Economy, Society and Government. A look at some of Germany's changes.

            Over the past few decades, Germany has gone through many different changes. These changes include changes in Government, society and general mindset. The most change was in the aftermath of World War 1 which left Germany politically unstable. After the treaty of Versailles was passed, which made Germany admit fault and pay off all the debts, there was a time of hyperinflation due to all the bills Germany had to face. This angered Germany which created a way for Hitler to gain power as he promised to remove the treaty.

            Another way that Germany changed was through the currency and economy. The period of hyperinflation caused the current currency to become worthless. At one point it took nearly 240 million marks to equal 1 US dollar.  With the new currency called the Rentenmark the economy was able to rebound. The Rentenmark has since been replaced by the East German Mark, the Deutsch Mark and now the Euro.

             Germany also changed socially as well. Once Hitler came into power, several things changed. One of these things was the public opinion on Jews. At first there were bans that were established around Jewish owned businesses. Eventually the hatred grew until one night there were a series of attacks on Jewish businesses, homes and people. This night, November 9^th, 1938 was dubbed Reichskristallnacht which translates to Night of Shattered Glass. (255) This is due to the amount of windows, items and valuables that were broken on this night. By the end there were 91 Jewish casualties and over 30,000 that were incarcerated. Most of the incarcerated Jews were sent to concentration camps. For those who were not killed or incarcerated, life became even more difficult as they were not accepted anywhere they went. Many tried to flee the country while many others simply committed suicide.

            However, I have a lot of questions. Why did Germany become so angry? What started all the conflict? I think that most of the problems can be narrowed down to the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty is interesting in every aspect. It was signed in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles which is the same hall that the proclamation of the German Empire was signed which unified Germany. 

The hall of mirrors in Versailles

This treaty, in every sense, was established to put all blame on Germany for World War One and force Germany to pay. This was hard for Germany as it made them humble as they declared defeat. Germany was also forced to give up land to Poland, Belgium and other countries. 

         

    The treaty of Versailles also caused a breakdown of the German Military as it states that the German Army cannot be over 100,000 men and the navy cannot sail ships larger than 100,000 tonnes. It also banned the construction of an Air force and a submarine fleet.

            This treaty consequently caused many of the events that occurred. This treaty forced Germany to pay the bills of World War One which led to hyperinflation. There was also the overall growth of German Spirit and unity as the Germans felt wronged. They demanded solutions which led to Hitler becoming the leader as he used the promise to stop the treaty to attract the votes of Germans who were angry.

            Throughout the transitions from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic to Nazi Germany and to the current government, Germany has faced many changes. While some of these changes affected the whole of the world, others were in response to ways the world affected Germany. But in the end Germany stands strong.

Germany: A country from the Arts and Patriotism

Before the physical borders of Germany appeared, there was already a psychological border. The people who lived in German speaking lands began to show patriotism and other connecting beliefs that were aimed at a country that did not exist. This occurred in the early to mid-1800’s. This idea really flourished during an era called the Biedermeier which was a period where arts, architecture and music began to change.

In Germany (or what was to become Germany) it was no different. Many musicians and composers grew in popularity and talent in this time. An example of this is Ludwig van Beethoven (Hagen, 98).  Beethoven, who is still considered as one of the best composers of all time, was known during that time for creating pieces that could be played in a small environment or gatherings. 

Beyond the arts, German unification was spreading. While there were no official boundaries or clear borders to Germany, there was already an definition to the unification: “German Fatherland had as yet no fixed shape. It was a poetic, historical, and utopian notion, an ideal that in its more earthly incarnation usually bore the name ‘Prussia.’” It also was a “[referral] to a cultural and linguistic unity more than anything else and did not begin to imply that many separate German states would actually be consolidated into one single nation anytime soon.” (Hagen, 117)

There was also another spark to the German unity that occurred with the gymnastics movement. This combined the desire for physical fitness and patriotism by bringing people together for gymnastics events. Another was Gesangverein which is a chorale society. They promoted patriotism by singing patriotic themed songs, gave speeches and brought people together at gatherings.

