Reaction to Badder-Meinhof Complex

I was really confused through the majority of the movie.  I think that if I would have researched the RAF previous to watching the movie I would've understood it better.  Regardless, I found it to be shocking.  I feel like for all of their efforts in trying to change the way the government operated by attacking innocent bystanders accomplished very little.  If they were really trying to make a political point it seems to me that they fell short of it.  From what I read they were all well educated with the exception of Baader which I find shocking because of the means they used to accomplish their goals.  I understand the feeling of powerlessness they may have felt in trying to push their opinions without taking action to accomplish them.  But through all the innocent lives they took and damage they caused there was very little change made in response to all their work.  In addition, it seemed to me through parts of the movie that they were just enjoying a long joyride filled with partying without consequences.  I understand their motivation but not their action. 

Research on the RAF

Previously known as the “Baader-Meinhof Complex,” the “Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Faction) or RAF” was named after two of its founders Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof in 1970.  They considered themselves to be “communist and anti-imperialist urban guerrillas”.  The first generation existed from its founding date until the mid-1970’s when the second generation took over and operated until the late 1970’s.  Finally, the third and final generation took over and operated from the 1980’s to the 1990’s.  The group dissolved on April 20, 1998 according to a letter with the symbol of the RAF stamped on it that was sent to a newspaper.  I believe the purpose behind the “Baader-Meinhof Complex” was to resist the way the government was running things in Germany.  From my understanding they didn’t want to protest because that wouldn’t cause any changes.  In order to produce the effects they wanted they felt the need to take action which involved arson, bombings, robbing banks, killing, and kidnapping.  They also operated as a group to break their leader Andreas Baader out of prison which was when Ulrike Meinhof joined the resistance.  Gudrun Ensslin was not only Andreas Baader’s girlfriend but also the group’s second leader.  The original members were imprisoned and during their incarceration they objected to their conditions through a group hunger strike during which one of the group members died.  In a final act of resistance following Ulrike Meinhof’s suicide the remaining RAF members imprisoned participated in a group suicide.    

The Generations of RAF according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Baader
First Generation: “Brigitte Asdonk · Andreas Baader · Gudrun Ensslin · Ulrike Meinhof · Horst Mahler · Horst Söhnlein · Thorwald Proll · Jan-Carl Raspe · Irmgard Möller · Holger Meins · Astrid Proll · Beate Sturm”
Second Generation: “Siegfried Hausner · Brigitte Mohnhaupt · Sieglinde Hofmann · Margrit Schiller · Verena Becker · Gabriele Kröcher-Tiedemann · Norbert Kröcher · Siegfried Haag · Adelheid Schulz · Peter-Jürgen Boock · Angelika Speitel · Rolf Wagner · Stefan Wisniewski”
Third Generation: “Wolfgang Grams · Birgit Hogefeld · Eva Haule · Andrea Klump”

I think some of the similarities are that most terrorist groups use violence as a method to get attention.  It doesn't seem to matter if innocent people are involved.  Both the RAF and today's terrorist groups use bombs and guns to commit their acts.  I haven't heard about terrorists today robbing banks or setting buildings on fire which the RAF did do.  Terrorists today set up ransom instead.  Also, I haven't heard about terrorists today highjacking cars like the RAF did but both highjacked airplanes. 

Works Cited:

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baader-Meinhof_Complex

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

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

Why the EU will continue to be a pivotal organization for German in the 21st Century

1. Germany is protected by the strength of the EU because through the creation of the EU Germany and its neighboring countries that were previously at war were able to make peace and work toward a common goal.
2. The EU provides an open market for Germany's products to be sold to so being a part of the EU is extremely profitable economically to Germany.
3. As long as Europe is at peace Germany being its biggest producer of products stands to make a profit.
4. The unification of one type of currency has allowed Germany to become competitive at a global level.
5. If the economy in the EU is allowed to become one providing a new middle class Germany will have more people that have the ability to buy their profits and so will benefit from this change.
6. The common currency has helped Germany through reunification.
7.  Germany is in position of being the greates economic power in Europe
8. Germany benefits from the continent at peace and benefits most when it can sell its products to all of Europe
9. Germany is no longer seen as a threat and is instead seen as a powerful ally
10. With Germany and Europe unified they provide a stronger voice to global decision making.

*Used notes from class and summarized

Top 3 Blogs

1. Krystal Dube: interesting background, nice pictures, everythings on blog.
2. Lacey Rovang: like the background, nice pictures, not missing blogs
3. Kevin Andresen: background is interesting, nice pictures, not missing blogs.

