Deutschmark nationalism and Europeanized identity: Exploring identity aspects of Germany's adoption of the Euro

Abstract

What does the adoption of the euro tell us about German national identity? Are there elements of national identity that can help explain Germany's acceptance of European monetary union? The prevailing literature often portrays the internal German debate about the euro as a battle between Germany's ‘Europeanized identity’ – which pushed in favor of the euro – and ‘Deutschmark nationalism’ and national economic pride – which emphasized retaining the Deutschmark. In contrast, this paper argues that the distinction between Germany's Europeanized identity and economic nationalism is exaggerated. Rather than viewing it as a constraint on German acceptance of the euro, economic pride already represents a form of post-national identity. Unlike language or ethnicity, economic pride does not function well as an identity marker. Deutschmark nationalism was so obviously a constructed form of identity that it was open to alternative interpretations as well. Most importantly, there is no logical barrier to expanding the principles behind Germany's economic success to the rest of Europe. The paper concludes that extending the basic principles of the German monetary order to the rest of Europe was a consistent solution to this interaction of different identity issues at stake in the German debate over the euro.