Germany Assignment 4

This economic cycle is like the cycle that Germany went through during this time in history.

The expansion of land in Prussia between 1616 and 1740.

             When looking at how and why Germany became a nation, there is a trend that cycles through. Each trend gets cycled through multiply times before the divided German states are able to rise up and become one nation. In chapters three and four of Germany: A New History, the reader can clearly see the cycles that Germany went through ending with one political figure’s last push that allowed Germany to become one nation in the end of chapter 5.  The cycles for how and why can be described as two alternating cycles or one that intertwines with another.

The land Prussia had before Napoleon invaded.

The start of the cycle is a time when the land is in a period of decline. The first period of decline was in 1667 after the Thirty Years War. During this time the population was declining and the principalities were poverty stricken. Economically the states could not get a foothold in the trade industry. Not having one uniform trade between the all of the principalities hindered trade and wealth from coming into the land (Schulze 70).  Their poverty, led outside countries to believe them to be weak and easily conquerable. 

The next part of the cycle is war brought on by an outside force and ending in the outside force gaining some of the principalities. In this cycle it was French king Louis the Fourteenth who sent troops into the far north and eastern lands (71).  The war ended with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire signing a treaty that allowed the French to keep all of the land they conquered (72).  

The next part is the people joining together as an entity that might be able to operate as a country. During this time the people gave credit for the treaty to Austria and not the Empire, raising the spirits of the people to support the lands inside the Empire. Another power that rose during this time was the Hohenzollerns family with the Brandenburg-Prussia Empire (78).

The land Napoleon gained in his conquest.

The last part of the cycle is increasing the power and/or land of the empire. This was accomplished in the Seven Year War that lasted until 1763. Prussia used their military power against great odds defeating Austria, France, and Russia (83). In return, Prussia gained recognition as a great power in Europe and for holding claim of Silesia (84).

Prussia after the fall of Napoleon.

A picture of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The cycles started again in the last third of the eighteenth century when bad harvest all over Europe caused people to rebel (92). Then German Principalities ceded to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797 (96). This left only sixteen principalities in the Holy Roman Empire, which ceded to Napoleon in 1806. A month later the Holy Roman Empire fell for good to Napoleon (99). Austria and Prussia also fell to France around this time leaving nothing left of the German lands. During this time under France changes were made to the government that would allow a nation to develop later on. Soon after being conquered the German people started a national movement formed by people who felt that the government they had before was “weak and dishonorable” and that if they were a nation they would be stronger (104).  In 1813, the King of Prussia had a call to arms and with the help of Austria, England, Russia and Sweden they were able to push Napoleon back to Paris before he abdicated. With this outcome Prussia gained areas along the Rhine and part of Saxony (107).

A picture of Otto von Bismarck.

During the next period between the cycles Germans learned about two challenges they would face in their fight to become a nation. The first is they would not be able to form a nation without the consent of rest of Europe (127).  The second is that there were two different ideas of what Germany should be (125).

The end of these cycles came when Otto von Bismarck became prime minister. Bismarck came up with a strategy that would allow the German land to become a nation during the next up rise (139). In 1870, the opportunity came about with the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war. During this war Prussia was able to reclaim the last bit of land held by the ancient Germans (144). At the end of the war it was not just the common people, but also the princes who wanted a strong unified nation, therefore allowing Germany to come into existence (145).

The land covered in the German Empire.

One identifying characteristic of Germany is its strong military emphasis throughout this whole period and even today (79). What I find interesting, though, is that they had to keep losing before coming back later as one unit to fight and win against their opponents. The principalities fought to stay separate even though the people did not like thought of being weak. This fact reminds me of the phrase “an enemy of an enemy is a friend,” because the only time they would try to work together was when they were try to get back land from their enemy.

Germany Assignment 3

A picture of Martin Luther.

The YouTube video by PBS Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary shows Martin Luther as a cultural, political, and religious revolutionary. Because of the changes in the Holy Roman Empire, today’s Germany, he is an important figure in German’s history.

First, Martin Luther started the religious revolution. When he posted his 95 thesis to the door of the Church in Wittenberg, he was contesting the Catholic Church that until that time had never been successfully opposed. In this way Martin Luther allowed the common people to openly question the Church. He also allowed ordinary people to have a role in the church and beliefs that their repentance was between them and God. People no longer needed a priest to intercede on their behalf in order to repent or to receive an indulgence. He also translated the bible into German so people other than those in the Church could read the Bible. With this changes and a few others, Luther had a new form of Christianity which made Europe a continent with more than one form of Christianity.

