Guilt & Ignorance?

Could it be possible that the German people did not know about the mass ethnocide that was occurring during WWII? There are many answers to this question. For one, the German people could have just chosen to ignore the warning signs and suppress all the signals pointing towards the atrocious acts that were occurring. It is possible that they knew something was going on, but that it was a very limited knowledge. They could have chosen just to not even think about it, just telling themselves that they were doing their individual jobs, that that they did not know of anything outside of the small part that they contributed. However it is very unlikely that they had no idea, with the giant concentration camps that were in operation, especially with the terrible smell and giant plumes of black smoke that rose from Auschwitz. The Germans did however do a good job of creating the illusions of resettlement/relocation of Jews. I feel that it is completely unacceptable, however, that a entire nation could let something like this go on for as long as it did, killing millions of people.
Even for a long time after the war many Germans continued to deny that they knew about the wrong doing. The Holocaust was often not even taught in German schools. This is very dangerous because like Marx said history repeats itself, and if the world does not learn from their mistakes, it can happen again. George Bernard Shaw said "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience." It can already be seen that without intervention, persecution of people will always occur. Throughout time different ethnic groups and people have been the target of genocide, and contemporary in our lifetime, we have seen these events in pl;aces like Rwanda and Sudan. We have to be proactive and keep our awarness of whats going on outside our country. We like to send troops and intervene in many situations were we are not wanted or needed, but I feel like many times America take the hands off approach when human rights violations are occuring. I think that sometime we need to forget our imperialistic agenda nad actually try to help people.

Culpability and Rebuilding.

Europe between wars was a hot mess. German history is something that is very intriguing to me and thus the period directly following the First World War interests me because of the significance it holds in reference to 21st century European history. Coupled with the complete blame placed on the country and the intense street violence and political instability, it amazes me that rebuilding was able to take place and how quickly Germany was able to regain its status and stature prior to WWII. Firstly, Germany was arguably the biggest loser (casualties wise) in the 1ST World War, losing the largest # of people. Like the rest of Europe, Germany’s economy was crippled from the onset. One of the largest blows to Germany after WWI was the Treaty of Versailles. Basically, Germany felt it had been dishonored by the rest of Europe. Germany had to sign an agreement to take complete and utter blame for WWI, and lost land to Poland, France, ext. Ultimately, Germany felt they were “stabbed in the back”, and that much of the blame fell on their citizens. In addition to the culpability, Germany had military limitations placed on them that not only insulted the autonomy of the country but also put Germany at a disadvantage of weakness and vulnerability. Even so, Germany was somehow able to build up the army that would challenge all of Europe in WWII. Germany went through a lot of political transformations @ this time as well. The Weimar was created, a parliamentary democracy, but was of course plagued by problems. The instability of the Weimar rested in one of the biggest issues across Europe at the time; violence. As all this was going on, nationalistic sentiments were giving rise to Fascism. Still, it amazes me that Hitler was able to take control and rebuild a shattered nation as quickly as he did…

Dreyfus the Martyr.

On the outside looking in, the Dreyfus Affair seems to be not only incredibly arbitrary, but a direct insult to an entire ethic/religious group. That being said, in one looks deep into the subject, it becomes apparent that this chain of events, however unfortunate, may have been the needed catalyst for the formation of a Jewish state. The Dreyfus Affair occurred in 1894, when Jewish French officer Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly accused of spying/treason (supplying important military information to Germany). Dreyfus was convicted and sent to Devils Island. In 1898, When Emile Zola published his article accusing the French government of wrongfully accusing Dreyfus on the sole basis that he was Jewish (there was no physical evidence that it was Dreyfus and actually more evidence exonerating him). This stirred up a lot of tension in France and across Europe and effectively created a division between the French people. I believe this is important because I feel these events partly inspired sentiment for a Jewish state. It is seen in the actions of a young man covering the trial named Theodore Herzl. Herzl is widely regarded as the father of Zionism. Zionism was the movement, that Herzl was able to really galvanize in the late 19th century, that aimed for the establishment of a Jewish sate (in the land between Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea, then known as Palestine). Herzl, a Austro-Hungarian Jew, was inspired while a journalist on the Dreyfus trial to really intensify this movement, which would ultimately culminate with the 1948 establishment of a Jewish state in Israel. I found it quite interesting to see just a small part in the much larger history of the Jewish people. Its great to see how a singular event like the Dreyfus Affair could join together an entire people.

Consumer Report.

The theory of the leisure class is one that was many years in the making, before economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen wrote about it in his 1899 book. Stemming from the rise of the middle class (mereged from the enlightenment and two industrial revolutions), and in conjuntion with the emergence of the white collar worker, consicuous consumption is a idea that is very prevalent in our contemporary country. The white collar worker of today is a far cry from that of Veblen's time. At this point in history, the social gap that existed was large enough to fit the grand canyon. With this large separation came an increase in expendable income for the middle class worker. The concept of conspicuous consumption comes from superfluous spending on goods and services with the sole purpose to display wealth and income. Basically, conspicuous consumption came about as a means of better displaying social status, effectively separating this emerging middle class and white collar worker from the rest of the working class. Sounds familiar, no? In todays American culture, because we have such a high standard of living, it is much easier for people of thwe working class to display social status symbols through the aquiring of material goods. Many poeple sacrifice financial security and well being for the purpose of selfish materialism. Conspicous consumption was usually carried out by the wife of the worker (sounds familiar) with full consent of the husband. This also sounds similar to contemporary culture....just kidding.

