[u-89]

the historically provincial germans were forced very late to accept nationalism

Forced together by the warfare of big thinkers like Bismarck. The Germanic States were unified by force by Prussia and not as a voluntary union or confederation like the US. Of course once unified Germany had to play catch up with the other European nations and become an imperial power. It had to have it's proper place under the sun you know. Well they got. And it should be a lesson to us today - all this neocon talk of national greatness and gloabl hegemony is making me nervous.

[nkycincinnatikid]

But you miss an aspect not present with our confederation. france with the most powerful army in the world and Russia with the largest, would never have consented to the unification of the Germans, whether by democratic means, monarchial union or silly string. It took a ARMIES and cunning to unite even a portion of Germany. But today the Oder Neise divides Poland and Germany not france and Russia.