Geostrategische Ziele und kulturpolitische Konstruktionen : Mitteleuropa im deutschen Denken des 20. Jahrhunderts

Central Europe is not only a territorial and historical Reality, but in the Thinking of Germany during the first half of the 20th Century a concept, a cultural and a political project. Behind it is the desire for German hegemony. The meaning ranges from formal to informal imperialism. This served cultural and political purposes and did not exclude ethnic cleansing or extermination. Depending on the political constellation, the idea of Central Europe underwent frequent changes. The essay traces these changes by way of example. It examines three stages: the First World War, the interwar period, and the brief revival in the years around 1985, which came as a surprise to intellectuals in the Federal Republic of Germany.