das third reich

            During the hardships in Germany, the cruelest time was probably during the Third Reich. The cruelties practiced by the Germans over the Jews in Nazi Germany were one of the worst remembered. When looking back in the past, especially when visiting Berlin, you can still see a lot of evidence that there was a war there, and that there was a lot of bad things that happened. There are bullet holes still in buildings and even on the news every once in a while, you hear them talk about finding a hidden bomb are something back from that day that never detonated. The holocaust stands out so vividly because it was so recent, and it was a very tragic event.

            The Nazi Party was attractive to the majority of the German people because Hitler and his part proposed a solution to nearly every problem that was facing the various segments of the population. According to history, one example was given that the Nazi Party agenda addressed the problem of Germany’s loss of WWI. There was a myth going around that Germany’s the Weimar Republic’s first politicians stabbed army in the back. In that way, they seemed to have brain washed the Germans into believing that the loss of the war with Democracy.

            One goal, the Nazi’s wanted to abolish the Treaty of Versailles. This treat was designed to humble Germany. Germany was required to abolish compulsory military service, pay a fine in reparations, relinquish its colonial lands and assume complete responsibility for starting the war. The Germans did not like this treaty. To every German, the idea of tearing the treaty up would bring a sense of empowerment and elation.

            In many speeches during the rise of Hitler, he often spoke about the treasonous attitude of the Weimar government with its policies of fulfilling the treaties terms. On February 24, 1920, Hitler spoke and had his first meeting. The first point addressed the concept of a unified Germany enjoying self-determination. The second point on the Treaty of Paris, they demanded equality of rights for the German people in its dealings with other nations, and the abolition of the Peace Treaties of Versailles. The Nazis put themselves in a position where they would ensure the German people a way to build back their nationalistic pride and remove the knife from the army’s back. Without the treaty, Germany could rebuild their military, which had always played a major role in the country’s identity.

            After World War I, Germany faced extreme economic hardships. The extreme poverty of the time caused hardship in rural communities among farmers. Much of the village life was filled with community and people helping one another. The harder it became financially, the more the communities began to break down.

            The Nazi Party combined the issues of Germany’s betrayal in WWI, the treaty of Versailles, and the Weimar Republic’s ineptness at handling the economy, national unity, and fear of Marxism, anti-Semitism and the German people’s ethnic identity into a masterfully crafted propaganda package. Its aim was to work on the German people’s fears and hopes until they were mesmerized by the Nazi ideology. Hitler’s true genius laid in his ability to use propaganda like a surgeon’s scalpel. He knew how to target specific groups and appeal to them on an emotional level. Germany was a nation with a damaged pride and a very unhealthy economy. I believe the German’s were desperate to find a way out to get their freedom. I believe that they were brainwashed by Hitler, and because the Germans wanted to get rid of the Weimar Republic, they were willing to believe anything to get their freedom. I am not sure if they knew what they wanted, and during Hitler’s reign, they changed for the worse, possibly because fear, or because they liked Hitler. Then back to the Unification, people were called Germans, but they people still considered themselves as individuals. Like when the Berlin wall came down, I am not sure if a lot of the East or West Germans wanted to change sides or not. In conclusion, the Germans had it rough, and followed who was more powerful, but  I feel they came to their senses in the end.  

German Empire

                                    
“At the end of the eighteenth century the future of central Europe seemed open.” Given the realities of the empire and its constituent states, the actual significance of the term “Germany” remained elusive. According to Germany a new history, “Ludwig von Seckendorff, a civil servant and political philosopher in Saxony, had declared in his Teutscher Furstenstaat that a “German nation” existed in the political sense, but conceded that it was difficult to describe and that many other nations existed within lower levels (p86).” In the past, “German” still referred only to a language. To create the nation, it was born in the minds of the intelligentsia, as a cultural entity without direct ties to politics. The German Confederation was created by an act of the Congress of Vienna as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. The Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who led the German State of Prussia unified Germany. He made certain alliances and used other tactics to do this, including leading Prussia into a series of wars. Three wars led to military successes and helped persuade German people to do this: the Second war of Schleswig against Denmark, the Austro-Prussian war, and the Franco-Prussian war against France. 

