Germany's Radical Changes

By the end of the war, Germany had been impacted in many ways and they also viewed others differently. They were impacted socially, economically, and politically. After the war Germany began to see women as a necessary asset to society. 

Women in the workforce

During the war, the percentage of women in the workforce had risen thirty-seven percent, which was a massive rise in the time period. After the war ended, the percentage of women didn’t decline too much because they were seen as playing a significant role in the German economy. The reaction from many of the Germans to the ending of the war also had a huge impact on the German society. Many of the German soldiers were under the impression that they had not lost the war and that the army had been cheated, where Hitler later phrased this thinking as “The Stab in the back.” Many of the Germans were looking for people to blame because of the impression that the Germans had not lost the war. Because of all this blame being placed on so many different people, others started to look to the new Government, which leads me a compelling section of the book. The part in the reading that intrigued me the most was when it states that not until a year before the ending of the war were there any serious food shortages that existed, due to the fact that the occupied countries were stripped of their resources. The war intensified the tendencies of the totalitarian state, bringing with it a militarization public life, increasing organization of the formerly private sphere, and social leveling. The government began to understand how to exploit envy and class differences for its own purposes when rationing was introduced (Schulze, 270). I found this interesting because now a days all we see is differences in class and the way people live because they either have no way of getting a job or the ability to get out of the routine of living paycheck to paycheck and then you have the ones who have so much money they don’t know what to do with it. Before and during the war everyone was considered one and that was probably one of the reasons that placing blame on one another was so easy, but that blame turned into intolerance and many people wanted a new Government, which resulted in the understanding of class difference and intense social leveling. 

Post war generated a lot of suspicion throughout Germany. The first President of the Weimar Republic worked hard to try and win the support of the elite soldiers because he wanted their support in order to maximize the stability of the new republic. In return of the support from the army, they needed the support of the President if they were to survive as a significant political power in the years following the peace settlement. 

Friedrich Ebert, President of Weimar Republic

German states during the Weimar Republic period

As far as the economical impact because of the war, Germany suffered terribly. Industrial output fell by over forty percent and in some cases machinery was considered obsolete. The economy also suffered from raw material shortages and the Germans found it difficult to purchase raw material in any case because the international community shunned them as a consequence of the war. The political impact of the war was the most obvious area of change and because the Kaiser was forced into abdication, it left a power vacuum that was filled by the Weimar Republic. Due to the war Germany had been extremely isolated and to add to the many consequences of the war, Germany lost lives of many.

Word Count: 614

Finding a Modern German Nation

Although Germany became a nation in 1871, there were many challenges that came along with the unification of Germany, which mainly centered on the idea of freedom, rather the lack of freedom. What I found interesting, while reading the complications Germany faced trying to become a unified nation, was the three solutions that were posed during the meeting at St. Paul’s. 

St. Paul's Church in Frankfort

The National Assembly gathered in the St. Paul's Church in Frankfort

There were two completely opposite solutions posed during the meeting – “Great Germany” which would consist of all German regions including Austria and be ruled by a Hapsburg emperor was solution #1 and solution #2 was “Small Germany” which would exclude Austria and its areas and be ruled by a Hohenzollern emperor – and because the conflict that erupted due to these two solutions, radicals of southwest Germany decided to jump into the fight and pose a third solution – a democracy (Schulze 125-126). I find this interesting because I find this situation to relate to so many of our lives today. Well, I mean not exactly, but when things get tough many people just jump directly to the easiest way out of a conflict and the easiest way out this conflict for someone was to pose a solution to agree on a democracy. This way everyone will be able to voice their opinions and make decisions together, but I think this will cause more issues because back in 1871 being told what to do and when to do it was more favorable that making agreements and having many different people in charge and working together. 

Although the solution involving Great Germany was favored by the majority of the delegates, The National Assembly decided to offer Frederick William IV the crown of a “small German” empire instead, but because it was offered from a parliament and not from the hand of a prince, Frederick William IV declined. He claimed the crown was “filthy” and carried a “stench of revolution.” He also was afraid that if he would have accepted the position then a protest from the other European powers would arise and Austria would end up getting involved, which is what Small Germany wanted to avoid.  

Frederick William II, who declined the crowning to becoming the emperor of "Small Germany"

As if all of this wasn’t enough to try and stop Germany from unifying, other European courts have had their fears confirmed with the spreading of German nationalism and the possession of the Danish crown leading them to believe that a unified German state in the center of the continent would only disrupt things even more and offset the balance of power for the entire continent. Going back to the idea of the third solution opposed when discussing the unification of Germany in St. Paul’s, this suggestion of becoming a democracy would help the identity of Germany as a whole, referring to back in the 1800s because we all know it is a republic democracy today (Schulze 126). This part of the reading compelled me the most because it ties directly with the Catholic-Protestant divide that created tension and hostility between Catholic and Protestant Germans after 1871, when Germany finally became unified. Tension seems to be certain when it comes to democracy because everyone has their own opinions, but compromise must be learned, which is what happened with the religions. This connection compelled me because although there was a divide created between the two religions, the religions eventually learned to live with each other and accept the fact that everyone has different beliefs and that is what builds an identity. 

Everyone has challenges to face and issues to overcome, but learning to accept those challenges and differences is when someone or something truly grows and the German state is what it is today because of all the challenges that it had to face and the tensions built between individuals and groups that was trust upon it because an agreement couldn’t be made. I am excited to see some of the past while we are in Germany to get a better understanding of why Germany is the way it is today.

Word Count: 694

Berlin: A Deeper Look

Berlin: the vision many imagination when the
topic of Germany comes up.

