Aristocracy in German culture

The study of aristocratic values in their influence on the formation of German culture is conducted. A specific German (Prussian) interpretation of aristocracy is disclosed on the ground of historical and sociological studies of German society from the end of 16th to the beginning of the 20th century. German aristocratic values have their origins in medieval chivalry and the ancient German heroic epic. They found expression in the context of the culture of Modern Age in the ideals of various social groups, including the intellectuals, the burghers, and the military. Meanwhile, the lower classes often assumed responsibility for the areas that were originally the prerogative of the upper classes, and overcame for German society the challenges that the aristocracy could not cope with. German aristocratic values are characterized by an emphasis on thoroughness, depth, inner content, loyalty in service, and the perception of the military as a soldier with its sacrificial and heroic "freedom of obedience".