Sachsenhausen

Built: 1936

Operational: 1938-1945
 
Location: Oranienburg, Germany (North of Berlin)

Purpose: Housed an estimated 200,000 political prisoners, Jews, and Soviet POWs. Also used as an extermination camp.

Significant Features: Station Z, the extermination station where deaths by firing squad took place, as well as where the gas chamber was located.

Place in History: Considered the nerve center of the Nazi concentration camp system. At times held up to 30,000 prisoners. Daily hangings, shootings, and gassing occurred, and disease was rampant.

Deaths: Unknown, as poor records were kept for gas chamber executions. Only notable instances of killings were recorded.

Death March and Evacuation: In April 1945, with the Soviets advancing, the Germans evacuated prisoners, with the intentions of loading them on ships, and sinking them into the Atlantic. Many were killed on the trip because they were too weak to walk, and subsequently shot. When the Russian soldiers arrived and liberated Sachsenhausen, a mere 3,000 prisoners were left.

Today: Sachsenhausen is a museum, a well-kept reminder of the horrors that took place there. Much of the camp is still intact or has been reconstructed.

Cultural Significance: The meticulous upkeep of this camp as a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust shows how Germans unwilling to forget their history, even something as ghastly as the Holocaust. This concentration camp memorial serves as a reminder of the dark past of Germany, and provides a detailed look at how the concentration camp was built and run.

Sources:
http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours/sachsenhausen-memorial.html
http://www.jewishgen.org/forgottenCamps/Camps/SachsenhausenEng.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/17/world/ex-death-camp-tells-story-of-nazi-and-soviet-horrors.html

The New Synagogue

Built: 1859-1866

Location: Berlin, Germany

Architecture: Moorish, inspired by Calat Alhambra in Grenada, Spain

Purpose: Served as largest synagogue in Europe at the time, built to serve a rapidly growing Jewish population in Berlin

Significant Features: Large, eye-catching dome (seen at left), 3,200 seat main hall, large museum showcasing remains of the old building, with displays and historical documents showing what Jewish life was like in Berlin

Place in History: Originally built in the mid-1800s to serve the growing Jewish population. Held regular services as well as public concerts throughout the late 1800s and early 20th century.

Kristallnacht: The New Synagogue was set on fire by the Nazis during Kristallnacht in 1938, resulting in major damage to the building. The building was reconstructed by the congregation and continued to be used until 1940.

Nazi Occupance: The Nazis occupied the New Synagogue in 1940, suspending services and ultimately turning the building into a uniform storage facility.

Bombing: The New Synagogue was heavily damaged by Allied bombings in 1944. the building was partially demolished in 1958, and unoccupied until the late-1980s.

Today: The Synagogue was reconstructed by the East German government beginning in the late 1980s, and reopened in 1995. Today, the New Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Germany, and is the lone Masorti synagogue in Berlin. The synagogue also houses a museum that contains artifacts from the old building.

Cultural Significance: The Synagogue is an example of the suffering the Jewish community went through during the 1930s and 40s. The synagogue was the largest worshiping site for Jews in Berlin at the time, and they had that taken away from them just like everything else. The synagogue's reconstruction also shows the remembrance the Germans hold on that dark time in their history, as parts of the synagogue were not reconstructed, and there is a section that is simply an empty plot of land to remember what used to exist there, and the reasons that this piece of the synagogue no longer exist.

Sources:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/berlin-new-synagogue
http://www.cjudaicum.de/

German Identity Post World War I

The end of World War I was not kind to the Germans. When the dust settled after Treaty of Versailles negotiations, Germany had taken the most severe penalty ever handed out as a post-war reparation: around 226 million marks as a fine; sole responsibility for the war, which included damages, even in Allied countries; large military restrictions that included the cutting of German armed forces to 100,000 troops, prohibition of blockades on ships and importing or exporting of weapons, and crippling restrictions on naval capabilities; and several changes and reductions of the German borders. This sent Germany into economic and political chaos, both of which would not be remedied until the Nazi regime rose to power. Germany took many shifts in political hierarchy after this war, shifting from an empire, to a republic, then again to a dictatorship. The economy suffered greatly as well, as inflation made German currency almost worthless. Both of these things were greatly detrimental to the young nation, furthering the identity crisis that had bothered the nation since its inception.

German U-Boats, arguably the most deadly naval weapon of World War I, were 

completely outlawed by the Treaty of Versailles' provisions.

