“Man stellt Denkmäler nicht auf den flachen Asphalt” – Nationalism and Narrative in Commemorative “Siegfried” Monuments in Weimar- and Nazi Germany Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Caleb Benjamin Davis, B.A. Germanic Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2020 Thesis committee: Adviser Dr Katra A. Byram Adviser Dr Anna A. Grotans Copyright by Caleb Benjamin Davis 2020 Abstract The study of monuments has been a widely researched topic in the context of nineteenth-century German nationalism, as well its role in national remembrance. Monuments are physical representations of collective understandings of an event, person or cultural object. Oftentimes, these physical representations of the past are instituted by larger, governmental or national bodies and are guided through the use of narrative. This master thesis engages with nationalist narratives and the presentation of these narratives through physical space and commemoration; focusing on the narratives that guided much of Nazi-Germany’s political development in the 1930s as well as the beginnings of these narratives in early Weimar-Germany. In particular, the myth of the Dolchstoß1 and its utilization to explain Germany’s loss of World War I will be analyzed in connection with the portrayal of sacrificed and heroic soldiers through the mythic figure “Siegfried” in the form of commemorative monuments. 1 Stab-in-the-back ii Dedication Dedicated to Lisa Klotzsche, Alexandra Wößner, Robert Koller, Qian Qing Hu, Lucas Todesco Toledo Barros, Selim Ben Hadj Ali, Jules Hendrik Volker Georges Gilbert, Anne Orthmann and Анна Александровна Сухорукова. iii Acknowledgements I would like to first thank my advisers Anna and Katra for their patience, advice and motivation in writing this thesis. Anna, thank you for your invaluable assistance that lead me to my topic in the first place, and Katra, thank you for your constant advice and help to make me a better writer. Second, I could not have finished this project without the enthusiasm and support of my family, proofreaders, colleagues, cheerleaders and DJs: Dennis Schäfer, Johannes Vith, Jan Schmieding, Maddie Kindig, Ann-Sophie Röhm, Bill Baker, Elizabeth Keith, Caroline Waller, Meredith Spaid, Caralyn Evans, Devon Moore, Jorge Ernesto Clavo-Abass, Genevieve Berendt, Inhalt der Nacht, Tham and Ellen Allien. All of whom contributed in various ways to make sure that this project was completed, and that my sanity remained intact. iv Vita 2013…………………………………………………………..Mount Pleasant High School 2017…………… B.A. Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, UNC-Chapel Hill 2017 to present…………...Graduate Teaching Associate, GLL, The Ohio State University Publications Fields of Study Major Field: Germanic Languages and Literatures v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication...................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv Vita ................................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Nationalism and narrative .......................................................................................... 5 1.1 What is a ‘nation’? ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.2 National Identity .............................................................................................................................. 11 1.3 Identity formation through narrative............................................................................................ 13 1.3.1 Romantic-tragicomedy narrative structure ................................................................................................ 14 1.3.2 Sacrificial narrative structure..................................................................................................................... 15 1.3.3 Heroic narrative structure .......................................................................................................................... 17 1.4 The myth of the ‘Dolchstoß’ ........................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2: Narrative encapsulated.............................................................................................. 24 2.1 Monuments of Siegfried in Germany ............................................................................................ 24 2.2 National Monuments and Nationalism .......................................................................................... 27 2.3 The Siegfried statues and their narratives .................................................................................... 31 2.4 Commemorative monuments ......................................................................................................... 33 2.4.1 Sacrificial monuments ............................................................................................................................... 33 2.4.2 Ambiguous: Siegfried and the Dragon Fafner ........................................................................................... 44 2.4.3 Heroic monuments ..................................................................................................................................... 50 2.5 Siegfried’s contemporaneity ........................................................................................................... 60 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 63 Bibliography and Works Cited .................................................................................................... 69 vi List of Figures Figure 1: Campaign Poster for the 1924 Reichstagswahl, DNVP (1924) .................................... 21 Figure 2: Nibelungenhalle Worms ................................................................................................ 25 Figure 3: Siegfriedbrunnen Odenheim.......................................................................................... 25 Figure 4: Drachentöter von Bremen ............................................................................................. 33 Figure 5: Siegfriedbrunnen Worms .............................................................................................. 33 Figure 6: Siegfried Statue in Braunschweig ................................................................................. 33 Figure 7: "Standbild des jungen Kriegers" ................................................................................... 37 Figure 8: "Siegfried" of Hangelar ................................................................................................. 40 Figure 9: Inscription on the west face ........................................................................................... 42 Figure 10: Inscription at the base of the monument ..................................................................... 42 Figure 11: "Der Drachentöter" of Obermylau............................................................................... 46 Figure 12: "Siegfried" of Frankenthal ........................................................................................... 48 Figure 13: "Siegfried" of Frankenthal July 13, 1957 .................................................................... 50 Figure 14: "Siegfried" of Dülken .................................................................................................. 52 Figure 15: Kriegerdenkmal Viersen.............................................................................................. 53 Figure 16: "Wehrfreiheitsdenkmal" or "junger Siegfried"............................................................ 56 Figure 17: Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) Siegfried with sword (19:14) ................................ 60 vii Introduction Following the resolution of World War I, much of Europe was in a state of ruin. Casualties from the war were reported at over thirty million, approximately ten million soldiers were killed, another twenty million were wounded and approximately nine million civilians were injured or killed during the four-year war (Prost 2014). The holes these losses left in families and communities were especially palpable. The conclusion of the war was met with intense peace treaties and negotiations that had lasting impacts all over Europe. Although, one could argue that no country was as politically and economically ruined from the loss of the confrontation than the nation of Germany. Despite having avoided much of the violence on German soil from either front, the Germans were nonetheless devastated. The famed treaty of Versailles played a large role in this devastation, with Article