%0 Journal Article
%T Currencies, National Images and National Identities: Public Relations for and against Currencies ¨C Historical Experiences from Germany, the Case of the Euro and the Role of Rating Agencies
%A Michael Kunczik
%J Medijske Studije
%D 2013
%I Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb
%X My thesis is that, in the ¡°age of markets¡± in Europe the Euro is of central importance for creating (or destroying already established) structures of European identity (at least in parts of Europe ¨C with Great Britain taking a very remote position). I emphasize the theoretical aspects (Aftalion¡äs Psychological Theory of Exchange Rates; Simmel: Philosophie des Geldes) to emphasize the importance of PR. I concentrate on historical cases ¨C mainly German experiences ¨C e.g. the campaign against the Rubel; the ideas of Ivy Lee; the PR-campaigns of the Nazi-government to fight inflation. The introduction of the German Mark (¡°die Deutsche Mark¡±), which became a central aspect of German national identity, and the campaign to give up this currency (¡°harte W hrung¡±) in order to introduce the ¡°weak¡± Euro. In this context I discuss campaigns against the Euro (¡°only idiots want the Euro¡±). In the final remarks I refer to the role of rating agencies and trust in currencies and countries. It is my thesis that the analysts of the rating agencies live in a ¡°world of literary images¡± and are acting in a completely irresponsible way (but even more incompetent are the politicians accepting the ratings without knowing anything about the problem of commensuration).
%K Euro
%K currencies
%K national identity
%K public relations
%K rating agencies
%U http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=155981