German Rulers and Government

19th century German Flag

19TH CENTURY

Otto von Bismarck

Germany did not get unified until 1871 and was instead Europe's German speaking territories divided into several hundred kingdoms, principalities, duchies, bishoprics, fiefdoms, independent cities, and towns. (1) The man who unified Germany was named Otto von Bismarck.

In the 18th and 19th century the German state Prussia began to rise to power along side of the other powerful German state Austria. The Prussian kings were very successful in expanding and modernizing the state along with creating a military and creating a bureaucracy. Prussia was also very tolerant of different religions (Catholic and Jews being the primary religions).

Napoleon

After being defeated by Napoleon's armies Prussia reformed their state helping the state become the strongest state and after Napoleon's defeat in 1814-1815 the German Confederation made up of thirty-eight states replaced the Holy Roman Empire.

Thaler Currency


The Customs Union: In 1934 Prussia lead eighteen German states (not 

including Austria) to create the Customs Union which enhanced the economic efficiency. This also lead to Germany being the main economic unit during the Industrial Revolution. Prussian Thaler became the 

common currency.

King Louis Phillipe

1848 French Revolution: The French overthrew King Louis Phillipe which created uprisings throughout Germany and panic. Local leaders of Germany met and discussed that uniting Germany would be the best idea but Prussia denied the request. The groups continued and became political parties, there was a final abolition of feudal property structures, and the revolutionaries colors (black, red, and gold) became Germany's colors. (1)

Otto von Bismark

Otto von Bismarck: Started out as a rebelious child and an unlikely candidate to have any political success in fact was very successful. While Bismarck was chancellor Prussia defeated Austria in 1866 and France in 1870 and 1871 Germany became a federal state under Emperor Wilhelm I. 


Emperor Wilhelm I





















Bismarck also tried to form alliances around Germany so they wouldn't be surrounded by hostility but Wilhelm II didn't care for Birmarck at all and fired him in 1890

Emperor Wilhelm II





1. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3997.htm> November 15th, 2011

2. <http://history1800s.about.com/od/leaders/a/bismarckbio.htm> November 15th, 2011

3. <english.upenn.edu> November 15th, 2011

4. <coinquest.com> November 15th, 2011

5. <simple.wikipedia.org> November 15th

6. <ww2incolor.com> November 15th, 2011

BERLIN CALLING

Response

       

      I enjoyed watching 'Berlin Calling'. I personally love techno so I could

<http://www.berlin-calling.de
/en/soundtrack> October, 2011

connect with the film in a musical aspect. This film seemed more raw then most films generated in the United States. When I say raw I am referring multiple things from this film: the use of drugs comes across as casual and isn't accompanied with dramatic after scenes like many films in the United States, the multiple sex scenes, the shots of the psych ward, scenes of the Warden admitting she has different intentions then what's implied upon Ickarus entering, multiple sex partners, and the night life. The reason I think the film is raw is also because while all of these things are happening it has a light and casual feel, much like reality. In American films, these scenes would be full of dramatic music and more violence or dramatic acting from the characters on behalf of the main character. While in reality, life is more similar to 'Berlin Calling' then any other film I've seen. The scene with Ickarus falling on the street is more realistic then many other scenes I've come across. While it isn't as exciting as Johnny Depp in 'Blow' fighting with his wife, snorting a line, and throwing clothes in a suit case running from the cops it is still just as damaging to a person's health.

<http://www.ohjohnny.net/blow/blow.html> October, 2011

         There wasn't much I saw in this film that I don't think would happen in the United States. I know that in the city of Saint Cloud, most wouldn't come across the situations that are witnessed in 'Berlin Calling', but if you hunt you could find many of them at a smaller scale. I'm sure most of the behavior portrayed in the movie occurs all over the world it's just not until a person enters a very large town that they will see most of this behavior. Depending on the religious affiliation of the country will also have a large affect on the common behavior of the society. But, as I stated before, I was shocked to see how affectionate the males were with each other. Most of the males I know will shake hands and that's the extent, but in this film they embraced each other for long periods of time. I was also surprised to see how reserved Mathilda seemed to be about her feelings on the matter of Ickarus's drug use. Most people I know don't have a problem saying more then necessary to get their opinion heard. 'Berlin Calling' was a wonderful film and I'm glad we viewed it.