The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent territories. Germany industrialized rapidly with a foundation in coal, iron, chemicals, and railways. The population of 41 million people grew to 68 million in 1913. The nation grew because of its fragmented identity and the practical requirements of a multitude of small states and governments. Demands increased the size and scope of their administrations and required highly trained officials, who understood as much about markets and trade about law and public finance. Aristocratic birth no longer existed. Ability and qualifications were needed for capable civil servants. Germany was composed of civil servants, clergymen, academics, jurists, teachers, doctors, book-dealers, and other professional men, recruited from the ranks of both the lesser aristocracy and the middle classes. One thing in common is they held their positions not on the basis of their inherited station in life but as a result of their training and ability. The German Empire operated as an industrial, technological and scientific giant, receiving more Nobel Prizes in science than Britain, France, Russia, and the United States combined.
As new educated class grew, existence contributed in turn to the development of a standard German language out of the myriad regional dialects and local idioms. According to Germany a new history, "Pan-German literature, drama, and opera creates a unified opinion and taste that extended across the borders of the German territorial states (p89)."
Poet Klobstock patriotic ode verses (p90)
              "Nie war, gegan das Ausland
               Ein anders land gerecht, wie du!
               Sei nicht allzer gerecht. Sie denken nicht edel genug
               Zu sehen, wie Shon dein Fehler ist!"
Klobstock addressed the German nation-one that existed only in the heads of its educated class

"It is conceivable that various German states could have succeeded in retaining the loyalty of their subjects into the 1840s and even longer, and as a concept "Germany" would have meant little to anyone but geographic's (p117)." During the period known as the Vormarz, the growing social tensions added to the bitterness felt over broken promises to introduce real constitutional reforms. When citizens raised demands to combine economic liberalization with broader participation in politics, the leadership tried to stay in control of the situation by increasing police pressures. Conflicts a broad wedge was driven between the society and the apparatus of the state. "Not only social tensions but also political unrest mounted again in Germany, and in general it is striking how the surges of nationalistic feeling and political discontent in 1813, 1817, 1830, and later years coincides with crisis in the economy and foreign affairs (p118)." Some of the challenges that came after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck came Emperor Wilhelm II, who engaged in reckless foreign policies that left the Empire isolated.
Germany is one of the biggest countries in the world. In the beginning, there were many small countries there, and slowly it built into one country. Unifying Germany didn't come over night. It took many many years for Germany to be unified under one roof. As years went on there were many building blocks for Germany to become unified. One issue I found frustrating was just the politics and power in general. It seems like the people in charge were all interested in power and not in the people really. There were a lot of wars during these times just to see who can gain the most power and they just dragged the people along with them. I believe Germany was unified because of the social struggle and people were just getting sick of it. Eventually everything did come together, but I feel if everyone agreed on things and you got rid of some of the wars that happened, they would have become more unified faster.

