Writings

The nineteenth century abounds in nationally-minded proclamations, manifestos and other interventions in the public debate. Rhetorically, they usually link national culture, national character and national loyalty. Such rhetoric and discourse suffused public opinion at the time and was an indispensable factor in nationalist consciousness-raising; yet it is often neglected – or at best mentioned in passing – by social historians and literary historians alike – as the mere ambient "background noise" or ephemeral salestalk of national movements.

The SPIN website aims to gather such material and to highlight it as an instrumental part of nationalist consciousness-raising in nineteenth-century Europe.

Germany

From the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire (1806) to the Wartburg Feast (1817)
Proclamation by Frederick William III of Prussia to his people (1813) (English/German)

Arndt on the Rhine as a German River (1813) (external link, German)

Reports on 1814 commemorative bonfires across Germany for the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (external link, German)

Victory allocution by F.C. Dahlmann in the aula of Kiel University, 7 July 1815 (German)

H.F. Massmann's speech at the commemorative bonfire of 18 October 1816 (German)

Contemporary article on the Wartburg feast and the book burnings of 1817 (external link, German)

Contemporary pamphlet reporting the Wartburg feast of 1817 (external link, German)

1820-1845

Jacob Grimm on Love of the Fatherland (1830) (Latin) (English translation)

Germanisten congresses of 1846 and 1847

Background information by Katinka Netzer