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn - Father of Gymnastics

“In short, the German Nation was born in the minds of the intelligentsia, as a cultural identity without direct ties to politics. It was therefore only logical that its great heros were not princes and military leaders as in France and England but rather a collection of poets and philosophers…”(Hagen, 91) This sums up the history of the German Culture. While German is known for its military and the wars it has fought, it has kinder roots. These roots made it inevitable for the many kingdoms scattered around what was to become Germany to unite and form one great country.

I find this topic interesting because it suggests that Germany existed before Germany, as a country, was created. I am curious to see how these roots are still visible in Germany today as it has gone through a lot of political, cultural and social changes since their start in the 1800’s.  I am also curious to see the impact that the formation of Germany had on the surrounding countries like France or Austria. There is a lot to learn from German history and all that surrounds it.

Bombs, Walls and Power. The fall and rise of Berlin

Berlin is one of the places in Europe that is full of history. Throughout time, Berlin has faced many wars, battles and conflicts. However, there was one war that really affected Berlin, World War II. While many people think of all the battles that occurred, not many people think about what happened in Berlin during WWII. Berlin, like the rest of Europe was under attack as well. There were constant bombing threats, men were at war and women were left to clean up. People also spent many hours seeking refuge in bomb shelters. The biggest of these shelters could protect around 65,000 people. They also converted subway stations into bomb shelters. They also enacted evacuations for non-essential people and children during this time. The bombings took place over several years and were mostly ineffective at destroying important targets. However, the bombings served to harm both Berlin’s civilian morale and economy. Theoretically, by destroying both their morale and the economy, Germany would surrender. However, Berliners proved themselves to be quite resilient.

            With the eventual complete military defeat of Germany’s army and the surrender of Berlin, the allied forces took over the city. The Soviet Union controlled the Eastern sector of the country while the French, British and American controlled the Western sectors. During this occupation the allies changed the currency to help regrow the German economy. The Soviets however did not agree with this and enacted a blockade which would stop food, fuel and other essential goods from entering Berlin. In response to this, the Allied forces used a constant airlift that brought essential goods to the blocked area. During this time, there were planes landing or taking off every 90 seconds. This went on for over a year and ended in 1949.

This shows the common path that over 200,000 flights would take to deliver supplies.

            There were several distinct differences between East Germany and West Germany. One was political ties. The West was considered a free democratic state while the East imposed a strict Communist rule. While Berlin was in East Germany, half of the city was a democratic zone whose freedom attracted refugees from East Berlin. This became a problem to East Germany because people were rapidly leaving the communist state for freedom. The Soviets saw one option to keep the population from leaving; build a wall. This wall separated West Berlin and East Berlin, thus separated families, friends and a nation for decades. People would gather around the wall with binoculars and telescopes trying to get a glimpse of their loved ones. The wall went up overnight when people had no warning. People were separated for a total of 28 years. One night in 1989, the borders were thrown open. Berliners from both East and West Berlin were celebrating, chanting, drinking and taking pieces of the wall. This came after the government of East Germany finally changed its travel regulations. On November 9^th, 1989 Berlin was physically reunified. A year later, in October 1990, the official reunification of Germany was stated. 

This is President Regan's famous quote that recommended the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

This image, taken from the ISS, shows the invisible wall that seperates Germany. The Telegraph states that there is more commercial activity in West Berlin than in East Berlin. A result of the Berlin wall.

            But what do these events symbolize for Berlin? The morale of Berliners during the war helped set the tone for the next couple of decades of political turmoil. It shows that Germany would not go down easily. While the wars and occupancy, Germany was ready to start again. When the wall was built, People were separated. While some people went to extremes to get back together with their loved ones, others were resilient kept hope that one day the wall would fall. Berlin was more than just a city during these times. Berlin was an idea that life can be rebuilt and improved. These events made Berlin what it is today.