BERLIN CALLING

Questions

1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?

<http://kalojanedelchev.blogspot.com/2009/11/
berlin-calling-2008.html> October, 2011

- Drugs are a way for Ickarus to escape the hectic life he lives. It's a way to escape from the turmoil he's been through regards to the changes within the country, loss of his mother, and lack of acceptance. Drugs also allow Ickarus to have a deeper connection with the one thing that's been there for him through everything, his music. By taking drugs his mind is altered and he hears beats differently and notices details he wouldn't be able to focus on when he's sober. Drugs are also a way to keep up with his fans, many of his fans also take drugs to connect to the music and escape reality.

2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

- Some of the drugs his fans take are pills, keratine, ecstasy, cocaine, and PMA (strong hallucinagen). They typically take these drugs while at shows (before, during, and/or after for the 'after party'). In the movie the drug shown taken the most was cocaine, doing lines in the bathroom or anywhere they could. Most of the fans take the drugs for the same reasons as Ickarus. They take the drugs mainly to connect with the music and people around them, but I'm sure many of them take the drugs to escape reality and anything that is troubling them.

3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

- It almost seems as if Germany was going through their 'hippy days' we witnessed in America during the sixties and seventies. But, the difference is that our drug era was spurred by war and Germany's seemed to be started from the wall coming down. The wall is down and now everyone has a lot more space and is exposed to people from a different society, they didn't know what to do with themselves. More freedom. So, the youth began to express themselves and experiment with things that probably weren't familiar. Techno became a hit and along with it drugs, the youth could escape the weird, ever changing reality they were thrown into.

4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?

- First and foremost, growing up in good ol' Saint Cloud, Minnesota sex is looked at as a more private, naughty activity that people don't discuss. Where as in Berlin Calling it is shown for what it is, part of life, something that's beautiful, normal, natural, and whatever you want it to be (referring to the scene where both woman and Ickarus were sexually involved). This movie was also different when it came to the scene of drug users, which is understandable because of the size of the town. Berlin is very large and the larger the town is the more people with differences can connect. So, there was a larger population of people using drugs and being more open then people in my community because the population of drug users isn't as large. I also noticed that it seems males are more affectionate then what I've grown up with. Icarus was affectionate with his brother and father several times embracing them in long hugs. It also seemed that they seemed more reserved about their emotions initially but when they did express them they would express a lot of emotion. I feel like where I've grown up people tend to express a lot of emotion all of the time.

5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then resigns him?

- Yes, I could see that Germany might move away from industrial and more towards media. But, I think that Germany will always have a strong industry because it seems to be Germany's core foundation for the time being. I think every society's work ethics have depleated in the last fifty years since there isn't as much need for human production (replaced by machines), so people have more free time and less jobs. Alice seemed to have a strong work ethic and Ickarus did not seem to have much work ethic at all.

6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?

- Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pink Floyd's: The Great Wall, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Twilight series (?), Dazed and Confused

<http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/what-is-your-favorite-
bookbook-series-at-the-moment/question-839243/> October, 2011

HOMEWORK

"How was and is the book 'All quiet on the Western Front' received by readers and what does it stand for?"

