in the
U.S. state of
Washington is modeled after a Bavarian village. The term "Germanophile" came into common use in the 19th to 20th centuries – after the 1871 formation of the
German Empire and its subsequent rise in importance. In 19th-century
romanticism in Britain, the term's antonym was
Scandophile, expressing a dichotomy of associating "Anglo-Saxon" culture either with continental
West Germanic culture or with
North Germanic (Scandinavian) culture (the "
Viking revival"). With an affinity to "Teutonic" or
Germanic culture and worldview seen as opposed to a predilection for
Classical Antiquity. In 19th-century
Continental Europe, the dichotomy was rather between Germany and France, the main political players of the period, and a Germanophile would choose to side with Germany against French or "Romance" interests taken to heart by a
Francophile. The corresponding term relating to
England is
Anglophile, an affinity, in turn, often observed in early-20th-century Germans choosing to side against French influence. This term was also popularly used in the 20th century to refer to admirers and adherents of the
Prussian model of higher education created by
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), which were
leading in the early 1800s and widely adopted by elite universities from
Oslo to
Harvard. A number of
Serb elites in the 19th century and in the
interwar period were staunch Germanophiles.
Argentine poet and writer
Jorge Luis Borges was a self-described Germanophile. During
World War I, while his family was living in
Geneva, in neutral
Switzerland, Borges taught himself to speak and read the
German language so that he could read the writings of Romantic poet
Heinrich Heine in the original language. In later years, Borges cited many other German poets and philosophers as a major influence upon his own ideas and writings. Even in the essays that attacked
Adolf Hitler and the
Nazi Party, Borges described himself as a Germanophile. Borges further accused the Nazis of rewriting
German history, of savagely distorting the interpretation of
German literature, and of criminally corrupting
German culture. While Borges expressed support for the Allies during
World War II, he expressed concern that Western civilization might not be able to do without the achievements and contributions of the
German people and that, he warned, was why their corruption by the teachings of hatred was such a horrible crime. Egyptian-born Ottoman military officer
Aziz Ali al-Misri was a self-described Germanophile. He stated in an interview with
Al-Ahram that after he learned of the
German surrender in 1919 following WWI, he fell into a depression and considered committing suicide. He would later try to go to Germany by various means during WWII without success. ==See also==