German National Symbols

Zimbabwe Coins Document Inflation

Zimbabwe set a dubious world record for highest currency denomination when, in 2009, it issued bank notes in the astronomical value of 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. By the time this Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe note was being released, local citizens were stampeding to spend U.S. dollars and South African rands instead, considering Zimbabwe’s currency less than worthless. The focus of the newspaper story is not the hyperinflation that decimated Zimbabwe’s economy, and drove its citizens to use foreign rather than domestic coins and bank notes. Instead, the story detailed how the worthless 100-trillion dollar bank note is now a hot item on E-bay, and in collector markets a Crisp Uncirculated example typically realizes $5 in U.S. currency. Coin collectors reading this article are likely thinking that this is all very interesting, but coins aren’t issued in such astronomical denominations when inflation gets out of hand. Generally speaking, metal coins vanish during periods of rampant inflation, the government turns on the printing presses to produce notes of increasing denominations, and the purchasing power of these notes plummets. Yes, it is more challenging to identify hyperinflationary denomination coins than bank notes. This is partly because there are so many non-circulating legal tender commemorative coins that were never meant to be spent. Sometimes you have to look more closely to identify which are the true NCLT coins, and which coins with very high denominations were issued with the intention of keeping up with inflation. In the later years of the Peoples’ Republic of Poland, inflation became a serious problem. That fact can be seen through its bank notes, but there was also an attempt to keep coins in circulation by the issuance of a 1991 ringed bimetal circulating commemorative 20,000-zlotych coin composed of a copper-nickel center and a brass composition outer ring. In very recent history Turkey, rather than Zimbabwe, is a better example for coin collectors to examine. While coins vanished from circulation in Zimbabwe, the Turkish government continued to attempt to keep metal coins in commerce with such issues as the copper-nickel 50-bin lira (50,000-lira) of 1996-2000, and its 1999 counterpart composed of aluminum. Between 1999 and 2000 a copper-nickel-zinc 100-bin lira or 100,0000-lira coin was also issued for circulation.

The German shepherd as German national symbol and Nazi propaganda ...

It’s not a coincidence that a breed from the north and a breed from the south were combined and advertised as foundation stock; Germany has had a historical north-south divide and any breed that would be embraced by the entire country would need to appeal to both audiences. Similarly, the Third Reich combined the militarism and discipline of the Prussians in the north with the beer hall culture and engineering prowess of Bavaria in the south. Although it was a shock to modern ears to hear that the GSD was actually more mastiff than shepherd, such hybridization of purpose makes perfect sense not only in what the breed was designed for, but also as a reflection of the culture of the time: farmers beating their plow shares into swords.

National Symbols of Germany, Flag of Germany, Deutschlandlied, Eagle, Brandenburg Gate, Auferstanden Aus Ruinen, Coat of Arms of Germany

Germany as a culture of remembrance, promises and limits of writing history

This kind of Heimat image soon became a stereotype of all German communities. ... to the most common, familiar, and uniting German national symbols. ...

National consciousness in divided Germany

Future disputes over the use of common national symbols were prevented by ... the GDR and being honored by the playing of the East German national anthem. ...

National symbols, fractured identities, contesting the national narrative

A fascinating look at national symbols worldwide and the important role they play in creating and maintaining individual and collective identity.

The German Polity

West German state also claimed to be the only legitimate representative of all members ... Support for specific national symbols has also grown since 1949. ...