Pieces We’ve Missed

             Through school we were taught about World War I and World War II and how it was the Germans that were at fault but we hardly hear anything about the in between parts. Like how Hitler climbed the ranks, or was there peace or was there only war? With the Treaty of Versailles came a lot of compromise and change for Germany.  One thing I found interesting in reading about the Great War and its aftermath was the statement on women and politics. That elections were held on January 19, 1919 and “for the first time, both men and women went to the polls; while the men fought on the fronts during the war, women had kept the industrial production, transportation, and the civil administration going, and denying them equal political rights were out of the question. Of the 423 assembly delegates elected, 41 were women, a total of 9.6 percent; none of the later Reichstag or post-World War II Bundestag assemblies has ever reached that high a percentage of women members.” (Page 202) It’s sad this is such a big deal. That women were given a right to vote because they were pretty much running everything while the men were off fighting a war that to me should never have been fought in the first place. But, I guess it’s not my place to judge because women in the US weren’t given the chance to vote until the 19^th amendment went to Congress in 1918 and then was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920. Finally earning women in the United States the right to vote. It’s still hard for me to grasp the mindset behind why it’s taken women so long to come close to the same rights as men. We still have sexism in the work place, at school and in your day-to-day life.

             But women were not the only sufferers. “Not since 1871 had the country been so close to total dissolution.” (Page 210) Germany suffered some hard ships and political dismay during this time. “The catastrophe had lasted from 1914 to 1923, but new Germany and Europe as a whole were emerging from the darkness and entering a long period of peace and returning prosperity, or so it appeared to contemporaries.” (Page 213) This prosperity included the “Golden Twenties, the principle cause was neither political stability nor the deceptive appearance of an economic upturn but a cultural flowering that has become legendary.” (Page 219) It was a short decade of new beginnings filled with colors and awe. The sad thing though is this was probably the peek of happiness felt in the times to come. Politics and governments began to go out of whack to the point of Herman Muller no longer being able to hold things together ending in his resignation on March 27, 1930. With this came “the breakdown of the coalition the last parliamentary government of the Weimar Republic came to an end.” (Page 230) 

          Through the ashes of the Weimar Republic came the rise of Hitler. His ascend to becoming the leader was slow at times but began with Hitler being appointed chancellor by president Hindenburg. Even though Hindenburg held off as long as he could Hitler was appointed on January 30, 1933. And from there as we learned in our World history classes he climbed the ranks till he was in charge of all of Germany. If I can say anything about Hitler is that he was a very determined man with a gift of manipulation. I mean he had his people backing him through World War II and mass genocide. His talent of speaking is what led him to become the leader of the Third Reich and I believe that’s the thing German citizens today identify with and might even inspire to have. He will be remembered as one of the greatest public speakers throughout history.

From the Holy Roman Empire to Germany

Map of Prussia

            Germany wasn’t a country for the longest time; it took until January 18, 1871 to become unified. Before that Germany started as the Holy Roman Empire, then the Kingdom of Prussia took over the history books. Multiple wars and treaties were signed during those years. One such example is when French troops took over the city of Strasburg so the emperor had to sign a humiliating truce in Regensburg in 1684 that allowed the French to keep anything they had conquered. Over the years European countries jumped ownerships like kids with Pokémon trading cards. Many countries over the years split up, conjoined or became independent, especially after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire.

Pokemon cards

            Germany: A New History stated, “Prussia was dirty poor. It had practically no natural resources and a relatively small number of inhabitants. Around 1700 the Prussian states had a population of 3.1 million, Russia approximately 17 million, and France, the most Populous country in Europe, 20 million.” (Page 79) So this begged the question how did Prussia last for so long and become so large? I mean someone had to be at the helm. In the beginning I’d say that man was Fredrick II who won both the Silesian War (1740-1742) and the 2^nd Silesian War (1744-1745). Also Fredrick earned the title “Great” by winning the Seven Years War (1756-1745) with his “tactical genius, suicidal determination and phenomenal good luck.” (Page 83) After Fredrick many invaders such as Napoleon led Europe through wars, enlightenment, renaissances and even times of peace.