Ich Bin Ein Berliner

         "Ich Bin Ein Berliner." These words meant everything to the people of Berlin. In the beginning of the story, it showed John F. Kennedy going to Berlin to speak to the people, and to show that they have not been forgotten about and Berlin had not been forgotten about. The heart of Berlin was cut in two from east to west during the war from Hitler. The speech JFK gave to the people gave everyone hope that the war was ending, and that there may be peace in the future.
          One topic that I thought was pretty amazing was the story of Frederick the Great (nicknamed: Der Altze Fritz). The main reason why I thought he was interesting because in the beginning the the story, they talked about a painting that a man risked his life for to take out of the country. They felt this painting was the key to unlocking the soul of Berlin. Frederick the Great thought of Berlin as the center of radical thought. Matt Frei said, "To understand Frederick is to understand Berlin." He reigned before Germany became a unified nation. Frederick was mainly known for his military campaigns and organization of Prussian armies. Der Fritz focused on militarism for the first time in Germany. He was an inspiration to German leaders, including Adolf Hitler, who hung a portrait for Frederick the Great in his living room. He seemed to be a symbol for independence. Some perceive him as the embodiment of Prussian virtues, while others see him as an artistically inclined, non-conformist intellectual. The Nazi propaganda machine in the Third Reich stylized him as the heroic winner, while the post-war Communistic regime in East Germany damned him as a warmonger. In the end, whether he was good or bad, Frederick the Great had a big impact on his country’s future.
        The most interesting topic I found most interesting in Berlin was the Berlin wall itself. A little past midnight in August of 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers came through East Berlin. These crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up the concrete posts, and strung barb wire all across the border. The wall was a physical division between East and West Berlin. Symbol of communism and democracy. There were different allies that were posted in Berlin. They had United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union kind of disintegrated to itself, which caused tension between west and east Berlin. East and West turned into competition and aggressiveness. The United States, Great Britain, and France were with the West side of Germany, which stood for democracy. While the Soviet Union was in the East side of Germany, which stood for communism. Since the city of Berlin has been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany. Living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became distinctly different. West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced such a rapid growth of their economy that it became known as the economic miracle. As for east side of Germany, it was under the direct influence of the Soviet Union, and the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted. The wall was up for 28 years, and was torn down in 1989. Some of the wall still remains up, but it was sanitized and made into art for everyone to see.
         In the years to come, turks settled in western berlin, and vietnamese people settled in east berlin.
        Lastly, I would like to discuss the Berliners themselves and the Jews that lived there. It seemed like everyone that lived in Berlin were very proud to be who they were. It was the place where many Jews found sanctuary and were able to live and prosper. Things didn't go downhill truly for them, until Hitler took control. Jewish stores were shattered and broken and put into flames. One story I found most interesting was the Jewish man, Joseph Wartine. I thought he had a deep story because he lost his whole family in Berlin, and was treated very bad. Jews in Berlin were taken away in vans by Nazis and Jews who stayed behind were squatters pretty much and food was scarce and were treated very badly by soldiers. Joseph who stayed behind was very smart, because when he was caught by the soldiers and was beaten close to death. He was smart because he heard that the soldiers were afraid of scarlet fever, and in the end that's what helped him survive.



        At the end of the war, Berlin was not the same as it once was. It has taken many years for Berlin to recover, but even till today, Berlin is still recovering. A lot of blood was spilt in that city, and the heart of Berlin was split into two. Today Berlin is back into one unified capitol of Germany, and no matter where it's people went, they will always be Berliners.

95 Thesis Martin Luther

            During the old days in Germany, one of the most powerful leaders in that time was the Pope and council of the church. They had a profound impact on daily social life and political control. Yet there was one man that was going to stand up to this tyrannical power. His name was Martin Luther. He can be described as a Protestant Reformer who created his own teachings and theories through theological studies. His own study of the scriptures caused him to find the answer to searching for his own faith in himself and God. He was one of the most significant figures in that time because there were many Germans who were looking for answers - which at the time could only be discerned by clergy officials. In an effort to help the common man learn the word of God, he was the first to translate the entire Bible to German. After a journey in Rome, he was disgusted with the moral decay in the church. He wrote many books and stories, but one of the main things he wrote was the 95 Theses. The 95 Theses was a call to discuss how to reform the church. After learning what Martin was up to, the Pope became infuriated and wanted him to disown the 95 Thesis. Luther refused, and was promptly interrogated by clergy officials, resulting in charges with Heracy and overall blasphemy. Later Luther spoke out his mind of why he would not give up, saying, "I do not except the authority of pope and councils for they all have contradicted each other. My conscious is captive only to the word of God. To go against my conscious is neither right nor safe." By these words, you could tell Luther was not going to give up his fights or his studies. His studies were everything he believed in. He accepted the consequences and thought for sure that he would be given to the angry religious people to be killed. Luther was fortunate though because according to the pbs video, Luther had a protector and supporter, Frederick the Wise. Frederick the Wise wanted him alive because he though Luther was a very good teacher, and wanted him to continue his studies and fights. Eventually there were followers behind him because out in the streets there were 9 out of 10 people that said down with the church, and the 10th person said let the pope die. Even to Martin Luther's grave, he wanted to haunt the pope and monks. Luther's last remorse was, "When I die, I want to be a ghost so that I can continue to pester the Bishops, Priests, and godless Monks until they have more trouble with a dead Luther than they could of had before with a thousand living one's." All of this history shows how remarkable and strong Luther was with his beliefs. Here we can see that he definitely helped change a course in history.

