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.