This thesis examines the Schiller Festival of 1859 to analyze cultural nationalism in Germany before the establishment of the German Empire. In November 1859, festivals commemorating the 100th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller’s birth were held simu...
This thesis examines the Schiller Festival of 1859 to analyze cultural nationalism in Germany before the establishment of the German Empire. In November 1859, festivals commemorating the 100th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller’s birth were held simultaneously in over 500 cities, mainly German-speaking areas in central Europe. The Schiller Festival of 1859 was organized voluntarily in each city by the German bourgeoisie, rising personages of the region. Having undergone the radicalization of the German Revolution of 1848~1849, they planned a decent and orderly festival. The festival basically made it possible to imagine the nation as an ethnic community that shared the cultural memory of Schiller. At the same time, the German bourgeoisie showed off their power and values they pursued in diverse programs within the festival. Cultural nationalism of the German bourgeoisie had complex goals of forming not only an ethnic community but also a civil society. Moreover, symbolic struggles over a common cultural capital, Schiller, took place in the festival. German bourgeoisie brought Schiller to the fore as a symbol of freedom, unification, and bourgeois values. The festival succeeded in eliciting a wide resonance in the German-speaking areas. However, various political and social forces representing regions, classes, religions, and political complexions attempted to weaken the symbolic power, which often resulted in overt conflicts. There were multi-layered competitions to take the initiative in Germany at the period when forming a nation-state was a significant goal.