German History

Over the weekend, I attended the Christening of my friend's first born to her half-German husband. She had been my friend since college, and up to now I am still wondering why we never got involved. Anyway, my friend chose me to be one of the godfathers during the baptismal rites. I now have a total of seven godchildren. Had her husband been of Italian descent, I could have pulled my Brando impersonation. What struck me was the name the father chose to give to the boy. They named him Alaric. I already expected it was German, but I have no idea about what the name meant. It was my first time hearing such name, which I personally find cute and very masculine at the same time.

I immediately consulted Uncle Google. I learned that Alaric was the name of a Visigoth king. Visigoth is Germanic tribe during the days of the Roman Empire. Alaric I led the tribe against Rome in August 410, which symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Generally you can call Alaric as the man who brought an end to the Roman Empire. I was able to speak to the father, who talks with a slightly-recognizable German accent. He told me that Alaric means "everybody's ruler." For their first born, which happens to be a boy, he wanted to give a name that would signify strength and courage. I think that by having the name of Alaric, my 7th godchild is bound for greatness.

I was watching the movie Seven starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. There was this scene in the library that I remember very much because of the background music, a classical music to be specific. It was very comforting in the ears and gave me a feeling of relief. When I researched about the music, I learned it was the Air On A G String From Suite No.3 In D Bwv 1068 by master Johann Sebastian Bach. I loved the music so much that I bought a Bach Collection CD. I wasn't expecting I would be able to appreciate his other musical masterpiece like the Brandenburg Concerto, Sheep May Safely Graze, Gavotte From Suite No. 3 In D Major For Orchestra, and Harpsichord Concerto In E Major (1st Movement). It was because of Bach that I get to appreciate other classical masters like Mozart, Beethoven, and operas from Verdi and Puccini.

For me, Master Bach's works are still relevant in our times, just like the teachings of his fellow German Karl Marx. Bach was born into one of the most extraordinary musical families of all time. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist and trumpeter. His interest in music sprung at the young age of 10. When he died at the age of 65, he was able to compose more than 1,000 works. This made him one of the greatest composer of the baroque period, and of all time.

If history will be retold, of those castles and knights, the fine pieces of these fine structures were actually construed as a fortress from besiege and for defense during the clouts of the Middle Ages. With its turrets and high walls, it stood as a formidable opponent against army of assailants.

The castles are scattered in various architectural designs, all of which, corresponds with its natural abode. Walls are escalating and formidable in castles atop the mountains, while it also provides for an overlooking landscape. On the other hand, castles on the plains are usually surrounded by lakes, ponds or rivers.

There are no dragons in castles but this myth resembles to the idea of conquering the formidable walls. There are different strategies used to force the castle inhabitants out. Normally, it entails time until they run out of stocks or food. They sometimes build dams and tunnels to infiltrate the torch of defense. But these combat efforts sometimes end in withdrawal should all possible ways have been exhausted. Knights are tested not only of courage but willful determination.

These castles abounding the regions are one of the favorite tourist attractions in Germany. While we fathom Rapunzel to draw her hair down from the wall, castles are no longer just structures of romance and amusement but of revealing past. Of castles and knights, it certainly breathes of long-preserved exploits.

Football fever is on! Germany will be this year's host country of the Fifa World Cup 2006. No one is more excited than the Germans because they adore this sport, both as player and fans in the stands. Surely football fanatics are geared up to go to this country to experience the hype and hubbub caused by the spectacular sport.

While Brazil may have won the World Cup more times and in more flamboyant style, the Germans are second only to the samba stars in the list of all-time greats and are renowned as one of the legendary sides in the history of the competition. Germans obsession to the sport is evident to the more than 6 million members of German Football Association or Deutsche Football Bund.
Meanwhile, the Bundesliga, the elite professional European soccer league, attracts an average of ten million spectators every season.

The FIFA 2006 World Cup, which is disputed among nations every four years, kicks off in a state-of-the art stadium in Munich on June 9. Twelve cities - Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt/Main, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hannover, Kaiserslautern, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart - have been named to host the Finals.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who lived sometime in the early 1800s, and, after reading some of his writings, I have come to understand the origin of Nazi Germany. His ideologies concerned that of human behavior, and speculated on a superhuman race which should eventually rule the world. A twisted Darwinian philosophy now, don't you think?