  (1)

The first review I read, the individual said they wanted to read it a second time it was such a good read.  The author of this review also said 
[Clip] Remarque's prose is simple, clear, concise, modern [End Clip]  (1)  
I would have to say I agree with this reviewer.  When I picked up this book in High School I thought to myself that it was going to be another novel I wouldn't be able to relate to the narrator due to the time difference, but refreshingly, it was not.  Remarque used beautiful wording in this novel allowing it to transcend over many other books written during his time.
      The second review I read gave this book praise and focused more on the purpose of the novel.  [Clip]  It was a book written to reflect the human cost of war. It shows us how war has a hidden face that most people do not see until it is too late. [...] The major theme of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is that war must be avoided at all cost because of the severe consequences that will arise. War causes people to lose friends, makes people worried and creates a feeling of uncertainty among innocent people. War also creates hatred among people. For example, two friends of different nationalities may become bitter enemies only because their respective countries are at war. [End Clip] (2)
I agree and disagree with this reviewer.  I agree that a lot of Remarque's message includes the cost of war in casualties and that war is glamorized specifically during this time, but I don't agree that Remarque intended on stating war must be avoided at all costs.  I believe every individual would make exceptions for war when it pertains to extreme cases, including Remarque. I think Remarque's message was mainly to show the lack of humility it creates in these young men and the robbing of innocence and the desire to live from them and for what?  For killing young men just like them that have also been brainwashed into thinking being a soldier is glamorous and will fill them so full of pride they won't care if everyone they've known their whole life dies around them.  I think the reviewer touched on some key points but didn't fully grasp Remarque's intended message, but it does have room for different interpretation.
      The third review I read had a good wording for the message behind All Quiet on the Western Front [Clip] Following a lesser- thought-about war, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front breaks from the traditional romanticizing of warfare and instead examines the harsh realities that young people face when they are sent to fight old people’s wars. [End Clip]  I liked the way the author of this review worded the point of this novel, they said it very bluntly.  The men during WWI were sent to fight a war old politicians decided these men needed to fight.  During the novel Paul and the boys even discuss this because when Paul went home to visit he sat in on some men discussing what the army should do next and they had no idea what they were putting these men through.  They didn't care that the Germans were losing, they continued to send these boys in for dead.
    It seemed All Quiet on the Western Front  was received very well by readers, I did not read a single review that said they didn't enjoy the novel.  Many reviewers said it kept them on edge and was very well written.  I agree with most reviewers on the purpose of the novel and enjoyed reading it myself. 






Sources:


1.  "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."* October, 2011 (Online) 
          <http://www.mashmagazine.com/00april/aprilbook.html>


2.  Cooper, Micheal.  "All Quiet on the Western Front- A Book Review" October,
          2011<http://ezinearticles.com/?All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front---A-Book- 
          Review&id=84991> 
3. "Book Review: All Quiet on the Western Front" October,2011.<http:
          //www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/book-review-all-quiet-western- 
          front>
  

Character and Chapter Summary

Main Characters

<http://www.corporate-aliens.com/quotes/getquote.php?Paul-Baumer&quoteid=326> October, 2011

Paul Baumer - the narrator and protagonist of All Quiet on the Western Front, starts the war happy and compassionate and slowly detaches from his emotions and dies at the end of the book


Stanislaus Katczinsky- known as Kat and is Paul's best friend in the army in Paul's company, Kat is forty in the beginning of the novel, has a family at home, and is the most resourceful man in the company always finding food and other supplies when needed

Kantorek- a school teacher from Paul's High School the boys had who pressures young men to take pride in their country and join the army, a very ignorant man

Himmelstoss- the boys Corporal who is very short and is on a power trip giving the boys a hard time and once he's placed out in the fighting is a coward

Franz Kemmerich- another one of Paul's classmates who gets a leg wound in the first few chapters, gets his leg amputated and dies, and is the first time that Paul and the boys deal with a death, Paul takes it hard


Albert Kropp- one of Paul's good friends and a fellow classmate, a very intelligent and analytical man


Muller- also one of Paul's good friends and fellow classmates, a very practical and stubborn man who questions the men about what they're going to do after they get home


Tjaden- another Second Company friend of Paul's, big guy who eats a lot and has many issues with Corporal Himmelstoss and taking orders from him


Detering -  one of Paul's close friends in the army who misses his farm and family and tries to escape only to get caught and never heard of again