The Industrial Revolt!

The Industrial Revolution that occurred during the 18th and 19th century forever changed the production of goods and the labor used to create it. There are many factors that led to these monumental developments and thus many inventions that ultimately changed the landscape of the worldwide workplace. The biggest lead in to the industrial revolution was the agriculture revolution that took place in Europe leading up to the industrial revolution. The biggest impact of the agricultural revolution was efficiency. Combining better tools, fertilizers and crop rotation practices, people were able to produce more food with fewer workers. This newfound effectiveness led to a huge population explosion were win a 100 year period, the European population nearly doubled, thus creating a larger consumer/labor force. My biggest interests lie in the most significant byproducts of the industrial revolution and their impact on the history of the world, as well as my daily life. Often the leader of the times, England represented the home and birthplace of the industrial revolution. The changes that occurred in England would lead to tremendous strides in the socioeconomic and cultural environments throughout Europe. A few of the biggest developments and innovations to come out of the industrial revolution included a better organization of labor, better working conditions, better standard of living and my favorite tangible invention: the steam engine. The steam engine, which was first patented by James Watt in the late 18th century, proved to be possibly the best addition to efficiency in the workplace. The mechanical energy produced by the steam engine led the way in converting England and Europe’s previously manual labor intensive industry towards a machine powered manufacturing industry. The source of power for the actual engine is coal. At this point in time coal became a necessity as a building block of energy. The steam engine provided the ability for workers to use a central source of mechanical power rather than diversified man-power. The engine was a reliable constant source of power and created a new pace of work. As a stationary object the steam engine helped streamline the workplace. When the engine was put on wheels, it made the workplace more mobile. The development of the steam operated locomotive would result in a revolutionary change in transportation. The steam engine led to advances in not only industry and transportation, but also military and even space exploration. It is quite possible that the standard combustion engine may not have even come about if not for the steam engine. What other byproducts of the industrial revolution changed the way we live today?

The Napoleonic Complexity.

A very interesting topic that we discussed in class this week dealt with the differing public views of Napoleon Bonaparte. Beloved by many and despised by even more, Napoleon trampled over the fine line on which he walked, in regards to his reputation; you either loved him or you hated him! I find it quite amusing that a guy who wreaked devastating havoc externally and within his own country was still loved by so many. Napoleon put his ego ahead of the lives of his soldiers; he lost nearly 1 million French servicemen. The soldiers whom survived were deserted after defeat as Napoleon bolted back to Paris to handle some "personal" affairs. All this said, after Napoleon was exiled and subsequently returned, he was able to corral back his troops (who were sent out to stop him) and take back military control of the country. Once back in control, he proceeded to lead more young Frenchmen to their deaths (hindsight is 20/20). Understandingly, Napoleon was not very well like outside of France. We saw through the caricatures the extremely negative light which was shone upon Napoleon during and after his reign as "emperor" of France. The illustrations used strong symbolism and representations to describe Napoleon's impact on Europe. Animal symbolism was often used in the representation of Napoleon. He was often depicted as the sly fox. Why a fox? Possibly it represented his his shady actions and unstable persona. Another motif used was the fitting depiction of Napoleon as the devil. I think this is a lot more effective because it is a direct challenge to his motives and a straightforward comparison to the personification of evil. Why was he loved by so many and completely hated by more? How was there such a large discrepancy in the public view of Napoleon after he did such horrible things to both foreign countries and his own people?

enlighten me!

To begin, I must state that I come from a very open family and an independent upbringing. I come from the school of thought based on the pursuit of knowledge as a great virtue in life. In my opinion, the accumulation of knowledge induces individual thought which often brings upon an enlightenment of sort. The “Age of Enlightenment” (as it occurred in the 18th century; often referred to simply as “the Enlightenment”) is something that really sparks my interest because of its direct relation to my life. I feel very strongly about this period because it not only represents an exceptional breakthrough in the way of thinking possessed by mankind but because many of its values and ideals transcend time. The enlightenment stands as one of the most important modern intellectual revolutions. It brought about change that has affected the political, religious and social landscape of the entire world. The enlightenment came about during a time of censorship and intellectual repression. The principals of questioning and reasoning which flourished at the time enabled the “philosphes” to use this reasoning to directly address the problems they encountered in daily life. The progress in the development of education at this time paved the way for modern education. The enlightenment also brought upon a drastic change in the church’s relation to politics and social hierarchy. I feel that each and every one of us goes through our own personal enlightenment when we develop and mature from children to adults. During the enlightenment, questions of authority were raised. During our own developmental years, when we reach the capacity to understand such issues, we often direct our “enlightening” questions towards the division and dissemination of power in our own lives. Still in many countries outside our own, censorship is at extremely heightened proportions and thus certain enlightenments are continuously being by the either the oppressive ruling minority or the controlling majority. It is very important to never be complacent with mediocrity or oppression. Always question, always strive to make a difference and never be afraid to make an attempt to right the wrongs!

Day One.

After a long, arduous journey, I have finally arrived in Blogland. Whew.