Nietzche argued that among the variety of the human race, there is a race above all others which has the abilities that surpass every race there is in the world of humans. He referred to this as the Aryan race, and this has creepy implications as being the main concept behind Adolf Hitler's Final Solution. Much like the perpetuation of the dreaded AIDS virus these days, this mental framework could very well be the destruction of the human race, if not the world.

He not only supported modern racism by the concepts of his writings, but he as well paved the way for what I call medieval Existentialism, I suppose. But, I believe that every person has his own interpretation of things in the world, be it his perception of anything material, or his understanding on the abstract concepts of life. So carefully filtering these ideologies, and discussing each's interpretation of what is written by others, as well as carefully studying the effects it would have if one's interpretation of what is written is integrated within an existing system (specially if it pertains to social, economic, and political systems), are also main components in having a healthy mind, thus a healthy lifestyle in the process.

The genius in Albert Einstein never fails to impress and astonish scientists. He is the most celebrated physicist. Physics will never be complete without him. His theories became the base for almost all physics researches and inventions.

A native of Ulm, Einstein studied at three different cities. His parents were compelled to send him to various schools because of his learning problems. Some say he is a slow-learner, while others say he is stubborn. Being a Jew, he faced difficulties in dealing with Germans. Anyhow, he survived school and landed job as Patent Officer bearing a Swiss citizenship. Back then, he hated German militarism and while at work he began writing theories and publishing them.

His inspiration is the quantum theory. Einstein further elaborated the law of photoelectric, thus gave way to the explanation of metal electric conductors. Not long after, he had developed the theory of Relativity and emphasized that nature plays a major role in physics and that time is relative. The theory faced lots of criticism, but Einstein overturned them all. Since then, he has always been recognized and was even granted a Nobel Prize.

No other man showed exemplary concern on the welfare of laborers than Karl Marx. His philosophies were known world wide for their truism and highly intelligent explanations and implications that influenced half, if not the whole, of the labor and industrial policies of countries around the globe. He despised capitalism and showed his extreme disagreement to the unjust and inhumane treatment of the government of its work force. A native of Germany and a descendant of a genealogy of rabbis, he inherited the exceptional intellect, talents and was able to develop an unmovable faith that he used as weapons in fighting for what is right. He spent his childhood in a small town called Trier.

There, he learned about law and romanticism. Life was hard for Karl, but he was able to study at the university. A few years later, he went to Paris where he worked his way out to search for organizations of German laborers and French socialists. His connections enabled him to work for various publications. Karl used his job to spread messages and sentiments on the current situation of workers. He has learned the diverse problems and iniquities faced by the work force, and as time went by he became a communist.

One of his most famous works is the Communist Manifesto published in 1848. The manifesto created a big impact in philosophy and politics since it literally contains proposals that, if taken seriously, will alter the current world situation. Marx believed in the capability and importance of the poor or the workers in contributing to the development of Germany and that the middle-class who owns the lands and factories should give the workers the opportunity to own such means of productions and not merely live and die as laborers. The said manifesto is not meant to arouse a revolution, but its effect was magnanimous. It clearly stated that it intended to overthrow the capitalists, thus putting an end to child labor and a new set of policies for the rights of women and education. All these proposals were made to reality after a long period of time.

For the first time in German history, a lady became the federal republic's chancellor. Angela Merkel won against Gerhard Schroeder in the 2005 election. She is the daughter of a pastor and a native of Hamburg. The lady chancellor had a degree in physics before she decided to delve in politics as a cabinet member. After a decade of service, she became the ambassador for environment.

After the election, critics around the globe raised some questions on her capabilities in performing the duties of a chancellor. In every interview, she would explain her plans for Germany's economy as well as her goal in working out the peace process with the United States and maintaining friendship with other nations. She always travels around Germany and reach out to the people in order for them to know that she is serious with her work.

Germany, the largest economy and second most populous nation in the European Union, faces the same challenges and political problems other countries encounter. But, as chancellor, Merkel continuously shows and proves that she is the right person for the position. Women around the world once again found inspiration in Angela Merkel's achievements.

