Certainly not only Germany. For example, Koreans also use a similar expression, combining the character for ancestor / forebear / grandfather with nation - 조국 祖國. We'd translate that as either fatherland, or motherland, or possibly homeland. Literally, its "our ancestral land". Chinese language has a corresponding expression.
Many countries have similar expressions. "The mother country" is a similar one. Italians It's just that to English speakers, "Fatherland" sounds foreign, and so lots of folks associate that with Germany, even Nazism. It's more common than you think, and there is nothing sinister about it at all, despite the associations that Hilterites employed mid 20th century.
Certainly not only Germany. For example, Koreans also use a similar expression, combining the character for ancestor / forebear / grandfather with nation - 조국 祖國. We'd translate that as either fatherland, or motherland, or possibly homeland. Literally, its "our ancestral land". Chinese language has a corresponding expression.
Many countries have similar expressions. "The mother country" is a similar one. Italians It's just that to English speakers, "Fatherland" sounds foreign, and so lots of folks associate that with Germany, even Nazism. It's more common than you think, and there is nothing sinister about it at all, despite the associations that Hilterites employed mid 20th century.