A Germany divided

Chapter seven of Hans Kohn's The Idea of Nationalism is certainly about the old world. However, instead of looking further at the nationalism of France or England, he turns to Germany and the rest of what he considers central and Eastern Europe.

On the one hand, I appreciate this look at a country that I've always considered to be very western in its culture and ideology. On the other, it feels like he's using Germany as a stand in for Russia, India, and the rest of the "central and eastern" old world when it comes to nationalism. What about Poland? Norway? Estonia?

It seems like we'll not be hearing much about the smaller countries just yet. If at all. 

Twenty pages in, this chapter also has yet to really mention much about the relationship between nationalism and folklore promised in its title ("The Folklore of the Past"). Kohn's noted that the romantic idea that a nation's true spirit exists in its common people and their practices was prevalent among eighteenth century German thinkers. But that's as close as he's come to folklore.

In fact, so far, he has done little else but paint a picture of a stark divide between classes. Apparently, there were those in the upper and intellectual classes who wanted to and worked to create some sort of German nationalism and there were those in the middle classes who liked the idea of nationalism, but were too caught up in being good citizens to really do much about it. 

From the perspective of narrative, Kohn has set up a conflict that could lead to the creation of a German nationalism. Now it's a matter of seeing how he delivers.