In the hundred years which passed from late 18th century up to late 19th century there have been sharp ideological and political transformations in Europe. They can be described as a transition from the Enlightenment period to the Romanticism period. These changes occurred in correlatation with the rapid technological developments, particulary in aviation. It was the transformation from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution. From God revealed out of cycles of fertility and growth to God who is revealed out of the machines. In aviation, this transformation was manifested through the development of the flying baloon, which its era of dominating the skies is paralel to the era of Romanticism.
The flying baloon, and later on the airship and airplane, were revolutionary inventions that science did not predict. They were created by technical ingenuity of practical men. There was not a proper preparation of society for them. During the 19th century flying balloons created new paths and destinies. Human beings soared to the skies of God realms and earth’s gravity was unchained. Human boundaries and limits have been redefined, creating a revolution of worldview. But instead of adopting the positive ideas of the French Revolution, Europe got regressed into reactionary monarchies during the 19th century.
In early 20th century there were more ideological changes that came with the invention of the airship and airplane. Romanticism was replaced with Modernism. The universal ideas of the French Revolution were converted into extreme nationalism. Man was released gradually from traditional conceptions about flight, which were always involved with wings of the birds and replaced it with new concepts, were high fixed speed became the supreme value. At the same time aviation was transformed, in an era of modern and total states where national defense became the ultimate goal, not just to a symbol of progress, but also to a symbol of unity and national victory. In the aviation dictatorships of the first half of the 20th century, Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan and Italy, the airplane was kind of a religious icon, a new form of religious fanaticism. It was identical with the spiritual flight.
In early 20th century there were more ideological changes that came with the invention of the airship and airplane. Romanticism was replaced with Modernism. The universal ideas of the French Revolution were converted into extreme nationalism. Man was released gradually from traditional conceptions about flight, which were always involved with wings of the birds and replaced it with new concepts, were high fixed speed became the supreme value. At the same time aviation was transformed, in an era of modern and total states where national defense became the ultimate goal, not just to a symbol of progress, but also to a symbol of unity and national victory. In the aviation dictatorships of the first half of the 20th century, Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan and Italy, the airplane was kind of a religious icon, a new form of religious fanaticism. It was identical with the spiritual flight.
During the second half of the 20th century Modernism gave way to Post Modernism . During this period the missile replaced the airplane as ruler of the skies. The armed balistic missille, controlled at the touch of a button which can eliminate humanity, brought people to cynical worldview centered on themselves.
The spread of Romanticism movement, contributed to a new political world view among the Germans, who lived until the late 19th century in small kingdoms ruled from towering hilltop castles and fought each other. The natural desire was to unite under one roof. In the second half of the 19th century they started a process of consolidating the small German states into one big state, called the Second Reich. The process came to an end only after Hitler's rise to power, when all police forces were consolidated into one central police controlled by the SS. Second Reich was the period in which Germany has moved from Romanticism to Modernism. German Modernism had a militarist face, according to the German political tradition. Below are few key concepts to describe the period:
Pan German - During the Second Reich many German citizens joined a romantic movement with broad popular definitions, the Pan German, which had irrational belief in anything that was 'Germany'. Pan German organizations were vocal and influential, with political pressure groups who often made declarations of intent and mobilized public support. They advocated modern paganism with alternatives to the established religions using appropriate rituals and texts.
Bismarck - Otto von Bismarck, the giant in body and spirit, was the Iron Chancellor of the Second Reich who began to unite the German states gradually under the control of Prussia, the great and powerful kingdom from the north.
The process created Germany as a constitutional monarchy. The emperor was an influential icon, who united all corners of the nation. Actual control was in the hands of Bismarck. But after the death of Bismarck there was not a political leader of stature to counterweight the emperor. As a result, Germany was dominated in the early 20th century by capricious and powerful emperor with few skills to manage huge modern state.
The Second Reich was characterized by a conservative and dominant central government. Bismarck used three main components for establishing its policies: modernization, imperialism, and militarism.
Modernization - Rapid industrialization and modernization took place, aided by the great migration of population from villages to cities. Smoking tall chimneys of factories were popular icon of this period. Modernization took place in recognition of the fact that the real political power is still in the hands of the aristocrats, despite the greater importance of manufacturers.
Imperialism - Bismarck understood the value of the colonies as an addition and as a unifying factor. One of his arguments was that Great Britain's international standing has limited the economic growth of Germany and threatened its security, because economic survival depends on the availability of foreign markets. German imperialism promised the masses of all the social spectrum limitless possibilities in overseas countries. German imperialism was spread especially across the borders of Germany, and the neighboring states became part of its sphere of influence.
Militarism - Imperialism demanded strong army, which was already an essential component of the centralized regime of Bismarck. In the past the powerful army of Prussia gave her a world reputation of great importance. But Prussia didn’t have non-European colonial tradition. Now, it had the momentum to take advantage of a full military potential. the imperialist and militaristic mindset united and inflamed the aristocracy, industrialists and the public and contributed to waves of intense nationalism.
Due to all these reasons and more, united Germany developed aviation with great enthusiasm. Later it would even be nicknamed a 'nation of aviators'. Biographies of Germany’s aviation pioneers shows just how great was their enthusiasm and contribution to the development of aviation in the world. It is equally possible to see how wrong choices made throughout their way shaped the destiny for their homeland and consequently how much it tempted the state to control the decision-making process on the issue, instead of letting free competition.
Otto Lilienthal was a German engineer of Jewish origin, a pioneer of aviation and world's most famous aviator during late 19th century. Lilienthal did much to promote aviation and was the first man who designed and built a glider that could carry a person. Lilienthal was attracted from the begining to the idea of flying through the imitation of the structure and movement of the wings of the birds, since this idea cdominated the perception of aviation in Europe from ancient times to Leonardo Da-Vinci. His brother Gustav continued this line of thought after his untimely death in an aerial accident and tried intensively, until the 1930th, to built a big airplane with waving wings, long after the airplane with fixed wings and propeller became a sole ruler of the skies.
In the late 19th century the Germans developed another air transport mode which and much more efficient, the airship. This was elongated flying balloon wuth a rigid frame and driven by motors, thus allowing movement not only by the grace of the winds. The airship too was invented by a Jew, David Schwartz, but was named after the key figure who developed and promoted it in Germany, Count Zeppelin, and after him all airships became known just as Zeppelins. Despite the initial enthusiasm, it was a huge machine and therefore very expensive, cumbersome and vulnerable, especially due to the use of flamable hydrogen gas to create lift capacity. Airship development was not possible through private enterprise alone. It needed the support of the German people, eager to finance and stimulate these air pioneers. After the first airship crashed and discouraged the inventors, it was the turn of businessmen and politicians who sold the dream to the masses. Thanks to the public's financial support and enthusiasm, aviation enthusiasts won the idea of count Zeppelin to produce more and more airships and to make them, eventually, the major strategic weapon during World War I. It was despite the rapid development of airplane technology.
The airplane was invented in the United States and Germany imported the technological innovation while focusing on the airship. Germany was then in the mid of its rapid modernizm, colonialism and militarism and therefore the airplane created an internal conflict. There was an intense incentive to adopt imported technologies at the expense of local technologies, but at a huge price for the national pride.
Aviation Industry in Germany was developed from zero to be a najor part of the economy within few years. It was developed not just as an integral part of technological development, in process similar to that of many other modern states. In Germany, during the first part of 20th century, instead of being integrated organically, it took the leading position of the economy, society and politics. Development and independence of any state are directly dependent on its means of transport and this is one more important reason why in Germany the airship, and later the airplane, were of absolute importance. Germany is a country isolated by natural barriers: the Alps in the south, the Baltic and the North Sea in the north and the Rhine river in the west. Intuitively, the advanced state developed air mindedness few steps higher and further. It became the combined icon of mobility, unity, modernizm, colonialism, militarism and nationalism altogether.
Aviation Industry in Germany was developed from zero to be a najor part of the economy within few years. It was developed not just as an integral part of technological development, in process similar to that of many other modern states. In Germany, during the first part of 20th century, instead of being integrated organically, it took the leading position of the economy, society and politics. Development and independence of any state are directly dependent on its means of transport and this is one more important reason why in Germany the airship, and later the airplane, were of absolute importance. Germany is a country isolated by natural barriers: the Alps in the south, the Baltic and the North Sea in the north and the Rhine river in the west. Intuitively, the advanced state developed air mindedness few steps higher and further. It became the combined icon of mobility, unity, modernizm, colonialism, militarism and nationalism altogether.
