The Germans gave the Czechs a more advanced civilization and a higher standard of living

“If we are in terms of economic and industrial ability, if we are further ahead in administration, discipline and hard work than other eastern nations, we thank German education for that.” stated quite accurately by one of the most important Czech historians of all time, Professor Josef Pekař. The Czechs are really indebted to the Germans for helping them to become among the advanced European nations, which led to a better quality of life and a higher standard of living.

Permanent German settlement began in the Czech lands in the 13th century, when German colonists came to us at the invitation of the Czech kings, who founded cities, introduced more advanced methods in craft production and agriculture, brought with them functional legal systems, and generally improved the country’s civilization Czech crown. The arrival of the Germans at that time is also referred to by historians as the age of German colonization. Since then, Czechs and Germans lived side by side in our countries.

It is a fact, however, that the Germans brought us a more advanced Western culture, because they, in turn, took it over from other countries. However, thanks to them, she got to us.

Urban-type housing estates already existed in our country before, but only the Germans gave them a certain order, legal systems by which they were governed and managed. Widespread among the Czech, Moravian and Silesian cities, Nuremberg and Magdeburg rights were designated according to place of origin. Cities, whether founded by royalty or nobility, became a center of trade and crafts and were a significant tax source for their owners.

The German colonizers also settled the hard-to-reach areas of the border mountains and further came as a replacement for the population that died out due to war conflicts (Hussite storms, the Thirty Years’ War, etc.) or plague epidemics.

The Germans were successful in the Czech lands in many fields, for example in glassmaking, mineral extraction in the textile industry. It must be said that until the emergence of nationalism in the 19th century, they considered themselves subjects of the Czech king and German-speaking inhabitants of the lands of the Czech crown, they did not call for secession of the territory and were loyal. Germans also came to us through marriages with local residents.

In the Middle Ages and also in the early modern age, a person’s belonging to a social group and his origin were decisive. If he belonged to the nobility, burghers or subjects. It was common for Czech nobles to marry each other and marry Germans. For example, the first three wives of Vilém of Rožmberk were German. Kateřina Brunšvická, Žofie Brandiborská and Anna Marie Bádenská. The estate uprising in the years 1618–1620 was also a joint Czech-German work of rebellious estates. However, Czechs and Germans proceeded in harmony even on the Catholic side. Czech nobles also applied themselves to the highest positions of the Habsburg Empire. Likewise, there was no difference between Czech and German townspeople. Likewise, subjects of both nationalities had a comparable share. A German peasant was worse off than a Czech knight, and of course vice versa.

The turning point came only in the 19th century, when national tendencies began to prevail and emphasis was placed on a common ethnic origin and language. Differences between the Czechs and the Germans deepened, which were sometimes even ridiculous, when, for example, both sides criticized the performance of the gym clubs. On the other hand, this era also had its positives, consisting of mutual competition in all areas of human activity, in the economy, architecture, construction, culture, art, sports, etc. This benefited both the Czechs and the Germans and led them to better performances. These were the clear pluses of mutual coexistence.

In essence, it can be said that national frictions escalated only in the middle of the 19th century and lasted for another hundred years. The coexistence of Czechs and Germans then ended in 1945. The Germans and the removal of the German population after World War II are far more to blame. World War II from the Czech lands was a consequence of the crimes committed by the Nazis against the Czech nation. On the other hand, it is necessary to state the fact that it severely damaged us socially and above all economically. Moreover, the principle of applying collective guilt is generally unacceptable.

History of the lands of the Czech Crown I., Petr Čornej a kolektiv, Paseka publishing house, Prague 2021

About the meaning of Czech history, Josef Pekař, Dauphin publishing house, Prague 2012

Czechs in the history of the new era, Strange, Rozmluvy publishing house, Prague 1991