Hall of Mirrors in Versailles Palace

            During this time Germany still wasn’t a country but in the 7^th and 8^th centuries “German” was beginning to become a common language spoken. It was becoming more and more popular so writers and poets were all publishing works in German as well as French seeing as the French were constantly taking chunks out of Prussia. It all was thanks to the printing press that text was becoming more available to the public and Luther’s works as well as the Bible were some of the most read pieces of literature in Europe. Writer Wilhelm Raabe wrote, “Where ancient custom places the mythical name Germany on the map, where the most upright people on earth have lived honestly and faithfully since the time immemorial, and have given their original creation from the primal clay.” (Page 117)  This quote basically meant that Germany even though it had yet to be named was there in culture and language. People tended to identify within their territories or emperors rather than Prussia or Germany. But finally Germany was given its name and King William I of Prussia became the German Emperor on January 18, 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. I found that interesting seeing as Versailles is in France, which was not apart of Prussia at the time; it made sense though because allowing the coronation to take place there allowed a cementing of alliances between France and the German Empire. 

            It took years for Germany to actually be unified by taking west and east Germany and making it into a whole. The book states, “From the very beginning therefore, the legitimation of the new German Empire was twofold: It had received the approval of the second estate and, the nobility, and had also been confirmed by parliamentary votes and plebiscites.” (Page 145) Germany has gone through different ownerships, leaders and political models and yet it has prospered. This German-speaking population was finally a whole, which is sad because years later the Berlin wall will go up splitting Germany once again.

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I Can't Believe...

German Concentration Camps

 After watching the video on Germany in the 20^th century the two parts that stuck with me the most were the tales of the concentration camps and how many women were raped after World War II. Hearing about a man faking an illness and jumping out of a hospital window to avoid being captured was awe-inspiring; that he was able to hide for so long in the city he loved was amazing. I have never seen the concentration camps but from the descriptions I can only imagine how horrible they were. In elementary school our teachers start to teach us about history. In kindergarten we’re made to take part in a yearly thanksgiving play involving the “Indians” and “Settlers”. We’re led to believe these two groups were friends that helped one another to make a nice turkey dinner. But it’s not until later in our academic learning that we learn how the settlers brought dieses like small pox to the natives. The settlers took advantage of the native’s hospitality and knowledge. Without them the settlers would have died that first winter. Who knows? Maybe we wouldn’t have colonized in the “New World” and the natives wouldn’t have reservations but the entire land that makes up the United States and on. 

United States Japanese Internment Camps

History is a tricky thing, with Hitler came the concentration camps that held the Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and more. We look upon Hitler in disgust because of his camps and mass genocide but the United States has made many such errors in judgment. Granted, never that large of a mass killing of a people. I mean we had internment camps; our paranoia brought on by a time of war brought us that much closer to the evils of Hitler’s time. Most people just fail to recognize how close the United States has come to such evils. But those evils didn’t end with Hitler’s life. 

Girls killed by soldiers

After World War II, women had to protect themselves from their victors such as Russia. In one of the interviews a man discusses his need to find his identity. For years he thought his father was a United States soldier and eventually he finds his mother and asks the identity of his birth father. In tears she reveals that her son’s father wasn’t American but a Russian soldier. That she had been brutally raped at the end of the war. Most times it was two or more male soldiers that would take turns pinning the woman and forcing themselves upon her. Many times a result of this was pregnancy, disease, injury or even death. In another interview a woman talks about how she wasn’t even safe holding a crying child in her arms. When I was younger I had the naïve notion that when a war ended so did the violence. I later came to realize that that is never the case. We will never escape war and it’s resulting scars. I just didn’t realize how bad it was for German women. I can’t even begin to imagine how they felt; a constant fear hanging over them like a shadow, always looking over my shoulder and triple checking that things were locked. I doubt anyone was unaffected, if you were untouched it was very possible that someone you knew or were related to were affected. Husbands returning from war to homes with children that weren’t theirs, did they lash out at their wives or sympathize? The actions of humans never cease to amaze me. How have we as a society not evolved? What is it that makes humans do such unspeakable things to one another? I really doubt that we’ll stop making mistakes anytime soon unfortunately.   

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Martin Luther Not MLK

Martin Luther not MLK

Martin Luther the Reformist

It’s sad that until my later years in high school I was unaware of the existence of a European Martin Luther only of Martin Luther King Junior. When I began to watch this film my dad walked in and asked what I was watching and I said “a youtube video on Martin Luther.” He started saying how he had a book full of his speeches that I should look at and I stopped him by saying the European Martin Luther not MLK. True, they both share some similarities like how their words could inspire hundreds and how they stayed true to their convictions. Neither took back what they thought, said or wrote. Martin Luther was more aggressive in his writings though, almost as if he intended to offend the reader. His 95 theses’ is what started this whole religious revolution.  He managed to piss off the churches as well as the Pope, so much so that because he wouldn’t take back what he wrote he was excommunicated.  Since Luther didn’t just allow himself to be handed over to the church he became a revolutionary head. He took his theses and the newly formed printing press to inform his fellow German’s, thereby liberating man’ relationship with God. For those who couldn’t read, he had woodcut printings of pictures to go along with his words. Many images showed the Pope or church alongside the devil. He was probably the first person to use propaganda. While evading arrest Fredrick the Great housed Luther for a time, which brought notice to his newly formed University. Luther’s fate was later decided by the German lords, nobles and emperors like Charles the fifth who was only nineteen at the time.

