economy. Europe offers a turning point away from the past. However, adopting a European identity also allows Germany to flex its muscles. Under the cloak of European interests, the German press pushes for national interests and even constructs an ethnocentric vision of Europe. Chapter 2 traces the memory of the past in the context of citizenship and immigration reforms. Again, we see a nation that is aware of its history. The past is mobilised to prescribe a future of democracy and a civic concept of nationhood. Yet again, racist discourse blurs the picture, as immigrants are presented as a problem and threat to social cohesion.