Measuring the Spread of National Identity. Evidence from the German Empire before 1914

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Business economics - Economic and Social History, grade: 2,7, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Wirtschaftswissenschaften), language: English, abstract: National identity is a significant aspect in the unification process of a nation, especially within the context of structural change in an emerging industrial state. This work aims to identify the spread of national identity within the German Empire, as it sought to establish its economic integration into the world market. As a symbol of identification the German fleet and its relations will be the focus of observation.

Germany and its position within Europe is a special case. The manifold fragmentations along political, religious and cultural lines is a particularly interesting aspect of the emergence of the national state, although its complexity makes it difficult to describe and there are still many gaps in the research. To understand the character of Germany's national identity before 1914 it is crucial to analyze the historical, political, economic and social circumstances to build a meaningful framework. The German Empire's newness as a state and its immense pace of industrial development gave rise to very unique structural dynamics.