history

I am putting this into a separate comment, because this is a bit of a tangent. The Germanic people in general seem to have a warrior-like tendency, with some of their military orders being among the oldest of the world. I am mentioning this here because I could not help but think of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, which are an active society to this day, stretching all the way back to 1192.

It is interesting because, justifiably, we focus on present political dynamics to judge the character, the influence, and the strength of a nation, but then we forget that many cultures stretch back many times further than the United States, for example, have even existed. We often have a tendency to pass on the crown of the world's most eminent empire to the United States, but then we should remind ourselves that it has only really held that title post WWII, for a few decades, and is already showing signs of decline, whereas some people can trace back their inception to the Roman Empire. What empires endure or fall, which powers rise, is often hard to say from view of a mere few decades. I have lived in buildings in Europe that were older than America has even existed as a country. We should have the humility to have that perspective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teutonic_Order

Also of tangential relevance:

The Holy Roman Empire (Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum; German: Heiliges Römisches Reich), occasionally but unofficially referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation,[8] was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire

For better or for worse, Germanic people seem to have some fiercely martial traits.