Immediately after the Allies defeated the Nazis, they began to quarrel among themselves. The Soviet Union wanted to introduce Communist governments in Eastern European countries its army has occupied. However, the Western powers will not have any of that and tried to block the expansion of communism in the areas they have under their control at the end of the war. The Soviets reacted by placing blockades and barriers against any form of contact from the west. Communication, trade, and travel between the east and west were prohibited. Mistrust and tension grew on both sides. This came to be known as the Cold War.

The Cold War had tremendous effects on Germany. The Soviet Union and the Western Allies immediately organized its occupation on zones in Germany and in Berlin when an agreement between both sides could not be decided. The Western Allies, which consisted of France, Britain, and the United States, combined the economies of their zone and tried to establish political unity on their zones.

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union imposed Communist rule on the zones it has occupied. It was called the "Cold War" because there were no armed conflicts, instead political and diplomatic maneuvering were used as the weapons.

Like most countries in Europe, Germany has a rich history of economic depression and development, of social unrests, and of political dominance. Their leaders became famous like the Adolf Hitler who originated fascism in Germany.

Fascism in Germany started during the post war Weimar Republic (1919-1933) in an attempt to establish democracy. Due to the war, the economy was severely handicapped, people were starving, social unrest was prevalent and the economic and political problem was aggravated by the World Economic Depression in the 1930's.

Adolf Hitler during this time was the leader of the National Socialist Pary famously known as the Nazi Party advocated strong nationalism and worked to put Germany again into a progressive economy. This party believed that the cause of all the problems was the Jewish conspiracies Adolf Hitler succeeded in leading the Nazi government in 1993. During his governance, he abolished all opposition parties and subjugated the Jewish population and later, genocide.

He also worked for military dominance in the Europe that led to the destruction of Germany because of it's participation in World War 11. This participation caused the fall of the Nazi Government. Germany surrendered to the United States and United Kingdom on May 8,1945, which led, the fall of Fascism in Germany and Adolf Hitler out of power.

Germany is one of the biggest contributors in the world of literature, arts, philosophy and science. Several poets and writers originated from this country like Walther von der Vogelweide, which is considered as one of the most important poets in Europe during the middle ages. The Nibelungenlied, the song of the Nibelungs, which was composed by an unknown author, is another major contribution to world literature. Franz Kafka, whose works have influenced the Western literature, was one of the most important German novelists and short story writers in the 20th century. In the arts, one of the most famous musical geniuses in world history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, hails from the city of Salzburg.

Germany has also produced some of the world’s most influential thinkers. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche’s philosophy about nihilism and his famous statement, “God is dead”, is one of the world’s most controversial thinkers. Another prominent figure from Germany is Karl Max. Many are familiar with Marx’s approach regarding politics and the economy of a country. The works, ideas, and accomplishments of these people is what made Germany known as the Das Land der Dichter und Denker, the Land of Poets and Thinkers.

One of the most horrific events to ever take place in the world's history is the genocide of over 5 million Jews of Europe and North Africa. Although other “racially inferior” individuals also feel victim to this state-sponsored mass extermination, Jews were the main victims. Those less desirable individuals to the eyes of the Nazis include the physically and mentally disabled, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witness, and Freemasons. The total death toll has not yet been fully established but historians estimate that around 9 to 11 million individuals were victimized by the Holocaust, some estimates even reach as high as 26 million.

The Nazis carried out the Holocaust without the slightest trace of mercy. According to popular beliefs, the people were executed by locking them up in a gas chamber. That’s not the only method the Nazis used for execution. The victims were made to suffer before being killed. People, including children, were treated like guinea pigs being subjected to various medical experiments that proved to be lethal. Dr. Josef Mengele earned the moniker the “Angel of Death” because of his brutal experiments. Some of the prisoners in concentration camps were killed because of the daily beatings and tortures that guards carried out.

After the second World War, Germany was divided into zones controlled by each of the four major Allied Powers. The capital Berlin was also divided into four sectors. Originally, citizens were free to move among all sectors of Berlin but during the Cold War, movement was restricted.

Originally a composed of barbed wire barriers and anti-tank obstacles, the area was fortified over the years eventually becoming a solid wall. After the 23rd of August in 1961, citizens of West Berlin can no longer enter East Berlin. After massive demonstrations and public outcry, the wall finally taken down. November 9 is day offical date considered in which the Berlin wall was deconstructed.