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Reader discussion: The Riddle of the Sands

Public reader discussion about The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers.

What was the stereotype of German people in the western world before WWI?

By orange2001

Before people started associating “Germany” with being militaristic, no-fun, and super efficient, it was really Prussia that had that reputation. There wasn’t a Germany yet, so Prussia was the one building a standing army and pushing expansion with both diplomacy and fighting. Over time it basically got folded into the idea of a unified Germany, long before WWI. Edit: also, the second time I wrote “militaristic” was my bad—I meant “efficient.”