Twilight of the Idols

by

Friedrich Nietzsche

The German Reich Term Analysis

The German Reich refers to the German nation-state that existed from 1871 (following the unification of Germany) to 1945 (the fall of the Third Reich). When Nietzsche discusses the German Reich in Twilight of the Idols, he is referring to the German Empire or Second Reich, which lasted from the Germany’s unification to the November Revolution in 1918, when Germany’s government switched from a monarchy to a republic.
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The German Reich Term Timeline in Twilight of the Idols

The timeline below shows where the term The German Reich appears in Twilight of the Idols. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Morality as Anti-Nature
History and the Decline of Civilization  Theme Icon
The Will to Power   Theme Icon
The Ideal vs. The Real  Theme Icon
Christianity and the “Revaluation of All Values”  Theme Icon
...politics, too—there’s a “self-preserv[ing]” advantage to having an opposing party. For example, the newly formed Reich needs an enemy to make its existence necessary. (full context)
Expeditions of an Untimely Man
History and the Decline of Civilization  Theme Icon
The Will to Power   Theme Icon
Christianity and the “Revaluation of All Values”  Theme Icon
It’s a critical time for the German Reich. In contemporary Germany, people live in the moment and advance ideas that lead to “dissolution”... (full context)