Berlin is cast by Athens as the fount of its troubles, but Greek politicians must bear part of the blame• Germany’s view of how Greece fell from graceNever have Greek-German relations been as bad as they are today. The image of the heartless, cold and disciplinarian Germans hovers over Greece – while in Germany the talk is of the lazy, greedy and spendthrift Greeks who milk the German taxpayer.Traditionally Germans have been the most ardent admirers of ancient Greece. German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) was the first to depict the Greek antiquity as an ideal of otherworldly perfection. The classical image of Greeks as tall, blond Aryans was his invention. He influenced poets from Goethe and Hölderlin to Byron and the entire romantic 19th century. Greece owes its liberation from the Turks to the fact that public opinion in all of Europe was on its side. Related: The bailout crisis: Germany’s view of how Greece fell from grace Continue reading...
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