The dramatic shifts in governmental structure that Germany faced in the wake of World War I were very damaging to the identity of Germany as a whole. It is very difficult to formulate a cultural identity when the very law and structure of your society is changing as much as Germany's did in the 1920's. Almost immediately after the abolition of the empire and the beginning of the Weimar Republic, political unrest became a common occurrence in Germany. This made it hard to maintain a cultural identity, as the people had to live in constant fear that everything could suddenly change. Also, international perception of Germany was being damaged because of this. Many, particularly the French, believed that Germany was not capable of handling complete sovereignty responsibly, and this political unrest only strengthened this perception. This unrest made it very difficult for Germans to have a positive standing within the international community. While the Weimar Republic was very ineffective, there was no way for the Germans to end the republic without looking bad. It was a winless situation for them, and coupled with the economic strain that the country was experiencing, this made Germany's sense of national pride greatly suffer.

Propaganda for the Freikorps, a German paramilitary group who was one of the first

 to attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic.

Economic hardship also ran rampant in Germany after World War I, and this also contributed to Germany's identity crisis. When much of German culture has been influenced by food and beer, and these things become harder to come by due to economic strain, it is easy to understand how this was a major stalling point in the development of a distinct culture in Germany. Simple items like bread and butter became nearly impossible to purchase due to their exorbitant price increase. The hyperinflation that occurred across Germany not only made daily life more difficult, but Germany even had to default on reparation payments due to the devaluation of their currency. This in turn led to French and Belgian occupation of several mining territories in Germany, which further crippled the economic situation, and led to more political unrest.

The issues resulting from World War I's ending and aftermath crippled Germany for over a decade. The struggles the country faced to reinvent itself politically and economically only compounded throughout the years, and led to one of the darkest regimes that has ever existed. While all of this chaos was occurring, Germans struggled to maintain national pride and a sense of cultural identity, as a struggle to make ends meet took precedence, on both the individual and national level. By the time the Nazi regime took command, Germans were willing to attach to anything that would make their situation improve. The penalties the Treaty of Versailles placed on Germany were possibly the worst a country has ever been handed, and this had a very negative effect on a country already struggling to form an identity.

Word Count: 688

Germany: The Unification

Germany's Unification was really triggered primarily by a collective hatred of France. Like many bonds between groups that didn't see eye to eye previously, unification against a common enemy proved to be crucial for the many kingdoms that made up Germany. Previous to the French Revolution, Germany had been a series of small mostly independent kingdoms that fought with each other routinely. However, when Napoleon rose to power, his conquest of Europe brought him to controlling much of the territories of the Germanic kingdoms. After Napoleon's demise in Russia, the kingdoms, led by Prussia, quickly rose up and eradicated the French menace. What followed was a messy union of the Germanic people, the German Confederation, that was not unlike the first attempt at government in the United States under the Articles of Confederation.

This confederation was more than the first real attempt at unification of Germany. It was also the first of many real identity crises of the German people. With no real structure to the unification, Germans were not sure what to think of their sudden collage of a country. With Prussia in control, the other major kingdoms of Germanic people felt that the confederation would not adequately represent all of the kingdoms, and would instead only represent the ideals of Prussia, which the other kingdoms were not on board with. This crisis was a severe hurdle for Germany to overcome in it's infancy. Sure, the country was unified territorially, but the people had no sense of uniform culture, and the culture that was being promoted by the government was often one that was highly Prussian. this would have been fine if it were a situation where Prussia was the only real superpower of the newly united kingdoms. However, with perfectly legitimate kingdoms like Saxony and Bavaria now subjected to highly Prussian rule, there was bound to be clashing.

The identity crisis of Germany was really only put aside whenever Germany was threatened as a whole by a bigger enemy. Commonly, as referenced earlier, this opponent was France. As with most European countries during the 1800s, the Germans were subjected to multiple expansion attempts by the French. Each were met with mostly unified resistance from the Germans, and this proved to be successful each time. This gave the Germans some hope that the country would eventually unify, and it did. It has been a difficult road for Germans to gain unified cultural identity, but nothing unifies like war, and this was monumental in the development of a cultural identity.

