A Breif History of things I Learned in this Class.

The etymology for German Autumn comes from a movie released in 1978 called Deutschland im Herbst. “Germany in Autumn”. The movie is a collection of short films with a format similar to that of a news report. It won a Special Recognition award in the 28^th Berlin International film Festival.

Ulrike Meinhof really pisses me off. I find her to be a coward and a waste of human space. She fought for a cause that should it have succeeded would have made worse for more people the very thing she was afraid was happening to Germany. She attacked her own citizens, and wrote for the continuation of attacks and class warfare. Then to further make her cause futile she killed herself rather than face the consequences for her actions.

Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt, or as I have referred to him in a previous blog, the man with a really fun name, who had many P words attached to him. IE Professor, Psychologist, Physician, Philosopher, Physiologist. Is credited as the first man to call himself a psychologist. He founded the first formal laboratory in Psychological research and helped legitimize Psychology as a field.

All Quiet on the Western Front was a book that scared the living shit out of me, and a great deal of other things too. With a vivid description of the front lines of war during World War I and an extremely unhappy unsatisfying ending where no one survives and is happy. It’s a book I feel should be read once. But for me, once was more than enough. I think I’ve had enough dealing with wars for a lifetime thank you. It’s fun to think that there is a sequel to the book as well. “The Road Back”, and then another loose sequel, “Three Comrades”. Though It doesn’t appear any of the same characters appear in that book.

Now on to Political Parties,

Germany has significantly more political parties than the United States represented in state and federal offices, with a total of 12 currently elected.

Of the states I learned about Hamburg was the one I found out the most about.

Hamburg was originally named Treva, the current population is about 1.8 million people.  That’s a little less than 2/5ths the population of Minnesota living in a town the size of Duluth. It has 7 Boroughs and 104 quarters. The city got it’s name from a castle built by the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne in 808 AD. (Holy Roman Empire should not be confused with the Roman Empire as the Byzantine Emperor at the time really didn’t care for them.) Funny story, the name of the castle was called Hammaburg. Although no one knows where the castle is currently located. Hamburg was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishopric in 834, and was a member of the Hanseatic Leage!

Oh and about the Hanseatic League (Middle Age History is one of my favorite topics)  That was a confederation of cities with a mutual defense and trade agreement of Merchant guilds and their market towns. Mostly in the Northern Coast of Europe. It was in existence from the 13^th to the 17^th centuries. It made Hamburg a very wealthy city. The cities of the Hansaetic League were free from local nobility, reporting directly to the Holy Roman Emperor. So I would imagine cheaper taxes, the leaguetrade routes placed them in direct competition with the Norseman (vikings) until a treaty was signed.  The end of the League came about through the rise of the Swedish Empire. Which had taken control of a majority of the Baltic Sea, there was also a shift in thought from mutual benefit to individual benefit. As the Holy Roman Emperor’s power dwindled, the power of the German Princes was able to grow which further limited the freedom of each city. That being said, ten German cities still call themselves Hanse cities.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_political_parties accessed 12-18-12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autumn accessed 12-18-12

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915254,00.html accessed 12-18-12

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html accessed 12-19-12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League  accessed 12-19-12

http://www.ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/european-networks/economic-networks/margrit-schulte-beerbuehl-networks-of-the-hanseatic-league accessed 12-19-12

Onion Cake!

Zwiebelkuchen

 

ONION CAKE!!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zwiebelkuchen_1.JPG accessed 12-12-12

 

Actually a pie, and made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream and caraway seeds on a yeast or leavened dough.

 

Caraway seeds come from the caraway plant. Another name is the Persian Cumin

 

Popular in Rhenishe Hesse, Palatinate, Franconia, Baden and Swabia.

 

Traditionally eaten in Basen during the Carnival and Bern during Zibelmarit (onion market!!!!)

Blue Sheet Questions!

Blue Sheet!

 

1.       The opposition to the German Authorities, as developed and implemented by the first generation of Baader-Meinhof group members needs to be defined. How did they organize their protest? What actions did they execute?

