Fichte im Wilhelminischen Reich: Idealisiertes Bild, patriotische Vorbildhaftigkeit und nationale Bildung

In Germany at the turn of the 20th century the interest in Fichte’s philosophy was grow- ing remarkably. This phenomenon has to be considered as a part of a broader “German movement”, i. e. a collective cultural trend aiming at pinpointing what had been properly “German” in the last two centuries. This need became even more acute by the outbreak of the Great War. In that context Fichte’s work was used as a benchmark for creating and elaborating on the myth of “the German character.” Many intellectuals of that time interpreted Fichte’s personality and thought as representing ideas, ethical values, spiritual posi- tions, cultural attitudes and political stances which accounted for the specificity of “Germanness”. Since these ideas and values were believed to be particular to the German culture, Fichte was celebrated all across the nation as an exemplary German. Harkening back to contemporary sources the following paper aims to illustrate how Fichte’s image was moulded in order to meet needs and issues emerging from the War and its philosophical-ideological interpretations. At the same time it suggests that the “Fichte case” from the beginning of the 20th century can be interpreted as a paradig- matic example of how philosophical and cultural issues can be ideologically (mis-) interpreted and used to give support to a particular political view.