"All Quiet On The Western Front"

Our in class discussion was on the loss of identity which I feel was one of the main focal points in this book.  The idea of being young and going off to war before you even know who you are.  It's scary to think about going to war in the first place but everything you have to face with either surviving or not surviving the war is a difficult concept to relate.  I think that a lot of people when they come back from war especially a war as drastic as WWI would in some ways have preferred not to have made it home.  It's scary when you have no idea who you are and have nothing to keep you going.  Everyone needs something in their lives that is important to them that they can identify themselves with.  Being in a war would be dehumanizing and will bring out a more animalistic side of a person because of the need to survive.  I can't imagine people that come back from a war and be "okay" with all of the killing that they had to do or see done.  Coming back from that to our trivial world of I "need" that new pair of shoes would be an extremely difficult transition.  The way that this book was written you could really see things from Paul's perspective (1st person) and take a walk in his shoes.  I think it would be difficult from not knowing who you are and what kind of person you are and then going to war where you either let your animal instincts take over or wind up dead.  It's a kill or be killed situation.  So only knowing yourself as an animal (if you choose to kill) and then coming back to a civilized world where animalistic instincts are punished and having no use for the only thing you know would be scary.  It would be difficult to look in the mirror and know all that you have done and it would be hard to see or discover another side of yourself.  I thought it was a really interesting book and really got me thinking about identity which is a really important concept that can really make a difference in someone's life.

Final Questions for Class Competition

Question. Which political party had the greatest percent of votes in the May 9th, 2010 election in NRW?
Ansewer. Christian Democratic Union, with 34.6%

Question. What was the precursor to the treaty of Westphalia?
Answer. The Concordat of Worms

Question. What street is this building on? (picture of a building)
Answer. It is the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, located on Werderscher Strasse in Berlin.

Question. This structure is a key location in which German film? (picture of a structure)
Answer. Run, Lola, Run or Lola Rennt

Question. Held in Berlin, what are the German equivalent to the British Pop Awards?
Answer. Echo Awards.

Question. What famous novel, anonymously written in the early 13th century, ends with the death of all key characters?
Answer. Nibelungenlied.

Question. Where is this statue and what is it depicting? (picture of statue of animals)
Answer. It is in Bremen, Germany, and it is depicting the Bremen town musicians.

Question. Which German car was the first one to be built solely outside of Germany?
Answer. The BMW Z3

States Presentation: Bremen

Bremen Germany

By: Krystal Dube and Jen Teachout

•Population- ~661,716 (2009)

•Area- ~157.5 sq mi

•Capital- Bremen

•It is the smallest of the 16 states in Germany.

•Located on the river Weser

•86,943 square miles of Minnesota

•So you can fit about 552 Bremen’s in Minnesota

The town of Musicians of Bremen

  

•The Brothers Grimm- Wrote The Town Musicians of Bremen

•The story is about a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, who were mistreated by their masters

•They fled to Bremen which was known for its beauty, freedom and art.

•On there way to a cottage there was 4 thieves inside and so they stood on each others backs and sang a song in hopes to receive food. 

But the music was so horrible the thieves ran out

 

•Largest port in Germany second only to Hamburg and is the oldest port city in Germany

•Bremen is involved in industrial and commercial trading and production of ships, and machinery. 

•Bremen and Bremerhaven were joined together in 1947 to create the State of Bremen.

"Free Hanseatic City of Bremen”

 

market settlement ---> city--->merchants' town--->

In 1806 Bremen independent sovereign free state called itself "the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen"---> "Federal state of German Empire in 1871"--->temporarily lost independence and then regained in 1947---> after WWII Bremen was an American occupation zone--->Today is the "largest port after Hamburg"

Sources

•http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/map_german_states.gif - German state picture

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_(state) – basic information

•http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mn_geography.htm - Minnesota Information

•http://www.knowledgerush.com/wiki_image/4/49/Bundeslaender_germany_hb.png - German State Picture

•http://www.shopsandsalons.com/images/50%20STATE%20MAPS/us%20map%20Minnesota.jpg – U.S. picture

•http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zento/eandl2006/1189255980/tpod.html - Musicians information

• http://www.world-tourer.com/images/bremen-musicians.jpg - Bremen statue

•http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/misc/BremerHaus/Bremen_gb.html - location information

•http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bremen.aspx - port information

•http://insurance.essentialtravel.co.uk/tg-europe/germany/bremen-history.asp - city information

First 15 Question Class Competition Group 1

First 15 Questions For Class Competition (Team 1)

 Question 1. What are the two restaurants/bars in Germany where you can dine completely in the dark?
Answer. Unsicht-Bar in Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg. Nocti Vagus in Berlin.

