Final

I came into this German Culture class knowing a little bit, but not a whole lot about Germany and its culture. I knew we weren’t going to be learning any of the German language, but I was still a little disappointed. What I knew about Germany was what others have told me. In my high school we had several foreign exchange students who were from Germany and became good friends of mine. Through them I learned about Germany and there drinking age. I was in middle school when I learned for the first time about how young there drinking age was. It was a surprise to me but I quickly learned that it didn’t impact there life as much as I thought that it would. Because it is a way of German life, it doesn’t make for kids trying to get their hands on something forbidden. It is simply a way of life and no one questions it. Until this year I had no idea that Germany had 16 states. I enjoyed working on this project with my group. We researched Saxony, Germany and like all of the states the groups presented it proved to be very interesting. We learned about what states where the major leaders in industry in Germany were, big trade states, and many other tidbits on all of the states. As class progressed we eventually got to reading All Quiet on the Western Front. At first I was skeptical that the book would even be good or pertain to class, but as it turns out the book was excellent and went very well with the class. It was very much so a part of German history. After reading the book we got to watch the movie in class and that helped to portray the conditions a little better than the book could. We could actually see with our eyes the struggles and how everyone was affected.  The book was also better in certain aspects; such as, allowing us read into the minds of all the characters. Another topic we covered in class was German politics. This was my least favorite project of the semester due to the size of the group and finding time for everyone to meet up and share their findings. It was a lot of emailing back and forth. I was surprised to learn how many different political groups Germany had. My group researched the Pirates and, like all of Germany’s culture, was yet again surprised. I couldn’t believe how disorganized this political group was, yet they were fairly successful in gaining people. They are one of the newest groups in the political aspect, but were growing at a fast pace. We ended class by watching Berlin Calling and Baader Meinhoff Complex. When I thought there could be no more surprises, there was room for yet a couple more. These movies were far different from any U.S. movies that I have ever seen. Both movies were very open with sex and drug abuse and nudity. I wasn’t a very big fan of watching either movies, but to say the least they were both educational in their own ways. All in all I would have to say this was a pretty decent class. I learned a lot about German history and culture. I enjoyed the teacher and group projects, but the blog was not necessarily my favorite.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: Black Forest Cake

Source: http://www.homebakedmemories.com/pf_pages/pfBlackForestCake.htm

The Black Forest Cake is a 4 layered chocolate sponge cake frosted with whipped cream, covered with chocolate shavings and a few cherries. Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) is added to the whipped cream to give it flavor. The bottom layers of the cake can also be brushed with cherry schnapps. The Black Forest Cake was invented by a pastry chef, Josef Keller, in 1915. In 1934 the cake was known throughout Germany, especially in Berlin.

Region: Black Forest Region of Germany

Main Ingredients

Cake: eggs, flour, cocoa, and sugar

Filling and Toppings: whipped cream, Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps), chocolate, and cherries

Source: http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/black-forest-cake.php

Source:  http://www.germanfoodguide.com/sweetdetail.cfm?sweet_nr=9&CFID=12318554&CFTOKEN=11163792

Class Discussion Questions

1. The first generation of the RAF was much more organized than the seceding generations. Their plans and strategies were in place to instill as little harm to the general public as possible. They had plans and strategies for taking down government officials, but never to the point of harming more people than they needed to. As the second and third generations came to be their planning became less organized, they became more brutal, and the public became a target of their terrorism.

2. In the beginning of the movie I identified with the group in a positive way. I believed that they were standing up for their rights and what they believed, but as the movie went on my view and identification with the group did a complete 360. The violent tactics and involvement of the public lead me to view the group as terrorists. Everything they had become had something to do with violence and how they could escalate their tactics from the generation before.

3. Baader was a very prominent leader throughout the entire group’s duration. He was not afraid to speak his mind and he did not care about what the other members or even outsiders were going to say. His determination and actions, both voiced and physical, made him a leader. 

4. I was one of the people in the middle. I lean both ways; however, I do believe in defending myself. I would never start the fight, argument, etc., but I will always defend myself and what I believe in.

Red Army Faction

Generations of the Red Army Faction

First Generation: Baader-Meinhof

Second Generation: Operated in the mid to late 1970s after several former members of the Socialist Patients' Collective joined

Third Generation: Existed in the 1980s and 1990s

Causes of the RAF

The group can be first traced back to the student protest movement in West Germany. In the 1960’s the main issues being protested were racism, women’s liberation and anti-imperialism. The issues at protest were known as left-wing politics. In the early beginnings of the group, first generation, they gained many supporters. A poll showed that “a quarter of West Germans under forty felt sympathy for the gang and one-tenth said they would hide a gang member from the police. The RAF believed Germany to be a “fascist state.” They believed to be overthrowing the government by robbing banks, bombing military bases and murdering policemen. The name of the group was inspired by that of the “Japanese Red Army.”

The End of the RAF

The RAF seemed to die down in the 1990’s after the end of the Soviet Union. Several attacks were still being committed under the name “RAF”, however they were not a part of the third generation. The government agreed to free former RAF members if the group agreed to refrain from violent attacks in the future. The last action of the RAF was taken in 1993. On April 20^th 1998 an 8 page paper was faxed to the government dissolving the group. It read: “Almost 28 years ago, on 14 May 1970, the RAF arose in a campaign of liberation. Today we end this project. The urban guerrilla in the shape of the RAF is now history.”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction