History and Film: Representation of West German National Identity in the 1960s

Unity among the social groups provided by national identity is central to the creation and sustaining of the strong nation state. In Germany, the question of national identity was posed more often than in other European countries due to the complex process of the national state establishment. This research will attempt to investigate the process of national identity formation through West German Cinema during the period of the 1960s - 1970s. In this study, I will examine how the ideas of nation and national identity were depicted and reflected in German national cinema and how films projected the tendency towards the revival of common European traditions in German society. The main questions of this research: how can German national identities in the 1960s - 1970s be characterized and how it was reproduced by cinema? By answering these questions, the research will demonstrate the connection between cinema and national culture. The results of the research have demonstrated the connection between new cinematic movements and social changes. Film directors responded to the modernization, democratization, economic recovery, and growing influence of popular culture. They used cinema as an artistic form to express their own view and general social attitudes towards ongoing reforms. Represented films projected the disunity within German society on various levels: division into classes (the bourgeoisie and working class); regional differences; opposition of Wehrmacht soldiers and ordinary citizens. These factors might exhibit the lack of strong German identity in this period. The defeat in the Second World War, the disclosure of Nazi crimes, the destruction of the cities, and the national economy have undermined the pride and unity of the nation. The film analysis has also revealed the influence of European cultural development on German cinema. New genres reflected the tendency towards Europeanization.