The bible that Martin Luther translated into German

Although Martin Luther never intended it, he was also a political revolutionary. In some of his writings he encouraged the Princes to stand up to the Church and reform the churches in their principalities. Through these Martin Luther was able to save his life by having Princes in the Holy Roman Empire go against the Church and not turn him over for trial for his excommunication. The revolution that Martin Luther started also inspired the serfs and common people to rise up against their rulers. This started the end of the feudal system that was still being used in that area. Lastly, the people started public schools and public welfare programs for the common people.

One of the sketches Martin Luther used to depict the Church.

In the end Luther started a cultural revolutionary. He inspired people to question the Church and the power the Church had in the government. With this he spread the idea that everyone had the power to change the way things are. One way Luther spread his ideas was through propaganda that was never used before but is still used today. Luther expressed that everyone had social freedom. Luther may not have wanted to start a revolution, but that is exactly what he did to the point were peasants became dangerous to the ruling class.

Germany Assignment 2

            In Germany a New History by Hagen Schulze, he mentions the Peace of Westphalia at Münster and Osnabrück in 1648 played an impacting role in the development of Germany as a country. The Peace of Westphalia was the resolution of the Thirty Years’ War that had encompassed most of Europe at one point or another. Although the nation called Germany was not formed out of this peace treaty, the boundaries of present day Germany was partly outlined in the treaty.

This is the map of how the land was divided by the Peace of Westphalia.

            I find this treaty interesting because it can be thought of as a starting point for various ideas that are formed later. One is the development of countries that are around today. They divided the land into eight different parts, six of which are nations today. One of the eight was what was left of the Holy Roman Empire. When looking at the country’s boarders it looks similar to the land that is taken up today by Germany.  This division of land cleared up the confusion of boundaries that went back to 870 when Lothar’s line died out leaving the middle section of Charlemagne’s kingdom unclaimed. Another way this peace idea is seen later in history is with the European Union that Europe has today. These facts are important to Germany because it establishes Germany as a central focus of Europe. It partly explains past and future war that involved that land. One example in particular is Hitler and how he was able to expand the territory in his control so fast.  This also meant that Germany could never have a long period of isolationism like the United States has had in it past.

This is a map of the boundaries in Europe today.

 The treaty also used constitutions that were already in place in Europe, Golden Bull and Peace of Augsburg, instead of starting from scratch. Both the documents were expanded to make them work in this new organization. American’s did something similarly when they were writing the Constitution. They looked at the ideas of famous philosophers of that day to come up with a form of government that met their needs.

            One way the Peace of Westphalia made Europe similar to the United States is that other nations now had to acknowledge other nation’s laws like in America each state has to recognize other state’s laws.  One way that Germany is different from the United States is that although Catholics and Protestants are now equally recognized, Germany does not have separation of church and state.  Each religion has their own governing body that meets, instead of in America where religion has no part in government and there are many different sects of Protestants, instead of one, and each has their own organizations.

Germany Assignment 1

Cultures of different counties have always been an interest of mine. My trip to Italy last spring with the school’s Concert Coir made me even more enthusiastic to travel to different countries and explore them first hand. I have always felt that you can only learn so much from looking at pictures and reading textbooks. By going and looking at the places you read about and experiencing bits and piece of the place’s culture, you can form a more complete picture in your mind. You get your other three senses involved instead of only using two.

Germany in particular holds an interest to me because I am 75 percent German. This trip will allow me to learn about the history and customs of my ancestors. Also this school year my family is hosting a German exchange student. Traveling to another culture will give me a brief taste of what it is like to go to another country and interacting with people whose primary language is not your own. Another reason I chose Germany is because there are important music composers that come from Germany and I would like the opportunity to see a concert while there. I am also interested in learning about other parts of world culture that Germany has made. Lastly, my dad is always traveling to Germany for business and I am curious about what kind of culture he experiences when he has to travel.

During this trip I expect to learn about important times in history that has contributed to why Germany is the way it is today. I am also is interested in learning about Martin Luther in a different light other than as one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Most of all I look forward to learning about the history of the places we are going and seeing, and experiencing the sites with all five senses. I also expect to experience a different way of life with different types of foods and daily life style. I also hope to go to an orchestra concert with the orchestra playing music by a German composer.

This class will be fulfilling my intercultural requirement that I need to graduate. The other reason for this class is the class allows me to take a class outside of the field I am majoring, but am still interested in studying.