German Ancestors and History

          After reading chapters one and two of Hagen Shulze: Germany A New History, I found the whole beginning of the Germanic tribes and how the Roman empire became Germany interesting. According the Shulze, “The conception of a german nation had cultural as well as political undertones, and in this respect the “nation” gained considerably after the Italian humanist Poggio Bracciolini rediscovered the lost texts of Tactitus Germania and published it in Italy in 1455.” Germanians were a distinct people even in ancient times, and one worthy interest. A German tribe from which a German nation had developed did not exist in the same way the Franks and the given rise to France. “Tactitus Germani were the ancestors of a present-day Germans, and the Germania of the Romans was equivalent to a contemporary Germany.” In the beginning, the Roman Empire ruled all. They dominated so much land during the middle ages. In fact they might have had too much land that they could not handle. Today Germany is Europe’s most popular nation. It wasn’t always a unified nation in the past. The past was known as a loose association of 39 German states known as the German league. Today Germany is the fourth largest country and has 26 different regions.

            I find ancestors and past history very interesting. I always like reading the old biographies and comparing them to today’s world and seeing the similarities and differences. I can tell Germany went through a lot to build up to who they are today. They first came to Rome as the Gauls and Franks, and eventually built up around Rome to add to more areas. I just find all of this interesting just because like in America, we are split into different areas and different rulers. The only difference I see is how they lived and what laws were taken into affect. American people are called americans, but have different nationality background of where their ancestors are from. In the book I read that people that lived around the area of Germans were considered German, but they did not except themselves as Germans. Eventually the term was accepted, but took time. As did Christopher Columbus who supposedly helped discover America. Everything took baby steps in Germany to work up to where they were, as in America where we have to take baby-steps to where we are. 

         I noticed many different people through the book that went down in history. One who was Martin Luther, and at first I thought it was Martin Luther King today. They both changed the world they lived in, and they held meetings and would argue for the better. They were both men of faith and were leaders of their time. According to a pbs documentary, “Both struggled with laws and doctrines of their time, Luther King worked to eradicate segregation in America, Luther nearly brought down the Roman Catholic Church.”  Without the help of Martin Luther back in the day, I feel the Germans might have been stuck under the power of the Roman Catholic Church. I found all of this interesting because it was again about our ancestors who made a difference in Germany, and helped them become a united nation.

            

Europe is a very fascinating region. Everything about there is amazing, especially the alps, the architecture, and the food. I've been to Europe twice so far. The first time I was there in 2009 where I traveled to just Germany, and again in 2011 where I visited Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein.
The German culture has always been very interesting to me. I am not German, but the history has always been interesting to read about. I feel there is never enough time to see everything at once. It seems there is always something new to learn when visiting a new area, and even an area twice.

This is a picture of the first time I went to Germany in 2009. Ironically, Berlin was the first town I ever visited. We were only there for two days, so I will be happy to return there and learn more about Berlin's history and possibly return to a few areas I discovered the first time.

Last time I was here, they were sandblasting the berlin wall, and making it into art. I would like to see what they've added to it. The top photo is what the wall looked like before they sandblasted it, and the bottom photo is an example of what they turned it into. Another note to add about Berlin is they have over 200 bear statues in there. I would really like it see if I can find more of the bears. 

The only other area that will be returning to is Dresden. I really want to go into the Church of Our Lady this time. Last time there was a wedding being held, so I was only able to look at it from the outside. From the Architecture, I bet it's really beautiful in there. 

This is Frau Miller. She is one of the main people that got me interested in Germany and the culture. One day I was just sitting in Algebra class, and the next thing I know, I'm signed up to go to Germany. Since I was not in her German class, she would allow me to come to her classroom during my free period and learn German and a little about the history. Ever since the first time I went, I just can't get enough.

I am very fortunate and excited about going a third time. The weather will be different, and I'll get to explore new areas that I've never been to. I would like to keep on strengthening my German, and just learn more about the culture and history. I would like to focus a little more on the architecture this time and since will be there in december, learn how they celebrate christmas out there.