The protests started off as rally’s and semi peaceful displays. However they quickly escalated to bombings of federal buildings, kidnappings, and the occasional murder of a cop.

 

2.       In what ways did your level of identification with the group change from the beginning of the movie to the end.

I never really identified. I always found them to be radical terrorists. They didn’t even begin to try to pursue a peaceful way of changing the way the government was set up. I don’t think that they accomplished anything other than killing a bunch of cops. Though I disagreed with the German governments absolute apathy towards its citizens in the Iranian attack, I felt that the counter attack made by the RAF was equally inappropriate. The government should protect its citizens.

3.       Did the determination and rudeness displayed by Andreas Baader have a key role in the group dynamics, and in what ways?

Absolutely, his crazy ass determined the culture of the group. He was the one pushing for more violent outbursts. Pushing from a protest to a downright terrorist organization. His idea of how to liberate the people may have actually given the government more power to control the populace. He was reckless, and needlessly endangering the lives of others.

4.       I want a brief debate in class about force and non-legal ways of protest. I will aks students to stand in the corner of those who oppose violence under any circumstance- the Pacifists- and opposite them students who would agree to employ violence as a means to change society and political systems. Those who cannot decide stay in the middle.

Now I want to hear reasons, arguments, and attempts from each side to convince the other. People from the middle can join either group at any time. Students can even change sides mid game.

I noticed that once people picked a side it was evident they weren’t going to swap. Despite how persuasive the argument. I also noticed there wasn’t a very good choice. Violence is necessary, or violence is never necessary. Where as I was of a somewhat different mindset. Aggression should only be used as an absolute last resort and only when there is no other choice. Violence should only be used in A kill or be killed scenario. Diplomacy should be used in every ounce of the fight even long after it’s clear that it’s failed. A change of heart no matter how unlikely is always a small possibility, and what do we have if not hope.

I Hate Terrorists and So Should You!

The Cause:

The cause of the rise of the RAF was the slow realization by the younger generation that though the Nazi’s were kicked out of power, there were a great deal of them still holding positions in government. The members in the beginning were heavily influenced by Che Guevara and Mao Zedong, and Meinhoff was even active within the communist party.

 

Generation One:

Baader, Ensslin, Meinhof, Holger Meins, and Jan-Carl Raspe were the heads, they borrowed some phrases from the Americans and crafted a careful image of the group. Being anti imperialist, and outlaws. They even had a flag designed. Eventually they were all arrested and Meinhoff killed herself. (Doesn’t help the me thinking she’s a coward thing) and Meins died of starvation.

 

Generation Two:

A bunch of sympathizers of the first generation, their great claim to fame was kidnapping a candidate for mayor of Berlin in an attempt to release the fellas already arrested. Luckily for all of us Generation one was sentenced to life in prison.

 

Generation Three:

With the fall of the Soviet Union the RAF took a huge hit. (Hooray!!!) In 1990 it was revealed that the East Germans had been providing funding to the RAF. The government in a huge mistake said they would release some of the RAF prisoners they had captured should violence deescalate.  

 

Comparison to Terrorism Today

I feel like terrorism today is a little more suicidal. The RAF still had the mentality for self preservation. Willing to die for the cause sure. But only as a last resort. Where as most of the terrorist attacks you hear about today end with suicide bombing. Today to die for the cause is preferable to living and fighting tomorrow.

Reaction: Meinhoff has Mental Issues

My first issue with the movie was the government’s failure. The government that fails to protect its citizens invites terrorist organizations like the RAF. The fact that the German police sat by while the Persian thugs beat the populace senseless was unacceptable and inappropriate. If anything the Shah of Iran should have been beaten and dragged to a court house by the rapid response of the police for causing a riot.

 

Now on to Meinhoff. Meinhoff was a coward. She may have felt what they were doing was right but it was apparent throughout the movie that she was torn as to what she felt was the right thing to do. She at any point had the power to end the escalating situation but decided to quietly support it. Though it appeared that she did so quite reluctantly. She even goes so far as to flee to the East (Jordan?) and join them in a more formal terrorist training regimen. Apparently part of the group now.