Question 2. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe. Which is the first?
Answer. Russia.

Question 3. On Saturday, September 25th, Munich will be hosting a pop sensation. Who is it? Where are they from?

Answer. Kate Nash, Britain.

Question 4.  What German ruler backed Martin Luther from very early on, and ensured his safety after he was declare an outlaw?

Answer. The Duke of Saxony.

Question 5. What German state rapidly rose to a first-class military power between 1670 and 1740?

Answer. Prussia.

Question 6. Who is this? (it shows a picture of a man)

Answer. Richard Wagner.

Question 7. Who is this? (it shows a picture of a woman)

Answer. Franka Potenta.

Question 8. What was the name of the movie where German actress Angelica Domroese plays the sister of a man named Jens?

Answer. Die Legende von Paul und Paula

Question 9. These three men founded a video game company located in Germany; what is the name of their company and who are they? (it shows a picture of three men)

Answer. The company's name is Crytek, and the names of the men are Cevat, Avni, and Faruk Yerli.

Question 10. Who spoke at the Ingolstaedter Muenster church in Ingolstadt, Germany on 24.4.10.?

Answer. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Karl-Theodorezu Guttenberg, in a service for four soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Question 11. Why were King Ludwig the Second's castles opened up for tourism shortly after his death?

Answer. To pay for the cost of building them.

Question 12. Which of King Ludwig the Second's castles in Bavaria was the only one to be finished before his death?

Answer. Linderhof.

Question 13. What is the oldest flowering plan in Germany?

Answer. A rose bush at St. Mary's Cathedral in Hildeshein.

Question 14. What are the 7 inhabited Frisian Islands?

Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeook, Spiekeroog, Wangerooge.

Question 15. This character from the Shrek movies is based off lore from Lower Saxony.

Answer. The Pied Piper.

German print media reviewed

I noticed a few similarities regarding the genres that both U.S. and Germany post in their newspapers (sports, local, weather, etc.).  Some of the differences include the days of the week people get their papers.  From what I understand some of the papers that are distributed in Germany are only one day a week, some are Mon.-Sat. whereas, I believe most of our newspapers are everyday.  I also noticed that Germany enables you to order their paper from several different countries and I believe the U.S. papers are less distributed.  As far as the content I couldn't understand what most of it said so I'm not sure about the similarities and differences.

My observations about the top 20 Radio stations in Germany

When I started this project I expected to be listening to German music in German.  Instead I was rather surprised because it could just as easily been one of the radiostations I listen to minus the commercials which were in German.  Baden Württemberg, for example had almost all radiostations with music in English and commercials in German.  There was at least one American radiostation in each States section.  I thought this was really interesting because if I had been listening to music in German I wouldn't have understood most of it.  I might recognize the melodies but it's very doubtful I could get the full enjoyment out of listening without understanding.  We don't have the variety of languages for our radiostations that Germany seems to provide for theirs and we live in a multicultural country as well.  This makes me realize how ethnocentric the U.S. is in comparison to other countries.  It seems to me that we are the only country where most of the citizens aren't at least bilingual.  I also was rather surprised not to hear more techno and dance music when listening to the different stations.  Most of them seemed to be similar to our stations.  They have their R&B, Hip Hop, Oldies, Mix, Techno, etc.  I believe some of them must have been talkshows because I listened for awhile and didn't hear any music.  It was interesting that I could pick out some commercials we hear here as well.  I found this project interesting and surprising because it was not at all what I expected when I began it. 

Bayern had the most radio stations and Bremen & Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had the least radio stations (each with 6). 

Thuringian Forest

Interest Ranking

1. Berlin Nightlife Lacey and Kayla
2. U. Bahn and S. Bahn Kevin and Kevin
3. Reichstag Kyle and Steve
4. Berlin Tram ryan
5. Tourism Danielle
6. Popular Sights and Activities in Luebech Germany Breanna and Vaughn
7. Berlin Buildings Shelby and Andrew
8. Sports Conner
9. Berlin Music Today and Past Patrick and David
10. Berlin art and Culture of 1920 Lexi and Matt
11. Brandenberg Gate Kelsey and Nicole
12. Berlin During WWII Jessica and Khrystyna

Berlin Structures

We decided to do our presentation on the structures of Berlin.  The architecture there is unlike anything we see in America and the history behind them is fascinating.  I hope you enjoy our presentation and learn something new!