Gerard Duval -  the french soldier that Paul kills when he jumps into the same hole as Paul and is the first person Paul has killed hand to hand combat, Paul finds out he has a wife and children at home and is very traumatized by the event

Haie Westhus - becomes one of Paul's friends in the Second Company and is a huge man who was a peat digger before the war and hates peat digging

Lieutenant Bertinck:

<http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/3279003/Hulton-Archive> October, 2011

I run a crew of good men. I was put in charge of this company and I will make sure I do the job well. I care for these men and believe if I show them respect I will receive respect, as simple as that. I was once in there position, so I understand how frightening and difficult it can be at times when you don't have much experience. When they run out of food I will make sure we get more. It's hard to see my men taken down but if the other men need there resources they should have them so they have enough strength to keep going and do a good job. I will not tolerate unjust or foolish actions, especially from our cook. I will do anything for these men because that is my duty, I am the leader of these boys. I am tough but you need to be tough to survive in this war. I have been here for two years and have not gotten injured yet and I intend for it to stay that way.

Chapter 11 Summary:

Main Characters:

Paul Baumer

Detering

Berger

Muller

Stanislaus Katczinsky

This chapter is very bitter and full of events. Fall has started for the men. Paul says the men are no longer individuals but melded as one. They are all soldiers and then individuals. In this chapter Detering cuts down some branches from a cherry blossom tree and attempts to escape home. He gets caught and is tried as a deserter and the men never hear of him again. 


 The chapter moves to when the men are on the front lines and their comrade Berger who runs out into lines of attack to either save or end the life of a messenger dog and get's a wound to the pelvis. Muller dies from a wound to the stomach and gives his boots to Paul which were previously Kemmerich's. The men also get dysentery which depletes the little energy they have. The men keep hearing rumors of the end coming but it does not come in this chapter or this book. 


 Paul says the summer of 1918 was the bloodiest summer and they all know the Germans are losing. The chapter ends with Paul's last friend 'Kat' getting a wound in the shin. The whole time Paul is carrying him back he get's more and more depressed about being left alone. When Paul arrives at the dressing center an orderly tells him it was a waste of time to bring a dead man. Paul bends down to rub Kat's temples and finds blood. Kat died from a small wound to the head that was unnoticed by Paul. Paul doesn't cry he appears to go numb, and says he knows nothing. It is a chapter leading to the end for Paul.    

Homework: Wk4

 "All Quiet on the Western Front" Response

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Quiet_on_the_
Western_Front > October 2011

     In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque has several meanings he wants the reader to pick up on.  The one that stood out the most to me was the permanent psychological effect war leaves on young men.  Erich Maria Remarque begins his story emphasizing this effect when Paul's friend Kemmerich has his leg amputated and their friend Muller begins asking for his boots.  When Muller does ask his other friends, including Paul, their reaction seems anything but sympathetic for Kemmerich, but it the war these boys are exposed to so much they start to work off of instincts.  These soldiers become detached and numb, and that is the only mechanism they have to handle the constant daily mental, emotional, and physical stress they're exposed to in war.  

     The author stresses the permanent  psychological effect on soldiers by example through Paul.  Throughout the book Paul thinks more and more about life back home and the fact that he will not know what to do when he returns.  He thinks that he will know nothing more than the war and doesn't know how to move on and continue with his life.  War becomes soldiers lives, their existence.  When an individual has been conditioned to have animalistic instincts to survive and has been dehumanized by their living conditions it is very hard for them to return to a regular life or mental stability alone.  Giving such graphic details in the story the author helps the reader place themselves closer to the main characters shoes because the reader has to detach themselves from the reality of the visuals in their mind to move forward in the story without feeling sickened or emotionally distraught.  I believe the author did a fantastic job of illustrating what soldiers psychologically go through without romanticizing it with honor and nationalism as many other novels do.  There are many other very important points Erich Maria Remarque makes in this novel, but this is the one I believe had the largest impact on me.