95 thesis's of Luther

They asked Luther to recant his writings but he refused. To his surprise he was not turned over to the Pope though. He lit a fire with his writings that eventually became out of control. Rebellions against the church resulted. Even though he used aggressive wording, he didn’t mean for bloodshed to result from his writings. He gave the Germans religious freedom and that idea spread far beyond Europe onto the pilgrim ships that landed in the United States. He stuck to his guns on what he believed was right and wrong, and proved that an ordinary person has the power to go against authority. 


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Black Death and the Domino Effect

Roman Empire

    
After reading chapters one and two in Germany: A New History I found it interesting how long it took for the area now known as Germany to be named, that and the large influence given from the Roman Empire. In chapter two the author wrote briefly about the Black Death also known as the bubonic plague. It was the most devastating pandemic in human history killing an estimated 50% of Europe's population. By 1350 it swept across Germany.  The lack of food and good hygiene resulted in famines that weakened people, making them vulnerable to epidemic diseases. The Germans reacted a lot like the Americans did during the great depression. Riots broke out; struggles against the government, thievery, starvation and people doing whatever it took to survive. In a lot of ways it shows that it

Black Death

Church Taxes

doesn’t matter where you come from, we all have the same basic human instincts. The loss of life resulting from this plague is important to the history books not only because it serves as a population count but as a reminder of what war and disease can do. Both the church and empire were tested during this event. They were able to co-exist until that point where even the Pope was forced to leave Rome for Avignon. Between 1378 and 1415 there were two Popes and because of their conflicting claims thy divided western Christianity and left the reputation of the papacy badly tarnished.  It became a domino effect from illness, to the splitting of the church, to a weakened government, to the churches greedy taxing, which in no way helped with the over-all illness and death.  Because of the greed and corruption within both the empire and church the German’s began to envy France, England, and Spain for their modernized institutions of governments. The United States has gone through many similar situations; it was because of England’s unfair taxes among other things that we became independent of England. Both the German’s and American’s have gone through difficult leaders, civil wars, religious and political corruption, illness and famine but we’ve survived and evolved. Germany is now considered one of the most economically powerful countries in the world. I’d say it’s evolved from the time of the Roman Empire, even surpassed it. I mean which one is still standing?

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Why go to Germany?

            I have previously been to Canada, France and Belgium, from those trips I became fascinated by cultures in other countries. My favorite thing about traveling to France was the architecture, for this reason I’ve chosen to go to Germany. I’ve heard so many amazing things about the buildings, castles and cathedrals. Since I’m an Interactive Media Studies: Graphic Arts and Psychology major I really enjoy looking at how cities are presented. Are they old and rustic or new aged with neon lights? I want to see how they’ve modernized the buildings throughout Germany.            

            I’m also looking forward to seeing how the native Germans interact with us Americans. I found when traveling to France they’re not too fond of us. I will be taking German 101 next year to help me on the trip, it will be interesting to see how far one terms worth of a language will go.

            I hope to learn more about Germany’s customs and culture while there. Things like what is polite and rude, do we tip at restaurants, or just trying the local cuisine? I want to learn about the history of Germany and its buildings, also to experience a concentration camp first hand. I had seen images, read books, and watched movies about what happened at those camps but I don’t think I’ll fully understand it till I see a camp first hand.

            I’m not entirely sure which castles we will be seeing but I’ve always wanted to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. Just looking at the pictures it seems so unreal, like a castle in a Disney Princess movie. I want to know why the castle was made, what its purpose was and any other detail. I’m probably most excited to see a castle, then a cathedral. I’m not really a church going girl but going into the churches in France took my breath away. The large stone statues that seemed to be guarding the building and the stained glass windows blew my mind. I’ve seen a lot of great images of the cathedrals in Germany but the one I want to see the most is Cologne Cathedral.

            There’s so much I want to learn and experience in those three weeks. It’s hard to decide what I’m most excited about. This isn’t just another stamp on my passport, it’s a once in a lifetime experience and I intend on making it a trip I’ll never forget!