Fine Arts

Germany is a country that has been producing fine paintings and photography. Since the 1990’s German paintings have become known a revelation known as “Young German Artists”. The Leipzig School has a very popular and famous representative known as Neo Rauch. The majority of the “Young German Artists” come from Leipzig, Berlin, and Dresden.

Traditional German Foods during the Holidays

Traditional German Foods during the Holidays

            When people think about different types of German foods they tend to think of the different types of potatoes and sausages. The average German foods are Bratwurst, Knackwurst, and Frankfurters paired with potatoes. During the holidays Germans fare far beyond this with foods like goose, sauerkraut, and cake.

Roast Goose is a very popular item on Germans dinner plates during Christmas. It is roasted with vegetables and is a very popular meal during this time of the year. Another very popular meal in areas of Germany that are mostly Catholic is fish, particularly carp, salmon, and trout. It is traditionally served on Christmas day because it is considered a day of fasting. Fish is also served on Ash Wednesday and throughout lent. The fish is usually served with horseradish and apples.

http://www.ehow.com/list_7347870_traditional-german-holiday-foods.html

Answers to Questions

Answers to Questions

1.)    Andreas Baader organized the first generations of protesters. The protesters were mild at first and then became more dangerous with time. They did not harm as many innocent civilians as they did later on. They were a small group that carefully planed the time and place of the bombings. Protests were held at the newspaper publishing building where they threw rocks into the building and cars were burned.

2.)    At the beginning I felt that the RAF was doing what was necessary. They had better planning with the bombing and killings of government officials. At the end they were a lot of useless killings and innocent people were getting killed that did not need to die.

3.)    Yes I believe Andreas played a key role in the group’s dynamics. The leader of a group like this need to be determined to drive their followers. Andreas was good at motivating the followers in this cause. Rudeness helps define a guerilla group and that is what Andreas is.

RAF

The RAF

            The Red Army Faction or RAF was a post WWII left-wing military group. The RAF was founded in 1970 by Andreas Baader, Gudren Ensslin, Horst Mahler, and Ulrike Meinhof. The RAF was also known as Baader-Meinhof Group in the beginning stages of its development. The RAF was a communist or a group of guerillas fighting against what they deemed to be a fascist state. It existed from 1970 to 1998 and was responsible for the national crisis that became known as German Autumn. There were three generations of the RAF. The first generation of the RAF was consisted of Baader and his associates. The second generation of the RAF operated in the mid to late 1970’s when several members of the Socialist Patients Collective joined. The third generation of the RAF existed from the 1980’s to the 1990’s. The end of the RAF was announced from an eight-page typed letter in German on the 20 of April 1998. It was faxed to the Reuters news agency and it was signed “RAF” with the submachine-gun red star. It was declaring that the group had dissolved.  Some people can compare the RAF with today’s terrorists groups because of the extreme measures taken to get attention. They are usually trying to get the attention of a government that doesn’t or will not listen to there views.

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

Baader-Meinhof Complex

Personal Response to Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex

            The RAF had to fight war with war and violence with violence to stand up against the state government. I am not a strong believer with fighting back against the government with violence but in some situations it is needed to get things accomplished. I was truly intrigued with the movie because it is a true story and it helps show us how past situations affects us in the future. The RAF made the German government stand up and take notice to them, but there were times they did not take the RAF seriously. The government did not give enough respect to the RAF and at certain times thought they had subsided.  The movie shows how government needs to have opposing representation because not all people think alike. The movie also shows people that they need to stand up for things that they believe in and can not let the government push them around. I do not believe in the tactical standpoint of the RAF with all the violence but sometimes that is the only way. The RAF was trying to do good, but it is unfortunate that innocent people had to die.

Berlin Calling: Reaction and Answers

Bobby Backes

Berlin Calling Reaction Paper

           

            The movie Berlin Calling is a very interesting film.  It showed how drugs can affect people and how music is a big part of German youth. Ickarus was the main character in the film. He was a DJ that struggled with drug abuse. He was a very talented person when it came to music but his drug addiction began to affect his ability to create quality music.  One night when he was at the club Ickuras took a hardcore drug and that night changed his life forever. He was brought to a rehab center where he struggled with authority. After being detained in the rehab center he final became independent from drug abuse. While being drug free his music becomes incredible better. The only problem now is that he has a hard time existing in a world without drugs. His ability to function in the world is tough but his love for music keeps him going.

            The cultural differences that jumped out at me that I would not have to seen in the U.S. is the type of music, drug abuse, ability to get jobs, and sex. The music that people listen to in German is different then what we listen to in the United States. The Music they listen to is Techno and that is not popular here. Even though there is drug abuse and addiction in the U.S. it is not seen like it was in the film. The ability to find work in Germany is another aspect that is different from the United States. In my life it has been easy to find work even though the economy is struggling. People that want to work in the United States can find a job, it might not be the job they want but they can find a job unlike people in Germany. Another major cultural difference is the sex. In Germany people are having sex in the bathrooms of clubs which I have never seen in the U.S. This was a very interesting film that showed a certain aspect of Germany that I have never seen before.

Answers to the Questions

1. Ickarus is addicted to drugs. He thinks he needs them to relax do to his struggles in life.
2. His fans take drugs so they can escape reality. They take drugs when they are at the club and it is in pill for or cocaine.
3. They focus on drugs because that is all they have. Their voice is unheard and they take drugs to escape reality.
4. People in my home town work hard and tend to stay away from drugs. They like to drink beer and have a good time but do not take drugs in the public seen.
5. This film may have some people concerned about Germany’s future but it is only one aspect of this great industrial nation that is depicted. The work ethic is not very strong in Ickarus while he is on drugs but it tends to get a lot better when he cleaned up.
6. The movie 54   

The Role of Women in Germany

Bobby Backes

The role of women in Germany

            For centuries women had three “K” words that described their role in Germany. They are Kinder (children), Kirche (church), and Kuche (kitchen). Throughout the last hundred years women in Germany have won important victories for their rights. In 1919 they became eligible to vote. During World War II women had to assume positions generally held by men. After the war, women had to help rebuild the war torn Germany by simply clearing away rubble.

            In 1949 women had been declared equal to men in West Germany, but it was not until 1957 that the civil code was amended to conform to the 1949 act. In the 1950’s women code be dismissed from civil service when they married. With the lack of men after the war women had to do things that typically was done by the male once they were married.

            In the mid 1960’s women demanded the ability to be educated. By the 1970’s 53% of women were graduating from the secondary schools. Educations was not enough for these women. They demanded to work and were able to. Even though they came a long way in the last 100 years they are still not getting the credit they deserve. They are being underpaid compared to their male counter parts. They women of Germany have come a long way but they still have a long journey ahead of them.

Source

http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm