Last German Blog

A small piece from German history that I found interesting was the beginning ideas and thoughts of World War I. The German people were told that the war would be a swift and quick one and that they would not be in battle for very long. This was very wrong and the German people saw this. The war lasted a lot longer than expected and the German population began to lose hope in their government. Germany began to face food shortages on the front lines due to Germany cutting off the food. “Large contingents of well-rested American troops began arriving at the western front in rapid succession (194).” Not only were the German troops facing massive food shortages, but they were also being bombarded by healthy American troops.

German children playing with money due to hyperinflation

The Weimar Republic was created when the National Liberal Party joined together and the new majority in the Reichstag declared itself that they were going to negotiate peace but would not allow forced annexation of new territories. This declaration was the backbone for the Weimar Republic that was also known as Germany’s first democracy. Even though this was a start to creating a democracy, democracy was far in the future. The attempt of a parliament did not appease the military and government leaders (194). Although this attempt was not successful at the start, it did give a good base for their future attempts.

Another piece from Hagen Schulze’s book that interested me was the section on the German economy. Germany needed to restore their economy before they were to create true stability. Germany had taken on their experience with inflation quite well. Schulze states that Germany used the plunging of the mark as an opportunity for investment (218). The Dawes Plan also helped the German economy gain some sort of consistency. This plan helped flow foreign capital into Germany and also stimulated the first large loan from Wall Street. I was fascinated by how the Germans created such a plan to create stability in their economy. Although the economy had some good things going for them, it was still unhealthy. The development of cartels, high wage costs, and the agriculture and heavy industry received lion’s share of subsidies and loans (219). In these hard times, Adolf Hitler had created the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). Hitler created this out of the collapse of the Munich republic. Hitler saw an opportunity to take power and he did. He knew what the people wanted and he was able to give them some sort of out for their troubles. The model of community that was implemented was based off of the idea of a corporative state. This seemed to promise a solution for the modern industrial societies’ tension. Their sense of community was called “Volksgemeinschaft” and it also had an anti-Semitic aspect as well. This anti-Semitic idea was used as a vehicle for an aggressive sense of Germans’ missionary role in the world. The Germans were fueled off of the idea that they were to be the missionaries in the world.

Adolf Hitler, Führer of Germany

Hitler had come into power at the opportune time. He used his amazing skill of public speaking and his aggressive speaking style to entice fear into the German people. Hitler took away academic leaders and found a way for only his voice to be heard. He had done many things to secure his rule and power in the weak and gullible German state. As for his military ideas, Hitler was also a smart and powerful leader. Hitler had attacked Austria because of how weak the country was and he knew that he could easily take them over despite not having a large desire for their territory. He had many other keen and genius military tactics that allowed his to keep his rule over the German people.

Work Count: 633

German Language and Culture

After reading the chapters for this blog post, I found that the creation of the German language was a very interesting. On page 89, Schulze stated that there was a growth of educated elite during the second half of the eighteenth century. This contributed to the standardization of the official German language. The growth in educated elite consisted of clergymen, aristocrats, doctors, teachers, and other professionals. With the growth in educated elite, I feel that the overall state of Germany would increase in status because of their overall education levels. The standardized German language grew and was created from the regional dialects and local idioms. This really interested me because I was always intrigued about how the actually modern day German language came about. Writers published in the new German language even though they were not required to. I feel that they were being used as stepping stones for the language to grow. The writers felt that they needed to spread the new German language in order for it to expand and be used by many others.

The German people are shown having great national identity during a rally

Hagen Schulze also stated on page 89 that the German elite had finally started to feel a sense of national identity. The elites had become more educated and they had created a national language. They are creating their own culture and finding their own collective identity. Although the German elite had begun to feel a sense of national identity, only 20,000 people of Germany participated in the national discourse of 1770. This amount of participants was estimated by Friedrich Nicolai. Despite the growth of a national identity, the German nation only existed at this time through language and culture. The sense of culture in Germany during this time I feel was derived from the growth of education and the creation of a collective language. I found this creation of German identity and the German language very interesting because I have always wondered how it came about. There are many similarities between the German language and other languages so I had always wondered how it was created.

The political order in Germany and Europe was decided and agreed upon at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The individual political order was left up to the various regions whether they wanted to take the conservative path or the liberal path. Schulze also described in his book that a group of student gathered at Wartburg and decided adopted their own tricolor or black, red, and gold.  They chose these colors to match a volunteer corps in Germany. This stuck out to me while I was reading because of the involvement that the youth had in the early politics of Germany. They gathered in a castle and decided a tricolor to match a volunteer corps. I don’t feel that a group of early Americans would do something like this. This shows that even back hundreds of years ago, the youth in Germany was involved in what was going on in their political world. Also, allowing the individual regions to whether they wanted the political ideal to be conservative or liberal shows faith in their people. The leaders did not force a certain way of life upon the people of Germany, but in fact allowed them to decide which one they preferred.

The tricolor of black, red, and gold which makes up the flag of Germany

Reading these chapters has given me a better understanding of how the standardized German language came about. It also informed me of how the smaller regions and dialects influenced the national identity and language. I look forward to utilizing my knowledge of the German language when we are traveling the north eastern region of the country. 

Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate

Berlin had been divided into two sections similarly to Germany. The west was controlled by the Americans, French, and British, where as the east was controlled by Nazi Germany. Since Nazi Germany was in control of East Berlin, the German people were not happy with the amount of control that was being put upon them. Many of them had decided to flee East Berlin and head to the west in order to pursue their personal goals. This did not sit well with the East Berlin and East German government so a wall was constructed in order to keep the East Berlin citizens. Many citizens constructed tunnels and mapped out many other escape routes to flee East Berlin.

One of the monuments in Berlin that has fascinated me the most was the Brandenburg Gate. I knew that the gate had some significance to the Berlin Wall and World War II, but I was unaware of the exact significance of the gate. The statue atop the gate consists of four horses pulling a chariot which is being ridden by the goddess of victory. The statue was created for Frederick the Great because of his excellent military knowledge and expertise. The statue is gorgeous and I had no idea that it was a tribute to Frederick the Great. I also was unaware that there were so many other gates surrounding Berlin. I found it interesting that the Gate symbolizes German Unity. It makes sense that they would construct an open gate that symbolizes the unification of Germany. The video stated that the gate was designed to represent the hope and peace that could come in Germany. This information makes the Brandenburg Gate seem that much more interesting. I love that it was constructed to unify and bring together all of the people of Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate

The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 to divide Berlin into the east and west. There have been many stages of the wall over the years to keep Berlin divided. The beginning of the wall was very different from the end of it. Since there were so many attempts to escape East Berlin, the wall had to be renovated over and over. It began as a simple wall with barbed wire but had to be constructed into a concrete wall with many watch towers and barbed wire with many guards. Many families sacrificed everything to get to the west so that they could either connect with lost family members, escape Nazi Germany, search for freedom, and many other reasons. I know a little bit about the Berlin Wall because of German class. I was really fascinated of all the different ways that the East Germans attempted to flee their country. The intricate tunnel systems and secret groups that they created in order to help each other find their family amazed me. Another piece of information that I previously knew about the Berlin Wall was that the East German government constructed the Berlin Wall around all of West Berlin. I found this very interesting because they had created a fail-safe so that the East Berlin citizens couldn’t find another easy way into West Berlin.

A blueprint of the Berlin Wall

It is a shame that Germany had to be divided and separated for many years. It is also a shame that many families were separated and some never were able to be reunited with their family members. The Brandenburg Gate is a beautiful representation of the unification of East and West Germany. The idea for the gate to be wide open is a wonderful idea to show the unity between the two. I am very excited to visit these monuments and learn more about them when we visit.

A map of the complete Berlin Wall surrounding West Berlin

Word count: 612 

Martin Luther and the Reformation of the Catholic Church

It takes a lot of courage to oppose the norm and to try and change something that you know isn’t correct in society. It takes even more courage to do so when that group you are opposing controls most of Europe. Martin Luther realized that there were many things wrong with the Catholic Church so he devised a group of problems with it. This group of problems was known as the 95 Theses. These were 95 attacks on the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther created the 95 Theses as an attack on the Catholic Church

Martin Luther was a religious, cultural, and political revolutionary because he saw something that was very wrong with how people were living their lives and he had his mind set on changing it. Although Luther’s writings became very widespread and popular, he never intended on them to cause a storm to arise in Rome over them. The Catholic Church defined Luther’s work as “heresy” and burned many of his books. Even though heresy was punishable by death, Luther did not fear the church and dismissed their threats. As the Catholic Church continued to try and silence Luther, he became more and more convinced that he must spread the wrong-doings of the church. Even when Luther was threatened with excommunication from the Catholic Church, he continued to pursue this change.

Martin Luther can be considered the first propagandist. Even though Luther had many enemies in the church and throughout the Holy Roman Empire, he had one powerful friend. This friend was Frederick the Wise, ruler of Saxony. Frederick the Wise enjoyed Martin Luther’s recognition because he felt that it brought more recognition to Wittenberg and the university. He was proud of Luther and refused to turn him over when Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, demanded that he do so. Luther had gained an ally who had political power and would back him up in his opposition of the church. Frederick the Wise presented the idea that Martin Luther be able to explain his case. This allowed Luther to have more time criticizing the church and finding more that he wanted to change.

Wartburg is the castle where Frederick the Wise hid Martin Luther from the Holy Roman Empire

One of Luther’s attacks was on the system of sacraments. Luther found in the Bible that there were only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lords Supper. Luther was convinced that the other five sacraments had been created by the church and that they were unneeded. As the people of Europe realized that Luther was onto something they had figured out that they didn’t need all the excess of the Catholic Church in order to become righteous. One of the academics in the video described it as the church controlled the water pipes to your house but you figured out that you can dig a well. He stated that the people of Europe realized that they didn’t need all this extra stuff in order to become religious and holy. This was very risky of Luther because the Holy Roman Empire controlled most of Europe so for him to turn the people on it could cause an uprising.

Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the church door

When Luther arrived at the Diet at Worms, he was greeted with cheers and praise. The consensus of the Diet at Worms was that Luther must recant all of his works. When the council voted on whether Luther must go to Rome and face charges for heresy, Frederick the Wise abstained his vote so that there wasn’t a unanimous vote.  Luther was sure that he would have been sent to Rome.

Luther had become one of the most influential figures in the reformation of the Catholic Church. He realized that they were not truly being holy and shouldn’t have been doing many of the things that they were. He went against the Holy Roman Empire, which controlled most of Europe, even when he was threatened with excommunication and possibly death. Martin Luther sacrificed his well being so that the people of Germany and Europe could have more religious freedom and not have to abide by all of the Catholic Church’s rules. 

Words: 662

Hagen Schulze's Germany: A New History

In Germany: A New History, Hagen Schulze dives into many different aspects of the creation of the German hence the title. I am obviously not an expert on the history of Germany but from my previous knowledge of Germany I do know that it is a relatively new country, having only been unified for about 30 years. What I did not know and was unaware of was the background of how the German people became who they were and how they settled in what is now Germany. Schulze states in chapter 2 that the German nation did not consist solely of German-speaking people. In fact, it was constructed of a group of princes who were given the power of making political decisions that would represent their emperor. I had no idea that this is what the early stages of the German nation consisted of. Having not known this I had inquired that the nation of Germany had started like many other nations around it. This being that the people had been there as long as they could remember and that they were all alike. I found out that this is not the case for Germany and Germans. Schulze also goes on to say that if these princes’ orders to reform were followed correctly, then that would give the German nation a chance to establish itself like the French and English nations before it. I found this very interesting because like I stated earlier I had thought that Germany was created like other nations where it was a set group who decided to establish a unified nation.

This is a map of 15th century Europe showing the many areas of the Holy Roman Empire that are discussed in Germany: A New History

A little later Schulze’s book, he states that after the death of Emperor Maximilian I, his grandson, Carl V, succeeded him and had different ideas for the nation of Germany. The book says that when Carl V came into power he had the idea of unifying and modernizing the entire empire and creating a “universal monarchy,” which forced the idea of actual “German lands” out of the picture. Although the German nation was being pushed into the background, they did not give up. Schulze goes on to explain that when the Turkish Diet was in effect, German prince electors had advised that instead of attacking the Turks at Constantinople, they should concentrate their power towards reforming the empire because of the disorder in some of the areas already in the empire that already speak the German-tongue. This jumped out at me because of the way the German prince electors presented their idea. They saw that the emperor’s delegation had interests in taking Constantinople, but instead they argued that before taking other lands, you must first strengthen your own. I feel that this is an excellent example of the German people fighting for their unification. What I also found interesting was that even though the German people were trying to better themselves and better their nation in order to better the empire as a whole, Rome was inventing a multitude of ways to part the Germans from their money. I found this interesting because even though Rome and the German nation were in the same empire, there were still feuds based on which area is receiving more care from the Holy Roman Empire. 

Emperor Charles V succeeded his grandfather, Maximilian I, and became emperor in 1519

Word count: 538

D-Term Germany Blog #1

After transferring back to North Central, I assumed that my chance to travel abroad was long gone. I left North Central and transferred to Northern Illinois University for my sophomore year and then decided to come back for junior year. After a good amount of my classes transferring as elective classes or humanities, I saw that in order to graduate on time I would have to take a large amount of the business classes in two quick years. I should have taken most of the classes throughout my years in college but by transferring and returning, some of the business classes weren’t technically the same from NIU to NCC.

Before graduating from high school I decided that I wanted to take a language in college that I would actually enjoy learning. Spanish in high school didn’t work out and I saw that North Central offered German. I immediately decided that German was the language that I was taking and pursuing. Now after three years and two schools, I am almost finished with my minor in German. Having a minor in a foreign language I figured that I should at some point visit this country before I graduate.

Over Spring break I created a mockup of my senior year schedule and I realized that if I overloaded every term I could graduate on time instead of having to stay for extra terms. This eliminated my opportunity to study abroad for a term like I wanted to do in the beginning. After remembering that we have D-Term trips here at North Central, my hopes of traveling abroad came back into play.

I am beyond excited to travel to Germany and use German in everyday conversations with German citizens. Berlin is a beautiful and historic city. So much has happened there that shaped the way the city evolved. I have learned so much about Germany and Berlin over the years in my German classes, but to actually go there and see what my professor were talking about is amazing. I can’t wait to step foot in Berlin and learn even more about the city than I already have. I hope to learn all about the historic culture of Berlin and Erfurt along with how both cities and all the other cities that we will be visiting evolved since their creation.

This is the Erfurt Cathedral. It is located in the center of Erfurt.

In German 203 we created Wikipedia pages for the German Bundesland and I was given Thüringen. Thüringen is in the middle of Germany and is home to many of the cities that we will be visiting next winter. One of the main cities that we’re staying in, Erfurt, is the capital of Thüringen. After creating a wiki for Thüringen and Erfurt along with other cities in Thüringen, I have seen many pictures of what we will be visiting. I am so excited to be able to actually visit the places in the pictures.

Wartburg is one of the castles that we will be visiting.

Along with seeing the big cities and having as much fun as we can, I am also very interested in seeing the concentration camp and secret prison that we are going to. Even though they will be more serious of destinations, I am still excited to learn about the history that took place where we will be visiting.

To end this blog on a happier note, I can’t wait to visit the Christmas markets and see all the Christmas festivities that will be going on while we are in Germany. I hope you all are having a good end of the school year and I look forward to seeing you all next fall!

Word Count: 593