Ernst Moritz Arndt's Radical Answer to War: A Historical Reassessment

In a recent article for the German newspaper 'Freitag', Michael Jaeger explores the question of whether wars are avoidable, focusing on the historical figure Ernst Moritz Arndt, who answered this question with a definitive 'no' out of pure hatred. The piece is part of a series by the Freitag that has been investigating the obstacles to peace between people and nations, drawing on thinkers such as Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm, Rainer Mausfeld, Hannah Arendt, Rosa Luxemburg, Theodor W. Adorno, and Benedict Anderson. Jaeger introduces the new book 'Friedlos: Die Deutschen zwischen Kriegsgewalt und Friedenssuche' by historian Eckart Conze, which traces the history of German attitudes towards war and peace. The book begins with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War, and examines how the principle of national sovereignty and the nation-state have made wars inevitable since the French Revolution. Conze's work highlights Arndt's role as a nationalist poet who embraced war as a means of national unification and identity, a stance that Jaeger critiques as a dangerous ideology. The article situates Arndt's views within the broader context of German intellectual history and the ongoing search for peace, suggesting that understanding such historical perspectives is crucial for contemporary peace efforts. Jaeger's analysis underscores the tension between nationalistic fervor and the pursuit of peace, a theme that resonates in today's geopolitical climate.