German Military, 20 and 21st Century

German Military

World War I

• Germany's plan to deal with Franco-Russian alliance was called the Schlieffen plan.
• Germany attacked France through Belgium to avoid defenses.

• Germans were defeated.
• 3 years of trench warfare.

• Germany's navy was mostly bottled up by the more powerful British navy
• Germany starts using U-boats to sink merchant ships
• As a result America declares war in 1917

• Spring of 1918 brought the Spring Offensive
• Germans had four offensives code-named Michael, Georgette, Gneisenau, and Bluecher-Yorck

• Allies push backed against germans
• Germany signs armistice in November 1918

1918-1939

• Treaty of Versilles restricted Germany's military
• 150,000 men (50,000 in Navy)
• 24 ships
• No tanks, heavy artillery, or Airforce 
• Followed treaty besides training soldiers secretly in the Soviet Union

• In 1933 the Nazi party came to power
• Immediately began strengthening the military
• Hitler established the Luftwaffe, a new air force
• No force used except for Spanish Civil War

WWII

• Germany begins with blitzkrieg invasions in 1939-1940
• Germany invades Soviet Union in 1941
• Hilter tried to maintain living standards, put off full mobilization of economy until 1942

• 1942 proved to be turning point
• 1943 brought a loss to Germany at Stalingrad
• North Africa, Sicily, and southern Italy were taken by Allies 
• Hitler refused to surrender as both Allied forces and Russians pushed into Germany
• He committed suicide as the last of his forces were defeated

Cold War (1945-1989)

• Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1949
• During the cold war Germany is split into occupation zones
• Bundeswehr established in 1955 and grew to a strength of 495,000 military and 170,000 civilians
• Cooperation between each military resulted in new tactics and technology for both sides
• East Germany saw the introduction of the Nationale Volksarmee in 1956
• Was volunteer army until 1962 
• At its peak in 1987 it had 175,300 troops
• 1989 the NVA rejected communism and led to the Collapse of East Germany

 Current Military

• The "Treaty on the final settlement with respect to Germany led to reducing forces to 370,000
• Bundeswehr took on parts of the NVA after reunification 
• First offensive conflict since WWII came in 1999, the war on Yugoslavia in Kosovo
• In 2000 women were allowed to join the Bundeswehr
• Mostly involved in peace keeping missions
• Deployed around 2250 troops to Afghanistan
• In 2011/12 a reform of the military was announced, as of 2012 personal was down to 192,000

Sources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Germany#Naval_race

Robert Cowley, Geoffrey Parker, eds Reader's Companion to Military History (1996) 
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica 
"Military History Resources" topics links ed. by Thomas Pilsch

1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?
Drugs are everything to Ickarus, nothing is more important to him. I think the movie really makes this point when his girlfriend asks him to stay off the "hard" drugs. Ickarus completely ignores this suggesting that he would throw away his relationship for drugs. Another thing that makes it apparent is that even he himself believes he must be on drugs to produce his music, or at least for it to be good. He is so blinded by drugs that it took him being sober for awhile before he knew what he was capable of. 

2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?
Most of the drugs were done at his, or related shows. The most common drug I saw was cocaine, his fans and him were doing lines everywhere they could. I think a lot of them take the drugs for the same reasons as Ickarus, to escape. The depictions of the shows were very "spacey" in that the feel you got was almost a detached sensation, so the drugs just fit the environment.

3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus belongs to focus on drugs?
I think a lot of it can be attributed to the music they listen to. The electronic music is obviously making a movement in Germany among the youth and the drugs are along for the ride. In this day and age you'd have a tough time finding a techno show where drugs aren't present, it's all part of the "rave" atmosphere.


4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?
The main thing I see is that people are just more comfortable with themselves. America's youth is more concerned with what other people think and trying to be cool than expressing themselves as individuals. Granted this does not fit all of us, but I would definitely say the majority. Everyone in the movie was more open to everything. Just look at the music, America has never caught on to the techno craze, peoples taste in music is controlled by the radio and aren't open to new styles. Once again many Americans like electronic music but are the minority.

5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?
I don't think Germany as a whole will change much, the industries will just make a shift to the more technological side of things. However, only considering the people depicted in the film, yes the country would definitely change. I know that the youth in the film is not everyone though which is why I'll stick to my first statement. Speaking of technology, I think it plays a big part in work ethics. As we become more technologically advanced we become lazier. Ickarus was definitely on the "lazy" side of things. Alice however, reaching as high of position as she did, must have a good work ethic. 

