Berlin and it's Historical Clashes of Ideas

Berlin, Germany, with it’s rich history, is known mainly for it’s historical clashes of ideas.  From the beginning of Germany as a united country, to the current standing of the country, Berlin has always been a center of conflict.  As Matt Frei put it, in his documentary on Berlin, “On the streets of berlin have been born the great and terrible ideas of our time.”  He mentions the creation of the theory of relativity from Einstein, the creation of communism and fascism, the creation of theories of sexuality, and the conception of the atomic bomb.  Berlin has not only shaped the history of Germany, but has contributed ideas to many other nations around the World.  We have learned from Berlin’s many mistakes and triumphs, and taken away lessons that can greatly benefit our own nation.  From the ruling of Frederick the Great to the take-over of the Nazi ruler Hitler, the people of Berlin have faced war and great turmoil that has forever scarred their history.  As one person put it, Berlin is the place where all different people come to be.  People who are unique or somehow different are always drawn to the city because of the extreme clash of ideas.  One aspect of Berlin’s history that has always intrigued me, is the creation of the Berlin Wall.  Having two extremely conflicting government parties in control, they decided to build a wall to keep citizens from fleeing to an area with the government that they sided with.  In other words, communist East Berlin did not want to lose all of their citizens to West Berlin, so they built a wall that contained their citizens in their own side of Berlin.  The creation of the wall, comparable to a cage that did not allow citizens to enter or exit, de-humanized the citizens of Berlin and took away some of their basic human rights.  It blows my mind that any government would choose to build a wall around their territory, as the solution to their contrasting ideas.  This helps to explain why Matt Frei considers the destruction and construction of buildings in Berlin to be political.  I didn’t understand what he had meant by this, at first.  As I continued to watch the documentary, it became more clear.  To us Americans, the destruction and construction of buildings is usually a positive thing.  Destructing an old run-down building in order to construct a new an improved one.  In Berlin, however, this wasn’t the case.  The government of East Berlin destroyed famous monuments that stood for opposing ideas.  Rubble left over from the war were used to create new buildings that were to be new political monuments.  And, of corse, the building of the Berlin Wall and related watch towers and blockades was a solely political move.  In this sense, construction was highly emotional, controversial, and political.  It was said that construction ‘responded’ to the war.  East and West Berlin competed to create the most notorious buildings, living spaces, and icons, mostly a symbol of the government in power.  For example, the destruction of the Berliner Schloss was a very sad time for Berliners , but the reonstruction of the new Schloss brought many happy times.  Again, this was still very controversial as some Berliners still mourned the destruction of the original Schloss and did not appreciate the new Schloss that took it’s place.  Still again, the Schloss was destroyed for apparent reasons.  To this day, the controversies that surround destruction and construction in Berlin remain highly political and debatable.  

Response to the Reluctant Revolutionary

In the beginning of the film, it is mentioned that Martin Luther's views were greatly opposed by the Pope, especially since they were so popular among many other people.  This strikes me as ironic.  Why, if so many people agreed that a change needed to be made, and many people agreed with Martin Luther’s ideas, was his 95 theses so outrageous?  Yes, it opposed the church and the Pope, but it appealed to the greater population at that time, including some princes even.  Not only does Luther face many threats following his posting of the 95 theses, he takes this negativity and uses it in a positive way to further pursue his ideas about reform.  He could have easily backed down, recanted his ideas, and gone back to his quiet life as a priest.  But instead, he uses the attacks against him as fuel for his fire, realizing that he struck some nerves and must be on to something extraordinary.  He stuck to his ideals to the extent that he was willing to die for them, before ever giving up.  With the newly popular printing press, Luther was able to share his ideas with a greater population and spread his 95 theses throughout Germany.  This allowed him to gain more and more support from others who also believes the Catholic church needed reform.  Without the printing press, Luther’s ideas would have remained short-lived and he would have been sentenced to excommunication before his ideas had been spread.  After realizing the power of the printing press, Luther uses it to spread further ideas that everyone should play a part in the church, not just feed the church money that will then be used solely by the Pope.  It seems that Luther happened to be, with his ideals, in the right place at the right time.  Years earlier and he would not have had a printing press to spread his thoughts, or the attention of the young Roman Emperor.  Luther really took a risk and made a mockery of the Pope.  In that day and age, this alone was highly punishable, but he took the risk to really exaggerate what his ideas where about the Pope and the church.  Luther did everything he could in order to change the Catholic church and take power away from the Pope.  He wasn’t in it for the popularity, but because he really fought for what he believed in, no matter the consequences.  Martin Luther was a role model to those after his, his courage and unwillingness to back down proved to be successful.  

Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther, the creator of the Protestant religion, was a very interesting man.  He took his beliefs and shared them with the World, despite opposition from all of his rulers.    He challenged the teachings of the Catholic church in the 16th century, even when threatened with excommunication by the Pope and Emperor Charles V.  I find it very inspirational that Martin Luther stood up for what he believed in and refused to back down, no matter what the consequences would be.  Someone had to make a change in the way that the Catholic church was being ran, and Martin Luther took it upon himself to do so.  He faced the consequences of his actions, excommunication, so that the entire nation could practice religion, without having to give their money to the church.  Martin Luther succeeded in changing the way the church was ran and started his own church of Lutheranism.  Today, close to 40% of Germans belong to the Lutheran church as well as many other people from many other countries in Europe.  This makes me wonder, if Martin Luther had never wrote the 95 Thesis, what would Germany be like today?  Would the Pope still be collecting money from his people, would Catholics still think that they can pay to have their sins forgiven?  Had he not been so set on his ideals, Germany could be a very different place than what it actually is today.  I do not feel that people in the World today would do what Martin Luther did in his time.  He opposed authority in order to fight for what he believes, with no fear of the consequences.  Most people would back down, would avoid excommunication, would give up, but he never did.  I think many people can learn from Martin Luther.  If you believe that something is wrong in our society and that it needs to be fixed, fight for what you believe.  Too many people are afraid of the consequences that may come if they stand up for what they believe in.  But maybe, acting upon your beliefs like Martin Luther did, could cause a revolution in our day.  

First time out of the country..

During winter this year I am leaving the country for the first time and traveling to Germany, a country very different from mine with a very rich history.  This experience for me will be life changing.  My travel usually consists of a week-long vacation in Wisconsin every summer.  In my entire life, the furthest place from Illinois that I have traveled was to Florida when I was 7.  Traveling to Florida, being on an airplane for the first time, and staying in a state that is different from my own was an amazing experience.  I can't even image how exciting it will be to travel to Germany and experience a whole different culture with different history, traditions, customs, and a different language.  I am half German and ever since I was little, I have heard all about my families trips to Germany.  My mom has visited Germany once, my grandma had been there several times, and all of my aunts and uncles have traveled there at least once.  In addition to traveling to Germany, most of my family has some knowledge of the German language.  This left me feeling out of the loop, I have never traveled to Germany and I did not know the language.  Because of this, I decided to take German language courses starting in junior high and throughout high school.  I was intrigued by the history of Germany, especially the creation of the Berlin Wall and the reign of Hitler during World War II.  These are two events in German history that I have learned a lot about, but can’t seem to totally wrap my mind around.  I think traveling to Germany and seeing where these events look place will really allow me to understand what it would have been like living in Germany during these times.  Besides the rich history of Germany, I am excited to see the magnificent architecture of several churches and cathedrals that have been around for hundreds of years.  Coming from the suburbs of Chicago, I am used to seeing newer buildings, skyscrapers, and modern architecture that is completely different from that of Germany.  For example, someone traveling to Chicago from Germany will probably see the Sears Tower.  When I travel to Berlin from Chicago, I expect to see the Brandenburg Gate.  Comparing these two well known monuments, you can see the huge difference in architectural style between Berlin and Chicago.  This is just a minor difference between Germany and the United States that I hope to experience in addition to the German culture, traditions, and history.