 

Meinhoff eventually managed to brainwash herself to the RAF cause. (very clearly the wrong choice) She even decides that giving her children over to the Palestinians, never to see them again, may be the right thing to do. (though they end up with their Dad) I nearly laughed at how absurd this woman is, creating a better world for her children by giving them away to a militant terrorist organization. That’s got to be better than the Germany she left behind (sarcasm).

 

I sympathized with the police, The war against “The Enemy of the People” had gotten personal for many of the police. The fact that so many of them were taken alive I think really speaks volumes of the discipline of the police force. I was half expecting a shoot to kill order to be given in regards to known members of the RAF being they seemed to be more willing to die than be captured.

Comparing Goodbye, Lenin & and The Edukators

Goodbye Lenin seemed very sympathetic of the East German switch in government. Putting the main character in a predicament where his mom, a loyal supporter of the GDR misses the eight months where the wall comes down and the boarders between the two nations all but disappear.  Alex then goes out of his way to protect his mom from the truth. That the Soviet Government installed has failed. The story really sympathizes with the East Germans that were party members and now are relegated to unemployment. Though the movie tries to keep an upbeat attitude towards the reunification it defiantly keeps a bittersweet nostalgia for East Germany. Alex even states that for his mother he gave “East Germany the exit it deserved.”

 

On that note I couldn’t believe he kept the charade up. His intentions may have been noble but I feel like keeping it  a secret as long as he did was putting unnecessary stress on his mother. 

 

Fun little tidbit, The Matrix came out in 1999, The movie takes place in 1989. Denis is wearing a Matrix T-shirt in the scene where they are drinking and looking at the 2001 a space odyssey shot that he had filmed.

 

The Edukators was more than nostalgic for the East German way of life and seemed to be glorifying it. The main characters for the movie seemed to whine about how the rich had too much and the children weren’t revolutionary enough. Leaving notes stating that “The days of plenty are over.” Even kidnapping a man who it seems pretty clearly is supposed to be the embodiment of Capitalism. The kids end up getting away with kidnapping, breaking and entering, cracking security systems.

I did have an issue with the ending. The guy gives her a note saying paid in full, then says don’t worry about the police then sicks the police on the kids? How did they know the police were coming? Also…. Aren’t they wanted now? So if they do return they will just be arrested.

Matthew's Review P2 of 2

Were Martin (Ickarus) one of my personal friends. As a favor to him I would have promptly broken his nose. It’s hard to snort any drugs with a broken nose. I would have also had his drug dealer disappear in as friendly a way possible. Probably an anonymous tip. I have no patience for scumbags of that caliber. From the opening of the movie I had no like of the character. I felt when he had his psychosis in the subway system that finally committing suicide may have been for his benefit. So far from rational thought was he that I felt his continued existence may only be a burden on the rest of us. His girlfriend//agent wasn’t of much more help. You are cheating on me so I will cheat on you.

Where I come from we have a saying. Fuck me once shame on you, fuck me twice shame on me, fuck me thrice shame on us. Shame on them both at least four hundred times over. I could not believe she put up with that crap. The only person that seemed to have the smallest amount of sense was the lesbian lover that the Martin’s agent leaves him for, and even she is blinded by her obvious lust for the Martins agent.

Some cultural differences that jumped out at me would include, the awkward orgy they had. The fact that they did drugs in broad daylight, graffiti being commonplace and actually being something that is respectable. Having unisex bathrooms where it isn’t shocking to find couples having sex.

Something I did find exceptionally unusual is the revolving door attitude of the psychiatric hospitals. Here in the states you can freely admit yourself, however once you are admitted you have waived your right to leave regardless of mental faculties. You have to prove to the doctor that you are well before they will allow you to leave. In the mental hospital depicted in the movie Martin was granted the ability to leave anytime he wanted, he was even allowed to bring his personal belongings into his room. Here in the states. You are allowed the clothes on your back and that’s all.

Found that odd. All in all, I felt Martin was a lazy bum in need of a good butt kicking who got off too easy.