Re:The man who screwed an entire country
by Perceval on Friday June 10, 2011 @03:59PM
(#2642193)
Germans were traditionally known for beer, singing, and culture. It was the Prussians who were known for their militarism.
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Not exactly. See, for example, Tacitus (c. 98 CE):
Repose is unwelcome to their race, and toils and perils afford them a better opportunity of distinguishing themselves; they are unable, without war and violence, to maintain a large train of followers. The companion requires from the liberality of his chief, the warlike steed, the bloody and conquering spear: and in place of pay, he expects to be supplied with a table, homely indeed, but plentiful. The funds for this munificence must be found in war and rapine; nor are they so easily persuaded to cultivate the earth, and await the produce of the seasons, as to challenge the foe, and expose themselves to wounds; nay, they even think it base and spiritless to earn by sweat what they might purchase with blood.
Yes, and the Wirtschaftswunder [1], the huge industralisation and production of West-Germany after WWII. Whether that's a legacy of the traditional Meister-Geselle (master-student) and Zünfte (guilds), or modern capitalism, remains to be seen.