6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?
Im not quite sure what can be considered a "cult" movie but the one that sticks out the most is Fight Club.
others: This is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski, Anchorman
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Usually I am not a foreign film type of person, but I really enjoyed this film. The reason I liked it so much was, in my opinion, the largest cultural difference I saw in the movie, the music. I am confident in saying that electronic music is by far my favorite style of music. However, as I said before, I am definitely in the minority. I actually Dj in a few bars in downtown Saint Cloud and I can tell you right now that playing the style of music I would like, electronic, would not go over well with crowds. I found the movie almost refreshing because of this, besides the drugs. Time and time again I'm am forced to play songs that people want to hear, and only hear, no one considers anything like the flow of the playlist, the energy of the room, ect. People want to hear what they want and that's it. This shows the close-mindedness of many youth in America today. The people in the film and generally in real life in Europe as a whole are more open to things that strongly effect culture like sex, drugs, and music. America once had the same mentality: “Sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll.” The youth of today are much much different, we still have open minds, just not to the same things. Only time will tell how the youth of today's views effect our future.

Anthroposophy

It was a philosophy founded by Rudolph Steiner that basically uses sensory experiences to strengthen imaginations, and inspire individuals.

Anthroposophy applies to many applications such as: education, agriculture, medicine, the arts and a few more. The Anthroposophical Society is centered in Switzerland.

Schools:

Based on the ways of athroposophy a wave of new schools began to appear, they were call Steiner schools, the schools are now in 60 countries worldwide. 

Agriculture:

Steiner gave a serious of lectures that are now published as Agriculture. He is considered one of the founders of the organic farming movement. 

Medicine:

Steiners philosophies apply greatly to the medicinal field, where the patient is placed first and the treatment/healing is centered around the patient.

Architecture:

Steiner designed 13 buildings himself. His designs are usually odd by a normal standard, but that was the point, he designed things to have 5 corners in rooms, no symmetry, and had domes. 

The Coffin Scene

The scene I want to focus on is the scene where they pass the coffins. The coffins fit very nicely with the theme of the horror a soldier goes through in war. When the soldiers first see the coffins, all of them know exactly who they were meant for even though they joke about there meaning. The coffins are such a deathly symbol already, and compounded with the fact that the are going to the front of a war, they are the perfect symbol of the fear of death. The coffins stare at the soldiers as if to say “You go out there you're going to come back in one of us.” The soldiers are forced to joke about there own deaths, saying things like “You'll be lucky if even get a coffin,” just to avoid the inevitable of them coming back in a coffin at some point. That shows how much war has changed them, they are forced to joke about death just to avoid the true reality. Paul even says “What else can a man do?” That's true, if they don't do something to avoid the coffins deathly meaning they may as well crawl in the now. Looking at the scene you may just see men joking about on the way to the front, but I believe it sums up the book quite well. Death is always lurking behind the men, these coffins are simply a physical representation of that.

All Quiet on the Western Front Chapter 6 Summary

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1F0gLr922G2PH7mbvh-cy5e3GTEPnMH1KmGiLafUAMhY/edit?usp=sharing

Chapter six can be see as a somewhat gruesome chapter. It is the first chapter in the book to introduce actual fighting done by Paul and the others.

- The chapter starts with the men heading back to the front. On the way there they notice a large pile of freshly made coffins and know exactly who they were made for, them.Though, they make jokes to cover up their true purpose.

-Once they are at the front Kat tells them he doesn't like what he feels. Paul doesn't like this because Kat usually has a good sense when it comes to the front. It certainly doesn't help that they can hear the enemy transport running day and night, bringing troops to the front. They also hear the difference in the artillery which has become stronger.

-The men grow hungry as the now stronger artillery rains down on them. Many attempts are made to get food to them but fail due to the ongoing bombardment. Even a few of their own shells fall onto their own men because the guns barrels are so worn out.

-The men struggle with rats and come up with a few creative ways of killing them.

-They tell recruits to get rid of their "Sawbacks"

When the bombardment finally lets up, they know exactly whats happening. The attack has come. The men throw out many grenades before retreating back to the reserves.

-Once there, the french take heavy losses, more than expected. The french start to retreat and are chased back by Paul and all the other men.

-Paul recalls a few french trying to surrender but give mixed signals, one is cleaved with the sharpened end of a spade, another is stabbed in the back by a bayonet.