Jen Teachout
Krystal Dube


http://www.scribd.com/doc/37077189/Berlin-Structures#fullscreen:off

16 German States

1. Baden-Württemberg: Four Universities in Baden-Württemberg were named Germany's Universities of Excellence.  The University at Constance is of particular interest to scientists due to it's increasing research in nanotechnology.
2. Bavaria: Has a good mix of both farmers and people trying to move into the new technologies the world has to offer.  It is also the center for Oktoberfest.
3. Berlin: "Konnopke" a famous food at a fast food stand where people wait everyday to eat.  You used to be unable to get a bottle of kettchup in Berlin.
4. Brandenburg: 1/3 of this state is nature.  Area is known for its Prussian values like discipline, hard work, and responsibility.
5. Bremen: At one point in time Bremen was Europes biggest grain trans-shippment center.  Checking imported goods at the port in Bremen is a common profession.
6. Hamburg: You can smell cocoa waft through the air due to the port in Hamburg.  Hamburg's port was the largest port of entry for colonial goods after London.
7. Hesse: International area in Germany due to the banks located there.  It is not uncommon for people there to communicate in English.
8. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: said to be the most pleasant state in Germany.  It is also believed to be the best region for hunting.
9. Lower Saxony: More than 50 million VW vehicles have come from Lower Saxony's assembly lines.  There is a club there for Beetle enthusiasts to get together and work on their VW Beetles.
10. North Rhine-Westphalia: where a union is more important than money.  People had to struggle to improve their working conditions and they succeeded as the company is still in progress of upgrading.
11. Rhineland-Palatinate: Due to the regions perfect climate it produces the 2/3 of Germany's wine.  Some of which produce organic wine.
12. Saarland: Is a place where food is celebrated in Germany.  They "live to eat" in Saarland.
13. Saxony: Saxony's solar industry has become one of the biggest in the nation.  Saxony's old car and machine factories are being turned into modern industrial complexes that companies like Volkswagon use.
14. Saxony-Anhalt: People in Saxony-Anhalt are known as the nation's earliest risers. The region currently has to fight for jobs, work longer hours, and sleep less.
15. Schleswig-Holstein: Known for a past-time called "flounder kicking".  It is connected to the Wadden Sea where flounder fish burrow into the sands instead of drifting out to sea.
16. Thuringia: People here like to hike and everyone takes part in the blueberry harvest.  They also like to sing.

The Speyer Cathedral

The Speyer Cathedral houses the remains of German Emperors for approximately 300 years.  It comes from the time of the Holy Roman Empire as one of the most influential pieces of architecture of the Romanesque era.  Made up of Four Towers and Two domes it's founding by Conrad II occurred in the year 1030 and was remodelled in the 11th century.  It's architecture also includes a foundation made into the symbol of the Latin cross.  To symbolize the power they maintained the emperors built the Speyer Cathedral and determined it would be the resting place for their remains.  In total 8 German Emperors and Kings, 4 Queens, and several Bishops remain in the crypt today as it has been left in its original state that was created in 1030.  It also has the privilege of being the first sculpture to have a gallery going around the entire building.  In 1689 a large part of the nave was destroyed by a fire but was later restored to its original state in 1778.  The interior was painted by the school of Johannes Schraudolph and Josef Schwarzmann in 1846-53 commissioned by King Ludwig I.

The Cathedral is open for tours as well as religious services.

The dimensions according to the World Heritage Website:
Total length of the cathedral: 134 m (from the steps at the entrance to the exterior wall of the east apse)

Width of the nave: 37.62 m (from exterior wall to exterior wall)
Height of the nave at the vertex of the vaults: 33 m
Height of the eastern spires: 71.20 m
Height of the western spires: 65.60 m
Crypt Length: east-west 35 m; north-south 46 m Height: between 6.2 m and 6.5 m

World Heritage Websites

I really enjoyed looking at all the photographs from these numerous sites.  I envy the beautiful gardens, sculptures, and architecture that the European culture in general has to offer.  I have yet to be fortunate enough to view these in person but I hope to someday enjoy that privilege.  I really liked the Wadden Sea page and that it still holds to its natural state as so many places today have lost that value. 

Palaces and Parks of Postdam and Berlin http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/532
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/534/gallery/
The Wadden Sea http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1314
Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter, and Church of Our Lady in Trier http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367
Wurzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/169

Famous Germans

We did our presentation on Famous Germans and chose to detail a few specific subcategories of this topic.  We researched famous Germans in acting, politics, sports, and royalty.  It was interesting for me to see that I have actually heard about several of our subjects without even realizing their connection with Germany.

http://www.filesavr.com/jDO1CovP