Word Count: 420

Luther

As someone who was raised as a Lutheran, I have previously had a fairly skewed presentation of Martin Luther. Luther was made out to be a hero, as would be expected for the religious sect that he spawned. However, that is not necessarily the case. While Luther was one of the main people responsible for the Reformation from Catholicism to Protestantism in Europe, he still had several flaws, much like many revolutionaries. Luther initially had great intentions for his role in the Reformation. The Catholic Church was running amok with power, and its grasp on Europe at the time was overwhelming. Luther saw that changes needed to be made, and that the best way to make the change would be to make a splash with something memorable. This is what the Nailing of the 95 Theses represented. Much like the Boston Tea Party during the American Revolution drew attention to the unfairness of the Tea Tax, Luther's actions served to draw attention to the problems with the Church. When the Church predictably lashed out back at Luther for this, he did not back down from their punishments, which also was very admirable, and probably the main reason his story is so famous historically. However, this quality is only admirable to a certain point. When Luther went into seclusion, he continued to push for change in an extremist way. This was a great approach to take to initiate change, but the radical viewpoints he continued to maintain after the Nailing decreased his credibility in many circles. When peasants started using his message as a cause for political overthrow, Luther should not have been supportive of this, as this was not his main objective. Instead, he was fully behind the chaos he had spawned, acting much like the person who starts a fight with frisbees by hitting someone with one accidentally. I do not believe he initially intended to cause as much chaos as he did, but when he realized that's what was happening, he was fully on board with it, simply because it caused disorder and angered the Church. This attitude lead someone who is sometimes regarded in the same breath as Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. to also be regarded along with the likes of Vladimir Lenin and the Joker from Batman lore. Martin Luther was a very polarizing character in German history, and while he is one of the Fathers of the Reformation, he could have done it in a far more sane manner.

History

The contrasts between German history and American history make for an interesting parallel. Neither country is over 300 years old, and both combine the ideals and culture of different groups of people that inhabited the countries prior to their formation. While the U.S. were formed on a combination of ties to the British Empire, influences from France and Spain, and a large amount of European immigrants that migrated over throughout the country's formative years, Germany saw a similar combination of influences from the Roman Empire, and ancient Germanic tribes such as the Franks and Saxons. Both countries also struggled with identity crises throughout their history. The United States wanted to prove itself in a highly imperialistic world during the 1800s, and at the same time wanted to shed its ties with Great Britain. Germany's struggle, however, was more internal, as the nation juggled attempting to meld the ideals and prides of several distinct nations into a working singular unit, all while trying to keep from being swallowed up in a heavily nationalistic Renaissance Europe. The United States wanted to establish an identity globally, while the Germans wanted to simply establish a national identity. The Americans wanted others to know what being American meant. The Germans wanted their own people to understand what being German meant. This was a difficult question to answer, as the area had undergone several ruling changes, particularly from the 1300s to the early 1900s. The Holy Roman Empire, German Confederation, Weimar Republic, and Nazi Regime all held power for a period over this span, and for much of this 600-year period, Germany was operated as a collage of principalities and small states that were governed independently of each other. So, when the country was unified as one entity, they of course struggled to mesh into a working national identity, much as the American colonies did during the American Revolution. It's fairly amazing to see how far this country, which is now known as one of the top economic powers in the world as well as a reputation as a savvy nation that excels in making two things Americans like (Beer and cars), has come from the days of the different states in the confederation fighting among themselves. This also makes this topic an interesting one to study, as the answers as to how this transition occurred in German history are complicated and sometimes unclear. This struggle for identity is a major problem throughout most of German history, and makes this a highly riveting area of study.

Word Count: 420

Reasons I'm Studying in Germany

1. My college career has helped me develop a love for Germany. Two of my roommates, who double as two of my closest friends at North Central, are German majors. I have spent the majority of the last three years hearing about the German program, and what a wondrous place Germany is. My father is also a fairly big World War II and German history buff, as his grandparents were German immigrants. Having heard so much about Germany and German culture throughout my life, I have developed a natural inclination for learning about Germany. Combined with this, four of my close friends, including the aforementioned roommates, went on the Berlin D-Term trip two years ago. Having heard the stories about that experience, it solidified my wish to go to Germany and experience it for myself. Having these friends to prepare me for the trip also makes it feel like I've already been there, and I feel less nervous about traveling abroad because I have been prepared well for what to expect.

One of my roommates, talking to a mannequin in Berlin on the 2010 trip. Clearly I'm being prepared by the best.

2. I also have a huge love for all European culture, and have for a long time. I love learning about European history, and about the interactions between the diverse groups of people that live on the world's smallest continent. I have always wanted to go to Europe, but unfortunately have not left the U.S. up to this point. This being my last year of college, I feel that I will not really have the opportunity to travel for a long time. So, I felt that I had to seize the opportunity to go on a D-Term trip while I had the chance, and Germany seemed like the perfect fit. I have no real interest in going to Asia, Australia is too expensive, and London and Paris seem boring. Germany, however, is the perfect blend of great food, great people, and unique history. This trip seems like it will be fascinating every step of the way.

3. Finally, I'm enthralled by European football. I absolutely love it. I follow the English Premier League very closely, and also maintain a regular interest in the Bundesliga. I always hear about how big football is over there (Yes, I call it football, not soccer), and I'm interested in finding out if it really is that big of a deal over there.

My Favorite German team is Schalke 04. Here's German striker Lewis Holtby from Schalke.