The Treaty of Versailles

[5] Paris Peace Convention

After four years of fighting alongside the Central Powers to defeat the Allies, Germany was made to end their war in a peace that threatened their growth and identity as a nation. The Allied Nations of World War I crippled German forces to the point that the Germans could no longer see any chance for victory. They asked for an end to the fighting and an armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.[1] However, it would take six more months for peace to be negotiated. The Allies met at the Paris Peace Convention to draw up terms for a series of treaties with the Central Powers, thus named the Paris Peace Treaties. Here, the Treaty of Versailles was created specifically for Germany.

[6] What We Will Lose! (Louis Oppenheim, 1919)

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were greater than what the German people were expecting and was almost “universally opposed.” As Schulze writes, “the amount of territory Germany was to lose exceeded the most pessimistic predictions; the requirements for demilitarization would leave an army that looked more like a police force and render Germany incapable of defending itself.”[2] Also, Germany would be made to pay reparations to the Allied nations of about 31.4 billion marks at the time. In fact, the last reparation payments were made on October 4, 2010.[3] A propaganda poster, created by Louis Oppenheim, depicts what Germany would stand to lose if the Treaty of Versailles was accepted: “20 percent of its territory, 10 percent of the population, one-third of its hard coal production, four-fifths of its iron reserves, and all its colonies and commercial fleet.”2 Additionally, the treaty called for Germany to take responsibility for starting the war in the first place.

No one wanted the treaty to be signed and the prime minister, Philipp Scheidemann, publicly refused to sign it unless more favorable terms could be negotiated. However, the Allies were in no mood to relinquish their demands and they pressured the German National Assembly to accept the treaty by blockading the country of food and supplies. Also, the Allies held the treat of resuming hostilities by continuing to fight that the Germans could not ignore. They no longer had to ability to continue and allowing themselves to be dragged back into the fight at this point would only prolong the suffering for a little while, since they had little to no resources left. 

[7] Hall of Mirrors

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919; five years to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination triggered the start of the war.1 It was signed in the Hall of Mirrors in the palace of King Louis XIV. The location was significant in that this was the room in which the German Empire was founded and William I was declared Kaiser about fifty years earlier.[4] While the Allies may have believed that they were justly punishing Germany for what it had done and taking away what little resources it had left in order to prevent the country from causing more trouble, Germans viewed the treaty as “unjust terms being forced on a defenseless country.”4 Furthermore, the treaty embodied “an arbitrary instrument of Western might” that Germans associated with the democratic form of government. From this, they were turned off by democracy and their own Weimar Republic. The stage was set for a new German leadership that Adolf Hitler would be able to take advantage of over the next few decades. The British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, understood the sentiments of the German people and what they could lead to. He proclaimed, “When nations are exhausted by wars… which leave them tired, bleeding, and broken, it is not difficult to patch up a peace… What is difficult, however, is to draw up a peace which will not provoke a fresh struggle when those who have had practical experience of what war means have passed away.”4 George had the foresight to understand what the Treaty of Versailles might mean for the future, but it was only one factor in a perfect storm that would open the door for World War II.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles

[2] Schulze, 203

[3] Fareed Zakaria (2010-10-02). "Transcript of interview". CNN.

[4] Schulze, 204 

[5] http://treatyversailles.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/

[6] http://www.encore-editions.com/was-wir-verlieren-sollen-louis-oppenheim--2

[7] http://www.ursispaltenstein.ch/blog/weblog.php?/weblog/the_hall_of_mirrors/

RAILROADS, Assignment #1

[2] Ludwig Rail Line

In the middle of winter, on December 31, 1835, the first German railway line opened. It was funded by an economist named Friedrich List and several industrialists from Rhineland. List was a liberal, as were a growing middle class population that favored innovative transportation that could benefit the German people and not just the rich upper classes. The line was only 3.7 miles long, stretching from Nuremberg to Fürth. Germany, along with Austria and Russia, were far behind some of the western European countries as far as railroad development (Lalor). Schulze affirms that, at the time, “Belgium had 12.5 miles of railroad, France 88 miles, and Great Britain 340 miles. However, by the 1848 revolution, railway tracks would cover over 3,000 miles within the German state (Schulze 130). A couple reasons for the exploding expansion were that there was competition with France for eastern trade as well as both offensive and defensive military strategies that utilized the railroad systems (Lalor).

The government would eventually take over the expansion of rail lines based upon the example put forth by private railroad companies.

Friedrich List urged Germans and the government to develop the rail system throughout the country, proclaiming:

[1] Friedrich List

It is a means to the improvement of the culture of the nation, as it facilitates the distribution and promotes the rapidity of distribution of all literary products, and the results of the arts and sciences. It brings talent, knowledge and skill of every kind readily to market, and increases the means of education and instruction of each individual and of each class and age. It promotes the spirit of the nation, as it has a tendency to destroy the Philistine spirit arising from isolation and provincial prejudice and vanity. It binds nations by ligaments, and promotes an interchange of food and of commodities, thus making it feel to be a unit (Lalor).

And indeed, the railway system helped Germany’s industrial revolution to unfold while drawing the German peoples ever closer to a unified German nation. The revolution of 1848-1849 allowed many circumstances to fall in place that would promote industrialism. Germany’s sense of unification increased and there was less risk and concern over potential political upheaval. This stability gave entrepreneurs peace of mind and reason to establish new businesses and expand. Additionally, capital was readily available for such endeavors since many new banks were opened, stock companies were founded, and “capital investment within the German Customs Union increased more than three-fold” (Schulze, 130-131). Much of this capital went into railroad construction. The state of pauperism that plagued Germany before was gone with the rise of factories and commerce. As the railroads grew, more jobs were created and the factories produced more goods which in turn created more demand for locomotives and railroad cars. Many industries grew at this time because they were dependent upon one another and all felt the positive effects of increased business.

The railroads played a key role by allowing people and goods to travel farther, faster, and more often. It helped to unify the Customs Union, turning it into a single market, “in which supply, demand, and prices were subject to the same competitive pressures everywhere” (Schulze 130).  

[3] The Inception of the World's Railroads

However, although the contribution of the railroad system to the new economic boom was great, the rail system would not have had such an impact without the support of other factors such as the political stability, societal approval, and the capital investment brought about by the conditions created by the railroad companies themselves. But once the economy took off and the previously impoverished Germans began to find jobs on the railroads or in factories, the country was able to accomplish the next steps in modernization and unification. The effects of industrialization would eventually lead to a mass migration into Germany and Germany identity would again be called into question, however at this juncture Germany was becoming more and more significant as compared to its European neighbors.

Works Cited

Lalor, John J. "Railways." Library of Economics and Liberty. New York: Maynard, Merrill, and Co. , 2004. Web. 29 Sep 2011. <http://www.econlib.org/library/YPDBooks/Lalor/llCy888.html>.

Schulze, Hagen. Germany: A New History. München: Harvard College, 1998.

Images

[1]        http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=277

[2]        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_List_%28timbre_RFA%29.jpg

[3]        http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/railroads/french-german-railroads.html

Third Assignment

[2] Luther as an Augustan Monk

Martin Luther became a religious revolutionary out of his own personal relationship with the church and his misgivings that resulted after a life long devotion to Christianity. Although he did not set out to be a revolutionary, he felt that many of the church's practices had become excessive, or a way for the church to get rich through manipulating its members by threatening to withhold Heaven and God's grace. These issues prompted Luther to declare his 95 theses of specific points that he disagreed with. The impact of Luther's defiance of church practices was wade significant by two factors. First of all, he was an engaging writer and a charismatic speaker. He wrote in language that the average German could understand as well as relate to. Secondly, his cause was aided by the printing press which would allow his ideas to spread far and wide very quickly. It was this aspect that made Luther important to the German-speaking lands. His writings captured the people and his ideas brought them together.

[1] Martin Luther's 95 Theses

[3] Martin Luther's Writings

During Luther's time, religion, politics, and society were closely intertwined, each one affecting the others. By calling for religious reform, Luther inadvertently became a political and social revolutionary as well. For better or worse, his work would change German culture in ways that Luther never intended. While printed German writings and ideas brought the people together, the interpretations of those ideas would keep them apart. Protestants split away from the Catholic church and peasants rose against the nobles and land-owners. Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. Yet, the people adored him and gathered to see him pass through their villages. Luther became a revolutionary leader that threatened the power of the church, freeing the people from the church's greed. 

[1] http://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/95-theses-to-the-modern-evangelical-church/

[2] [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

Second Assignment

The rediscovery of Tacitus’ ancient manuscript, The Germania, has had a massive impact on Germany and German peoples of the 15th century through today.