Homework: Wk3

HAMBURG, GERMANY





Hamburg on The Elbe River
http://www.germanywanderer.com/destinations/hamburg/hamburg-a-sea-port-on-the-elbe/attachment/hamburg-a-sea-port-on-the-elbe2/

I chose to research Hamburg, Germany because it is the second smallest German state.

HAMBURG:

The population of Hamburg is over 1.8 million, it is the second largest city in Germany, and the 7^th in the European Union. Hamburg is 291.5 square miles and almost three-hundred could fit into Minnesota. In the year 2010 the population of Minnesota was almost 5.5 million which in comparison to the size of Hamburg is significantly less. Hamburg is the second smallest German state after Bremen and is located in the north west corner of Germany with Lower-Saxony to the south and Schleswig-Holstein to the north. Hamburg is also located along the Elbe River which is extremely important for Hamburgs industry.

INDUSTRY:

Hamburg often get's called the gateway to the world because it's seaport is the third largest in all of Europe next to Antwerp and Rotterdam. The port is the ninth in the world with shipments of 9.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo (in 2007). Over 150,000 people live and work in Hamburgs port. Other important industries in Hamburg are steel, aluminum, and copper. In the year 2010, PPG Industries' aerospace business earned an Excellent Supplier Award in Gold from “Austrian aviation supplier FACC AG for 'consistent outstanding performance' providing coatings, sealants, aircraft maintenance chemicals, and packaging and application systems.” Hamburg also has the largest industry in newspaper and periodical publishing after Berlin. Roughly 130,000 people are employed in the media sector.

Clip: [Hamburg] Is seen as the digital industry pioneer and the German advertising world’s creative powerhouse with legion advertising and design agencies, film studios and media service providers. Publications from Hamburg account for almost 50 percent of the countrywide paid circulation of daily and weekly newspapers and consumer magazines. End Clip

ECONOMY:

Clip: The 2007 gross domestic product (GDP) totaled €88.9 billion. The city has the highest GDP in Germany – €50,000 per capita – and a relatively high employment rate, at 88 percent of the working-age population, employed in over 120,000 businesses. In 2007, the average income of employees was €30,937. End Clip.

TOURISM:

Tourists play a large role in Hamburgs economy. In the year 2007, Hamburg attracted almost four million visitors which is about half the amount of tourists attracted to Rome (almost seven million). Tourism also employes roughly 175,000 people and brings in a revenue of 9.3 billion Euros. Hamburg has one of the fastest growing tourism industries in Germany, the majority of visitors come from Germany. Tourist attractions include: Rathaus (city hall), Michel Church, Chilehaus (historic office building in the form of a ship), Speicherstadt (old warehouse district), and Reeperbahn (famed red light and nightclub district). Hamburg is also known as the capital of musical theater in Germany that offers more than forty theaters, sixty museums, and one-hundred music venues and clubs. Clip: In 2005, more than 18 million people visited concerts, exhibitions, theatres, cinemas, museums, and cultural events.


                                                                      Chilehaus

<http://www.conference-hotel.com/hotel_1087394498.htm> October 2011

HISTORY:

Clip: There is no firm evidence of settlement in Hamburg before the 4th century. Most city history´s use 810 as their starting point, when Karl the Great built a fortress called the Hammaburg, which was meant to serve as a focus point for Christian missionaries. [...]

In the 18th century, the economy of Hamburg continued to grow steadily and at the turn of the century, the population totaled 130,000. […]

In 1867, Hamburg joined the North German League and in 1888, it joined the German Customs League, both of which proved to be crucial events in its historical development: Hamburg became known as Germany´s Gateway to the world. By 1912, Hamburg's harbor was the third most important port in the world, after London and New York.

WORKS CITED

1. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27000.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg

3. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3901044,00.html

4. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/253231/Hamburg/16041/The-economy

5. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/253231/Hamburg/16040/The-people

6. http://www.ppg.com/en/newsroom/news/Pages/20110609A.aspx

7. http://marketing.hamburg.de/Medienhauptstadt.137.0.html?L=1

8. http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman_vacation/pickpockets.htm