Berlin may seem all glitz and glamour on the outside, but just like everyone, one must take a deeper look to really get to know how something or who someone really is. As I grew up throughout my childhood and continue to now, yes I am still growing up (we all are), I have never experienced restriction on my freedom. I guess that is one of the perks of living in the United States of America. 

People climbing the Berlin Wall in protest
with guards on the lookout.

In Germany, the Berlin Wall was constructed to create a division between West Berlin and East Berlin. It prevented the emigration to West Berlin and anyone with a job in West Berlin was cut off and left unemployed. West Berlin was closed off to everyone of the East and the Berlin Wall made Berlin the most difficult city to navigate from East to West and vice versa. I find the Berlin Wall very interesting because we hear about different barriers and boundaries that unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, separate us from each other. Race, ethnicity, religion, etc are some examples of issues that create invisible boundaries throughout different areas of the world just like the completely visible Berlin Wall that physically separated the well-known city of Berlin. After years of the Berlin Wall dividing the city, the citizens of Germany started to get used to the wall that they thought was permanent, but still put up a fight. The East would never see the West and the West would never see the East. Jobs and opportunities were limited because of the restriction of the Berlin Wall. 

Demolition of the Berlin Wall

On November 9, 1989 the world of the people of Germany had changed. The Berlin Wall was coming down and their freedom was finally here. I think that with the experience of the falling of the Berlin Wall, the people of German have learned to appreciate the true meaning of freedom and to never take anything for granted. This event almost makes me wonder if it is what caused Germans to be so bitter. From an American point of view, I see Germans as being very sour with life and very serious. Now that is just an overall conclusion based on the interaction I have had with my grandparents. Both my grandparents, ironically, remarried 100 percent Germans and they match the description I mentioned above. Did the people of German just decide to give up and forget about all the experiences life has to offer? Did they feel helpless and powerless, so when they gained their freedom they take it out on anyone who ticks them off? These questions always run through my mind and maybe the answer has something to do with the Berlin Wall.

Boroughs of East Berlin (as of 1987)

With the falling of the Berlin Wall came the reunification of West and East Berlin. This goes into my next topic. These two areas were officially reunited on October 3, 1990, but there was never a smooth seam between the two. Until this day, East Berlin shows significant differences from West Berlin. I mean how can something ever really be put back together once it has been broken. I find it interesting how two sections of Berlin can become one again after they were separated for some time. If you were to compare the separation and the reunification of West and East Berlin to a relationship between two people, some may ask how something could go back together after it has already been broken with, what seemed like, a permanent wall. With some research, I do agree with the fact that there could still be a noticeable difference between the West Berliners and the East Berliners. The two different sets of people essentially lived completely different lives and then thrown back together, so of course there will be a noticeable difference between the two life styles and attitudes of the Berliners. Adjustments will have to be made, but everything gets better with time.

I am excited to see the sites of Berlin knowing its rich history it holds under its belt.

Word Count: 704

Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary Blog Post #3

Martin Luther, shown in 

portrait by Lucas Cranach the Elder,

 initiated the Protestant Reformation 

in 1517.

Martin Luther was a headstrong believer. He believed in the truth and would fight to make sure the truth was expressed across the nation. He defended the truth with his blood and death. I think that the reactions Luther received from the Catholic Church about his 95 Theses may have seemed as a bit of an overreaction, but the Catholics do have the right to be offended by Luther because he basically targeted the Catholic religion by wanting to create a division between the religions and singling out Catholicism. The Catholics’ reaction can be seen as valid because Luther did single out their religion by trying to separate their religion from the rest. Although Luther is willing to put his life in danger for what he believes in, which he claims is the truth, he was in the wrong with how he attacked the Catholic religion. Even though Luther did initiate the Reformation and the Catholics’ reactions, I don’t believe his life should be in danger. Everyone’s life has value and everyone makes mistakes, but Luther ended up becoming a very important role model of the German-speaking lands.

Luther’s 95 Theses being hung on the door 

of the castle church in Wittenberg. As all good 

Lutherans “know,” the Reformation began 

when the 95 Theses was posted on 

that door.

Because a unifying cultural, economic, and political center does not exist in every language territory, especially in German-speaking lands of central Europe, developing a unifying dialect was a little more complicated.

Central Europe, where unifying a common 

dialect was a little more complicated.

Besides the Dutch and the Swiss, the rest of the German-speaking lands adopted a common language and because of this, the role of Luther, especially through his Bible, was crucial. Luther lucked out on his own geographical location as well because by being located in the middle of the German-speaking lands the dialect that exists in the area could more easily function as a bridge to other regions. For instance, if Luther was located completely north or completely south of the German-speaking lands, he would have a much more difficult time developing a dialect that could be understood throughout the entire German-speaking lands. Luther was most important for the German-speaking lands in the way that he employed the language in a creative and effective way in works that were printed and distributed in mass quantities throughout the German-speaking lands. The Reformation was the first movement to take advantage of the printing press, and Luther’s use of the printing press created remarkable results. With the use of the printing press, Luther printed works of every sorts, like pamphlets, the catechism, and the Bible, which communicated directly with the ordinary people who embraced his faith and held similar beliefs of his. They were also able to use Luther’s vision of the German language and gradually make it their own. Luther was able to bring everyone together from the German-speaking lands by developing a common dialect and utilizing the printing press to distribute documents like the Bible to a wide variety of people across the German territories. His beliefs were expressed and received by the German people, which in turn they formed their own beliefs with the use of Luther’s visions.

Word count: 556