Anti-American sentiment in Germany is the dislike of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

government or people present in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Anti-Americanism has been present in Germany throughout history with several notable incidents. Anti-Americanism was advanced by local leaders under the influence of the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, with dissenters being punished. In

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, this sentiment was generally limited to

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

politicians.Dan Diner, America in the eyes of the Germans: an essay on anti-Americanism (1996). Scholars such as

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

and Nancy Snow have argued that the application of the term "anti-American" to the population of other countries does not make any sense, as it implies that not liking the American government or its policies is socially undesirable or even comparable to a crime. In this regard, Chomsky likened the term to the propagandistic usage of the term "

anti-Sovietism Anti-Sovietism or anti-Soviet sentiment are activities that were actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the Soviet Union. Three common uses of the term include the following: * Anti-Sovietism in inter ...

" in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

History

During 1820-40 era, hostility toward America stemmed from its perceived cultural inferiority. Between 1820 and 1870, more than seven and a half million German immigrants came to the United States, buying farms or taking industrial jobs. Few returned to their homeland.

World Wars

Germany and the United States were at war 1917-1918 and 1941-1945.

Divided Germany

Anti-Americanism was common while Germany was divided after

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

. This anti-American sentiment was present in both West and East Germany. However, it was mostly present in East Germany due to

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and East German propaganda. Many Germans hated America because of capitalism in general, or because of the humiliation the Allies brought on them after World War Two. Some right wingers saw the United States as a protector against communism, while others saw the American way of life as uncultured. Since 1950, many European communist parties and their supporters used the slogan against the presence of US soldiers: In 1951, "disruptive troops of the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...

and

Free German Youth The Free German Youth (; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth wing of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. The organization was meant for young adults, both male a ...

" on

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

train stations had adhesive strips with the slogan "Ami go home!" written on those strips. However, these protests were declared "unlawful" by the West Berlin Police Chief. In addition, the slogan “Yankee go home''”'' was used mainly in countries where a strong

Political Left Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...

turned against the US military presence within the framework of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, as in France (until 1966) or Italy. In the 1960s, the slogan was used in response to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

by the

extra-parliamentary opposition An extra-parliamentary opposition, also referred to as simply extra-parliamentary or extraparliamentary, is a political movement opposed to a ruling government or political party that chooses not to engage in elections. Many social movements could ...

and remained current during the time of the

peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pe ...

in the 1970s. After that, it increasingly disappeared from public perception, but rather passed into general language with an ironic undertone. The

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

gave the slogan new popularity in political demands since 2003.

21st century

Anti-Americanism reappeared among some intellectuals after the attacks on 11 September 2001 because of the perceived links between globalisation, Americanisation, and terrorism. The War in Iraq in 2003 was highly unpopular at all levels of German society. Chancellor

Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...

stated that Germany would refuse to provide troops or money for the

Invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

. With the

election of Donald Trump Election of Donald Trump may refer to: * 2016 United States presidential election * 2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The ...

, there have been renewed fears among American think-tanks about the rise of anti-American sentiment in Germany. Donald Trump, the grandson of a German immigrant, has been noted for his euroscepticism, while Germany is one of the most Pro-EU countries in the world. In 2017, German magazine

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

published a cover depicting Donald Trump performing the

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

, with the inscription ''Sein Kampf'', in reference to

Mein Kampf (; ) is a 1925 Autobiography, autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The book outlines many of Political views of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's political beliefs, his political ideology and future plans for Nazi Germany, Ge ...

. Germans have generally been more negative about their relations with the United States than most other European countries. Trump was routinely criticised by German politicians, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In films

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

's film ''

One, Two, Three ''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, and written by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. It is based on the 1929 Hungarian one-act play ''Egy, kettő, három'' by Ferenc Molnár, with a "plot borrowe ...

'' – which takes place in divided Berlin shortly before the construction of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

– the modified slogan "Yankee go home" is written on balloons. Justification of the writer, who comes from the America's southern states in the film, where the term "

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...

" is used for Americans from northern states: "It doesn't say 'Ami go home', but 'Yankee go home', and nobody likes it!"

In literature

A selection of literature in German contains the words "Ami go home" in the title. These include: * Amt für Information der Regierung der DDR ''(Office for Information of the Government of the GDR),'' (ed.) ''Ami go home. Warum die Amis heimgehen sollen (Ami go home. Why the Americans Should Go home).'' Die Wahrheit dem Volke, Heft 7 (The Truth to the People, Issue 7), Deutscher Zentralverlag, Berlin, 1950 (German Central Publishing House, Berlin, 1950.) * Ernst Busch,

Hanns Eisler Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was a German-Austrian composer. He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artistic association with Bertolt Brecht, and for the scores he wrote for films. The ...

: ''Ami – go home!'' Ernst Busch (ed.): ''Friedenslieder. Heft 2 (Peace Songs, Volume 2)'', Verlag Lied der Zeit (Songs of the Time Publishing House), Berlin o.J. (1952) * James Wakefield Burke: ''Ami go home. Ein Roman aus unseren Tagen'' (''Ami go home. A Novel from our Days''), Amsel, Berlin, 1954 * Reinhard Federmann de">:de:Reinhard Federmann">de ''Ami go home. Stück in 25 Szenen'' (''Ami go home. Piece in 25 Scenes''), Sessler, Pfarrkirchen, Munich o.J. round 1983* : ''Ami go home: Plädoyer für den Abschied von einem gewalttätigen Land'' (''Ami go home: Plea for the Farewell to a Violent Country''), Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1989, ISBN 3-89136-288-9 * : ''Welcome, Ami go home. die amerikanische Besatzung in Salzburg 1945–1955; Erinnerungslandschaften aus einem Oral-history-Projekt (Welcome, Ami go home. The American Occupation in Salzburg 1945–1955; Memory Landscapes from an Oral History Project)'', Pustet, Salzburg 1998, ISBN 3-7025-0371-4 * Wilhelm Langthaler, Werner Pirker: ''Ami go home. Zwölf gute Gründe für einen Antiamerikanismus (Twelve Good Reasons for anti-Americanism)'', Promedia Vienna 2003 ISBN 978-3-85371-204-7

History

World Wars

Divided Germany

21st century

In films

In literature

See also

References

Further reading