Berlin's past will always show if you look hard enough. This image shows the Brandenburg Gate with the wall and in present day.

Martin Luther. The voice of the outspoken.

After Martin Luther published his infamous 95 thesis, German-speaking lands began to change. The changes affected everyone religiously, culturally and politically in Europe and, eventually, the rest of the world.

Let’s discuss the religious changes first. Martin Luther is well known for his 95 thesis which criticizing the unbiblical acts of the Roman Catholic Church, the religious power of the time, for abusing indulgences, the act of selling redemption of sins. For Example, the church would offer time out of purgatory if charitable acts were done. The Church responded with the eventual excommunication of Luther.

This image depicts the act of selling indulgences. (A woodcut by Jörg Breu the Elder of Augsburg c1500)

However, this act did not stop Luther. He continued to publish his beliefs and created a large following. He went on to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew to German so that anyone could read it. This was one of the biggest points in the reformation because it enabled faith to become personal. This ultimately led to the formation of the Protestant church’s formation and the inspiration of Calvinism.

This is the cover of Martin Luther's translated bible. Printed around 1545

Another way that Luther affected German-speaking lands was through the culture. With the reformation, society began to function on its own, without instruction from the church. Welfare systems started as people started to divert the money that they would give to the church to programs to help the poor.

During the Reformation, several influences came into place. This is called the counter-reformation. This brought the influences of southern Europe into Catholic Germany where theatre, painting and architecture began to flourish. To the north, Protestant Germany began to focus on music, language and literature. Many of these influences are still present today!

Finally, the reformation affected the politics of German-speaking lands. People began to question the place of religion in Politics. Eventually kingdoms grew after taking full control of their lands as the church often acted to stop absolute control. This enabled Europe to become fragmented with kingdoms that identified as catholic or protestant. Within those kingdoms, capitalism, science and democratic ideals were growing into what would become the modern day Democracy.

This map shows how fragmented Europe was during the Reformation.

Overall, Martin Luther played a very major role in what made German-speaking lands what they are today. His works affected religion, politics and the very culture of the lands that it reached. Without Luther, the world would be predominately Catholic today. We can thank Luther for setting in motion for what made Europe, and consequently the rest of the world, what it is today.

A big moment of German History: The Black Plague

The Black plague is a major part event in European history. Over the 5 year peak of the disease, about 1/3 of all Europe was wiped out. The black death was spread through rats, fleas and contact with the infected. The disease also became airborne that allowed people to contract the infection without being in direct contact with an infected person. 

The infected often lasted less than a week before dying. This image from the Toggenburg Bible depicts the infected. 

The disease was ruthless. It had over a 50% mortality rate. An infected person would experience headaches, back aches, fever, chills, vomiting and the appearance of sores on the body which might grow to the size of an orange. These sores would often burst and cause external bleeding, internal bleeding and the excrement of pus. Most infected would only survive about a week.

The plague had an interesting effect on Germany. Like many towns and cities in Europe, there was a shortage of food which caused the uprisings of rebellions and political turmoil. Overall, the aftermath of the plague led to the use of modern medicine and changes in public health. 

Religiously, the plague changed the way people saw their faith. After the plague many people turned their back on God based on the belief that God turned his back on them. However, not all lost faith. Those who remained in their faith took their faith more personally. The church was also changed because there were younger, less knowledgeable priests in the places of the priests who had perished in the plague.

In Germany particularly, the Plague was believed to have been caused by Jews poisoning the wells of Christians. By the time this plague was over, only a few Jews lived in that country. This is interesting because it shows the hostility that is aimed towards Jews which is also seen in WWII. 

 

This image is from the Friese Chronicles which depicts the massacre of Jews who were blamed for the Black Death

 

I am interested in this as I prepare to travel to Germany. I hope to contrast the culture from what I know of the middle ages to the present.