Germany and the Germans - Essay Example

Germany and the Germans 1. Did the course in any way change your views about Germany and the Germans? Were there any real surprises? What themes or subjects might you pursue looking into on your own in the future? This course definitely changed my view of Germany and the Germans, because I certainly had a different image about Germany before taking this class. This image that I had was not a complete one, as I realized now: I knew about the German Autobahn, which is a system of highways that connects different parts of Germany with each other. Moreover, I knew about the fact that there are no speed limits on the German Autobahn, however, I learnt that some parts of the Autobahn do have speed limits, which I wasn’t aware of before. In addition, I also knew about Nazi Germany and Hitler, before taking this course. Nevertheless, this course greatly increased my knowledge about Germany’s history, especially with regard to its Nazi past. It was interesting to learn about the surrounding circumstances that helped Hitler’s rise in power. Furthermore, I learnt a lot about the way that Germany handles its dark past. This course was filled with a lot of interesting and new information about Germany and the Germans, which changed and enlarged my knowledge about Germany. However, there were no real surprises for me, instead it felt, as if my view on Germany and the Germany has finally been completed. There are a couple of themes and subjects that I think I might pursue in my future. For instance, we have learnt a lot about German culture, German poets and German thinkers, and I would like to explore this area further. It was interesting to learn about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his impact on German culture, however, I would like to explore the current culture in Germany, especially the popular culture. Therefore, I decided to listen to some online German radio stations and to look up German songs on youtube. Finally, I want to pursue German history and culture even further, and the best way of doing so, is probably to travel to Germany. So, hopefully I will be able to travel to Germany and learn more about Germany and the Germans. 2. What is the most important thing you have learnt from taking this class? The most important thing that I have learnt from taking this class is that I should never rely on stereotypes. It is absolutely important to always stay open minded for additional information. Although, there is some truth to stereotypes, simply because they reflect, to some extent, a certain general characteristic, it is important to not be held back by those stereotypes. In addition, it is not only vital to look beyond existing stereotypes, but to also look beyond and even question additional information and knowledge one might think to have. Often, the knowledge one claims to have is faulty and/ or not complete. In my case, that was definitely the case: One of the stereotypes that I had was that Germans always speed, because they do not have a speed limit on the Autobahn. I knew about Germany and Hitler, but my knowledge was not complete and some information that I thought were true, were actually false, as I discovered during this course. To summarize, with all honesty, I can say that, for me, the most important lesson from taking this class is to always be open for new information. 3. Woodrow Wilson was re-elected on the slogan "He kept us out of the war ". Why did America declare war on Germany? In your opinion, was the Zimmermann telegram a valid reason for entering the war or simply a pretext? Read and comment on what Benjamin Freedman had to say in this subject. How neutral had America been? There are many different opinions on why the USA declared war on Germany in 1917 and to name them all here in this essay would definitely require more than the page limit allows. As we were taught, some of the reasons for entering the war are: the unrestricted German submarine warfare, which caused among other casualties, the sinking of the Lusitania, a boat with many unarmed Americans on board. In addition, a US American desire to establish peace in Europe, which would affect the USA positively, has been named as a further reason for entering WWI. Moreover, the Zimmermann telegram has been identified has another reason for the U.S. declaration of war against Germany. The Zimmermann telegram was a coded proposal from Germany to Mexico to enter a military alliance with Germany and to declare war on the USA. However, the telegram never reached Mexican authorities, because it was intercepted. In my opinion, I believe that the Zimmermann telegram was a valid reason for entering the war, because it can be understood as an act of aggression. Moreover, it led to public outrage in the USA, which caused the people in the US to look at Germany as an aggressor even more. Benjamin Freedman, an American anti-Semite, has his own anti-Semitic perspective on the US reasons for entering the war and I can only reject his entire hateful argumentation. As we have learnt, Woodrow Wilson tried to maintain a neutral position for the USA when World War I started. Moreover, the public opinion in the USA was overall against the USA entering World War I, because they felt that European matters did not concern them. However, although the US stayed mostly neutral until 1917, they did actually financially support France and Great Britain by lending money, and moreover, trade with Germany was in decline. Therefore, as we have found out, it has been argued that the USA was not entirely neutral, because they did actually support France and Great Britain. 4. How would history have changed if America had stayed out of the war? For better or for worse? Answering “what- if- questions” is always difficult, because we will simply never find out what could have happened under different circumstances. In addition, one different action could have changed the entire history. In this case, if the USA hadn’t entered World War I, it would have changed, not only Europe’s history, but also US American history. For instance, a lot of American soldiers could have been saved, if the US had not entered the war, which would be a positive aspect, of course. Without an American involvement, Germany could have won World War I and the implications of a German victory are complex. For example, a victory of World War I Germany could have prevented a rise of Hitler, and consequently it could have prevented the bloody and horrible World War II. However, may be it would not have made a difference and Hitler would have risen to power anyway. It is impossible to tell what would have happened, if America had not entered the war, but one thing that can be said for certain is that history would have been totally different. Whether the overall results would have been better or worse or how history would have changed, that is impossible to answer. Read More