Germany’s beloved Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in Act II of his play Der Gro

Germany’s beloved Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in Act II of his play Der Gross-Coptha (The Great Coptha), “You must either conquer and rule or lose and serve, suffer or triumph, and be the anvil or the hammer.” Holger H. Herwig, author of the course text, frames the entire book on the question of modern Germany as hammer or anvil.
Consider modern Germany in the span 1648 to the present day. Has Germany been the hammer or the anvil? Defend your position by using specific and relevant historical details, examples, and sources spanning the three distinct eras of modern Germany: pre-unification (1648-1871), the World Wars (1890-1945), and post-war (1945-present).