[3] Tacitus

In 1425, Poggio Bracciolini, an Italian author and Humanist, heard rumors that manuscripts written by the Roman senator and historian Tacitus could be found in Hersfeld Abbey, near Fulda.1  Later, in 1451, an emissary of Pope Nicholas V brought the works back to Rome where they were examined by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who would become Pope Pius II.2  Since the first printing of Germania in 1473 in Nuremberg, writers and thinkers have been waging battles for the future of Germany using Tacitus’ writings as ammunition.1  By the year 1500, The Germania had become a central part of discussions regarding German history and also the basis for the idea of a unified German people. The term “Germanii” was suggested by the work and used to inspire war-like qualities in Germans in a crusade against the Turks.2  By the 1920's and 1930's, The Germania would play a role in a more modern and sinister turmoil that would drastically impact the whole of Europe.

[4] Germanic warriors storm the field,

Varusschlacht, 1909

            Throughout the history of Germany from the 15th-20th century, many have searched for the roots of their political, social, and racial identities and the unity of its peoples. Frequently over time, The Germania has been used to bolster the arguments of those making the case for a distinct and separate identity of German people, who share amongst themselves, unique values, customs, history, and ancestral race. In a post-revolutionary Germany around 1848, some writers began to look to Tacitus' work and highlight terms such as "not tainted" which they used as an argument for racial purity. By 1924, this had inspired young socialists such as Heinrich Himmler, who would later come to a position of power. About 20 years later, Himmler would send troops to a palazzo where he believed the oldest existing manuscript of The Germania was kept. Although he was unsuccessful at the time, in 2009 it would travel to modern Germany for an exhibition celebrating the 2,000 year anniversary of the victory of Arminius over the Roman legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg forest.3

[1]  Todd, Malcolm. “The Early Germans.” Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing LTD, 1992. Scribd. Web.      16 July 2011. 

[2]  “Germania (book).” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 June 2011. 16 July 2011.

[3]  Murphy, Cullen. “The Idea of Germany, From Tacitus to Hitler.” The New York Times, 10 June 2011. n. page. Web. 16 July 2011. 

[4]  "Balltle of the Teutoburg Forest." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 28 June 2011. 17 July 2011.

First Assignment

Dad's trip to Germany

There are many reasons for choosing to study abroad. For students at North Central College, there are multiple choices regarding the country and subject to study while abroad during D-Term. Out of all the possibilities, I choose to study in Germany mainly because of my family. One side of my family has German and Austrian heritage. Most of these family members speak German and my dad even studied there too. He stayed with a host family in Goslar during one trip and studied at the Goethe Institute during another. I’m hoping that by interacting with German people and the culture that I might be able to learn a little about my family and heritage. Secondly, my family is Lutheran and this trip focuses on some of the history of Martin Luther. I think it will be interesting to learn about the history of how this religion and Protestant beliefs started in Germany and what modern German Protestants think about it as well as any differences between Protestants there and Lutherans in America.

An additional motivation to go on a study abroad trip is that a few of the guest speakers at my school have talked about the importance of studying in a foreign country and learning about other cultures. The speakers who recommended traveling said that it later became a large part of their business careers and being exposed to it during college would be a great way to get introduced to the ideas of business travel and cultural differences and customs.

Marienplatz, München

[Mittenwald] I hope I don't get lost, but I most likely will.

I find that my expectations of this upcoming trip to Germany are expanding as I think more about it. When I first decided to go I expected to travel around the country and mostly to tour historical locations and buildings. However, after meeting with the group that I’ll be traveling with, I’m beginning to think more about the culture and the people of Germany. In other words, it is easy to expect the geography, buildings, and cities but it takes more thought to anticipate the “living” parts of Germany. I’m expecting to learn about the people’s culture and views about themselves, America, and the rest of the world. Also, it will be interesting to see whether there are differing or similar goals and values of the people there versus in the U.S.. Americans have a way of life that all of us are familiar with but while our group is abroad, I hope that we experience the European or German lifestyle so that maybe we can gather some insight to their points of view. On a similar note, I expect that we will learn from Germans and of the issues that they deal with that may be the same or different to some of the issues Americans face, such as: obesity, taxes, racism, and others. However, I think that one of the biggest things that we will learn in Germany is how their history affects them today. America is a relatively young country, but Germany has older history as well as even younger history from its transformation during and after WWII. We will be able to see how the people have been shaped by these events.

Overall, this trip is important to me because it is my opportunity to experience a piece of the world while I am still young, but at the same time, an adult and on my own to some extent. I have been able to travel, but always with family or to visit family. When I am alone I will have to find my own way around and figure out how to learn new things in a foreign country on my own. This trip may possibly be the beginning for me wanting to travel to other new locations around the world. I believe the trip will give me and everyone in the group some perspective.