Deutschtum (German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʏtʃtuːm]) is a German term equating to "Germanness".[1] It may either refer to the German character and spirit, the belonging and yearning to the German people or the entirety of German ethnic groups residing in foreign countries.[2] An anti-Western concept of a romanticized Deutschtum has been an important component of German nationalism, when the conceptions of Volk (people) and Gemeinschaft (community) were driven to their extremes during the Third Reich.[3]

Map depicting the territories inhabited by ethnic Germans in Europe during the interwar period (c. 1930)

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Bibliography

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  • Verheyen, Dirk (1999). The German question: A Cultural, Historical, and Geopolitical Exploration. Cambridge, England, UK; Malden, Massachusetts, USA: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-6878-2.[permanent dead link]