The late 19th, and early 20th century was a period of dynamic change in Europe, and the world. New developments came, like the existence of the nation state, increased trade in consumer goods, mobility, migration, globalisation, and nationalism. This all created new dynamics, with globalisation, migration and nationalism being clear themes in the Conrad and Valerio’s texts.
Conrad highlights a key of idea of transnational history – its belief that national developments were not simply developed internally but created by the links between European and non-European worlds. He linked this beyond the case study of Germany, but also to the British Empire and its global reach, arguing that traditional British ideas took influences from the wider Empire. I found this particularly interesting, for it linked to my module last semester, in which I investigated the causes and influence of Scottish Migration to New Zealand in the long 18th Century. There was key evidence of Scots in New Zealand – like the Scottish settlement of Dunedin, or the Highland games. However, there was also plenty existence of New Zealand links in Scotland, the Kiwi specimens we hold in the St Andrews Museum to this day.
Moreover, the paradoxical link between globalisations development from the 1870’s, and the rise in nationalism intrigued me. The increase in Polish workers in Germany and Prussia created fears for the German people that they weren’t filling in labour gaps but taking over culturally. The increased migration and spread of new cultures itself created a deeper entrenchment of German cultures, creating harder borders, and more regulation. We see the impact this had on Poles, with their treatment as ‘foreign’ workers in Germany changing, and its impact on how Polish identity developed, as internal facers of German colonialism, and nationalism.
Finally, I noticed the ever-persistent focus on agriculture to be interesting. Despite the late 19th century being a time of heavy industrialisation, the need and impact of agricultural workers was something that changed, however never disappeared. This demonstrates the lasting influence of older economic structures.