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Martin Klatt, ph.d., Dept. of Border Region Studies

South Schleswig at Crisis Points: Identity Change in a Border Region Eurocorecode CRP-workshop, Alba Iulia, 8-9 March 2013. Martin Klatt, ph.d., Dept. of Border Region Studies. Schleswig (-Holstein) identity. Border zone

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Martin Klatt, ph.d., Dept. of Border Region Studies

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  1. South Schleswig at Crisis Points: Identity Change in a Border RegionEurocorecode CRP-workshop, Alba Iulia, 8-9 March 2013 Martin Klatt, ph.d., Dept. of Border Region Studies

  2. Schleswig (-Holstein) identity • Border zone • Regional distinctiveness (neither part of Denmark nor core-Germany, separate institutions) • Cultural affinity to German culture (but that can be applied to all pre-1940 Denmark)

  3. Topographicaldivide: Marsh Geest Hill-lands (W to E)

  4. Language, 1840 Danish spokenlanguage on the retreat – German as standard language of elementaryeducation, and exclusive in highereducation and administration

  5. 1920-Plebiscite – Region or nation? Schleswig-Holstein=Germany Denmark: no regional symbols

  6. LongueDuréeperspective • Era of the Region: Schleswig (-Holstein) as a region since the 1100’s • Region within the conglomeratestate (empire?) • Post 1800: From region to nation?

  7. Identity Crisis – the region’s last stand? • Crisis of 1929-35 • Economic crisis, especially in agriculture • Crisis of 1945-50 • Post WWII ”Zusammenbruch”

  8. Crisis of democracy – attraction of the far right • Rural areas • Protestant • Petty bourgeoisie • Schleswig-Holstein: the smaller the town, the higher the share of NSDAP-votes (Heberle) • Agrarian crisis – peasants become apolitical, oppose the “system”

  9. Reichstag-elections in South Schleswig* *Counties of Südtondern, Flensburg Land, Flensburg Stadt, Husum, Eiderstedt, Schleswig

  10. Schleswig-Holstein counties with liberal majority in 1919 and NSDAP-majority later* Heberle, p. 43. NB that all the countiesare in South Schleswig!

  11. NSDAP-votes, topographical regionstownslessthan 2,000 inh. (Heberle, p. 97) • Strongest in the Danish Dialectarea! • Parallel to Masuria in East Prussia • But: DithmarscherGeesthigherthan ”Danish-speaking” Geest

  12. Danishashomelanguage, 1932

  13. Regional? • The role of regional identitydifficult to assess – apparently not important • Social crisisresulted in certainvoting patterns • But: Lack of deeplyrooted national-culturalvaluesleading to politicalextremes?

  14. Post WW II – wewant to be Danish • Expectations from post WW I experience • German surrender • Geneology • A better future

  15. ”Heimat” – movement under the Danish flag in South Schleswig Election posters SSW, 1950

  16. Nazis becoming Danish?Municipalities in Flensburg County with the highest share of Danish votes in 1947 and their far right votes in July 1932 NB: except for Grossenwiehe, all othermunicipalities border Flensburg city

  17. Identity change? • Minoritylarger in numbers: 50,000 today, 10,000 interwaryears • Identity is a continuousprocessinfluenced by many factors • National frames of identificationremainstrong: identitychangewas from German to Danish, regional identityremains a secondarycategory

  18. References Rudolf Heberle (1963): Landbevölkerung und Nationalsozialismus. EinesoziologischeUntersuchung der politischenWillensbildung in Schleswig-Holstein 1918-1932, Stuttgart Martin Klatt (2004): Nationalsozialismus und dänische Minderheit. VersucheinerAnnäherung an einenzeitgenössischenErklärungsversuch des nationalenGesinnungswechsels in Südschleswignach 1945, Demokratische Geschichte, 16, 171-177 Gerhard Stoltenberg (1962): PolitischeStrömungenimschleswig-holsteinischenLandvolk 1918- 1933. EinBeitragzurMeinungsbildung in der WeimarerRepublik, Düsseldorf

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