-They eventually pass their original dugout and reach the french where they take as many provisions as possible, notably corned beef.

-Once the fight has ceased Paul reflects on how dull and numb he has become, recalling his childhood and how different he is now.

- A few days later another attack happens, and Paul finds Himmelstoss hiding in a trench, he beats him and tries to get him out with no luck.

- During an attack Haie is killed. Finally when the men return they only bring 35 with them of the 150 they once had.

Christian Democratic Union

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11W1o3CQhiQKQG_s8SHYSs7lT2u9Q3Eh_G2eTxxfpH-A/edit?usp=sharing

Party Platform

From Wikipedia

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) applies the principles of Christian democracy and emphasizes the “Christian understanding of humans and their responsibility toward God.”  Members of the party are do not have to belong to a certain religion or be religious at all.  Its policies are derived from Political Catholicism, Catholic school teachings, and political Protestantism.  The CDU supports European integration and a strong relation with the US.  They do not want to allow Turkey to enter the European Union but want a privileged partnership.  They cited Turkey for numerous human rights violations and they believe that because Turkey is unwilling to recognize Cyprus as an independent, sovereign state, Turkey is contradicting the EU policy that its member must recognize the existence of one another.  The CDU supports stronger punishments of crime and involvement on the part of the Bundeswehr (armed forces) in cases of domestic anti-terrorism offensives.  The CDU believes that Germany should integrate immigrants through language courses and wants to further control of immigration.  They also believe that dual citizenship should only be allowed in exceptional cases.

Opponents/Supporters

Opponents of the CDU include the SPD, The Left party, and The Greens.  The CDU has governed two Grand Coalitions with the SPD and various coalitions with The Greens.  A preferred partner of the CDU is the FDP, who has similar attitudes towards fiscal policy.  

States that support the CDU are concentrated in rural and Catholic regions such as Eifel, Sauerland, Thuringia Eichsfeld as well as areas in Saxony, Vorpommern, and Nordfriesland.  There is less support in Bremen, Brandenburg, and East Berlin.

Similar Parties

The party most similar to the CDU would be our Republican Party.  Both parties advocate for fiscal conservatism and support the use of armed forces for anti-terrorism offensives.  The Republican Party and the CDU have affiliations with the International Democratic Union.  The IDU allows political parties with similar views to come together and exchange views on matters of policy and organizational interest.

Views

They are currently focussed on weathering the financial troubles of the last few years.It is among their goals to keep the economy competitive, and taxes low. They have been going by the slogan “Germany’s future: in good hands.” They also stand for protection and promotion of the family. Most recently, the party has put its efforts on phasing out nuclear power.

History

Following the collapse of the Third Reich and the end of WWII. Germany began restricting its government. This brought about the Christian Democratic Union. The CDU aimed to establish a union, and as such a party of German people, something the likes of the Weimar Republic failed to achieve. The CDU was founded in Berlin on the 26th of June 1945, 49 days after VE-Day. The party spread out to Westphalia and Rhineland after its formation. The first Chancellor of Germany since WW2 was Konrad Adenauer (serving 1949-1963) of the CDU. Adenauer was imprisoned twice during the Nazi years, under the accusation of ‘Opponent to the Regime.’ Adenauer and his colleagues were successful in taking power because of their views of; economic flexibility, and oppositional to the Nazis, two attributes favored by the United States and Britain. The CDU would lose their grasp when Adenauer was replaced. Moving forward, the next successful leader was Helmut Kohl (serving 1982-1998). Kohl was the longest running chancellor since Otto Von Bismarck. Kohl was seen a main architect for the reunification of Germany, and the creation of the EU in 1993. Today, the current Chancellor of Germany is Angela Merkel. She, a Research Chemist and Politician started as an opposition leader in 1998 versus the SPD. Merkel became chancellor in 2005 and remains chancellor today. She is currently ranked 5th on Forbes.com’s most important people list, the highest achieved position of a woman.

Members

The Christian Democratic Union has roughly 485,000 members, as of May 2012. Each German state had a series of members, and a chairperson. North Rhine-Westphalia had the most members of any state in Germany, with more than 165,000 members. The chairperson of North Rhine-Westphalia, representing the CDU, is Armin Laschet. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, is the chairperson of the CDU party.

The average age of members in the party is 59. Less than 6% of members are under the age of 30. 75% of the party’s members are male, and the remaining 25% are female members. Therefore, this party has a strong population of middle aged adults and seniors.

Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_(Germany)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Democrat_Union
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)
• http://www.thelocal.de/20130909/51823
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Adenauer

Group 3 - Bremen

Group 3

Tim Olson, Robb Olson, Jordan Lemke, Danae Schafers, Kyle Pirron

Google Presentation

• Saarland 
• Lower Saxony
• Bremen [You're here]

Bremen

From Wikipedia:

Officially established as “Bremen” by Roman Emperor Charlemagne in the year 787. In 965 the market rights granted to Bremen brought increased trade activity, this led to Bremen becoming one of the religious and economic centers of northern Germany. The first stonewalls of Bremen were built in 1032. In 1358 it joined the Hanseatic League, and became known as the imperial free city. From 1618 to 1648, it successfully defended its independence in the Thirty Years' War. Bremen joined the German confederation in 1815 and then the German Empire in 1871. It was joined by Bremerhaven in 1947 and re-established as an independent federal state. Bremen was bombed in World War II and was captured by the British. In 1947, Bremen became part of the American occupation zone to prevent its incorporation into the state of Lower Saxony.

From http://www.citypopulation.de/php/germany-bremen.php:

Bremen as a state has a population of 654,774. It is separated into two different cities. The city of Bremen has a population of 546,451 and the city of Bremerhaven has a population of 108,323. As of 2012, it is the 2^nd most populous city in northern Germany and 10^th largest in Germany.

The legislature is called the “Bürgerschaft” or “Citizens’ assembly”. The current political party in charge of the legislature is the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The City of Bremen has two mayors, as does Bremerhaven. In Bremerhaven, one of the two mayors is elected to be the President of the Senate and is the head of the city and of the state. In the early 1300s, Bremen has primarily Catholic roots. It wasn’t until between 1532 and 1547 that Bremen became predominantly Lutheran and appointed Albert Rizaeus as the first Cathedral pastor of Protestant affiliation. It is still Protestant today.

From http://www.luxurytraveler.com/unesco_world_heritage_sites_in_germany.html

Bremen has two UNESCO world heritage sites: the Town Hall and the Roland “statue of Liberty”. They have been sites since 2004. The Town Hall was built in the early 15^th century and features a gothic style. In the 17^th century it was renovated to the Weser Renaissance style. The Statue of Roland is 5 ½ meters tall and dates back to 1404.

From Wikipedia:

Modern day Bremen hosts a very mixed variety of industries including: Aerospace, brewing, coffee, IT, logistics, energy, steel, and many others. Two ery notable companies are Airbus and Mercedes Benz. Bremen forms part of the Airbus Deutschland GmbH, where the equipping of the wing units for Airbus aircrafts and the manufacture of small sheet of metal take place. More than 3,100 people are employed here, the second largest Airbus site in Germany. Beck & Co and St Pauli Girl beers are also brewed in Bremen. In the past, it was also a trading spot and producer of quality wines because of its location.

Some notable Germans that come from Bremen include Edward Voigt, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin; Frederick Charles Winkler, an American Civil War Union Brigadier General; Bert Trautmann, a football goalkeeper; Murat Kurnaz. a Guantanamo Bay prisoner for four years; and Angelique Kerber, a professional tennis player.

KISS is band from playing in Bremen because in 1999, they played a live show and were told by the fire marshal to not use fireworks. They refrained from using fireworks until the very end of the show where they set off all the fireworks at once.

The largest wine cellar in the world is located below the city’s main square and was once said to hold over 1 million bottles of wine before WWII when it was looted by occupying forces.

Fallturm Bremen is a 146 m tall drop tube where 9 seconds of weightlessness can be achieved. It is located at the University of Bremen.

From brementourism.de

The song of the Bremen Town Musicians is the reward for anyone who throws a coin into the Hole of Bremen. The money collected from the Hole is donated to the Wilhelm Kaisen charity.

The Bremen Town Musicians is a Grimm Brothers’ fairytale that involves a donkey, cat, dog, and cock on a journey to Bremen. They are all getting too old and aren’t useful to their owners anymore. The donkey starts out by himself and gradually collects the other three. They band together and never make it to Bremen, but settle in a house that robbers happen upon. They scare the robbers and then continue to live out the rest of their days in the house.

St. Peters Cathedral is between the Town Hall and the Parliament in the Town Square. Its two towers dominate the city skyline and one is open to visitors. It was originally a Catholic cathedral and became first Calvinist and finally Lutheran. You can discover the mysteries of the mummy in the cellar.