WeimarConstitution Reflection

Article 17

Every state must have the constitution of a free state. State parliament must be elected in a general, equal, immediate and secret ballot, in which all Reich German men and women participate, according to the principles of representative election. The state government requires confidence of state parliament.

The principles for the election of state parliament also apply for local elections. State law may determine if those who lived in the community for one year or less may participate in the election or not.

This article grants men and women the right to vote. They are to follow state guidelines and are also kept in secret so that the people do not feel pressured or intimidated to vote for the party of their choice. It is also important to note that people must be living in a state for a certain period of time to prevent any unjust votes. This is important even today. Voting should be kept private and furthermore all people should be allowed to participate in voting.

Article 109

All Germans are equal in front of the law.

In principle, men and women have the same rights and obligations.

Legal privileges or disadvantages based on birth or social standing are to be abolished.

Noble titles form part of the name only; noble titles may not be granted any more.

Titles may only be granted, if they indicate an office or occupation; academic degrees are not affected by this regulation.

The state may no more bestow orders and medals.

No German may accept titles or orders from a foreign government.

This article explains that all people are equal, both men and women, regardless of your social class. They have revoked insignificant titles from monarchies to further make people more equal. This is still applicable in today’s society because people should not feel entitled due to their finances. They need to be reminded that any crimes they commit are still punishable by law and are not excused due to their social standing.

Junius Pamphlet by Rosa Luxemburg Reflection

"If it is true that war is really a fight for national existence, for freedom, if it is true that these priceless possessions can be defended only by the iron tools of murder, if this war is the holy cause of the people, then everything else follows as a matter of course, we must take everything that the war may bring as a part of the bargain. He who desires the purpose must be satisfied with the means. War is methodical, organized, gigantic murder. But in normal human beings this systematic murder is possible only when a state of intoxication has been previously created. This has always been tried and proven method of those who make war. Bestiality of action must find a commensurate bestiality of thought and sense; the latter must prepare and accompany the former. Thus the Wahre Jacob of August 28, 1914, with its brutal picture of the German thresher, the party papers of Chemnitz, Hamburg, Kiel, Frankfort, Koburg and others, with their patriotic drive in poetry and prose, were the necessary narcotic for a proletariat that could rescue its existence and its liberty only by plunging the deadly steel into its French and English brothers. These chauvinistic papers after all a great deal more logical and consistent than those others who attempted to unite hill and valley, war with humanity, murder with brotherly love, the for voting war credits with socialist internationalism."

The Junius Pamphlet by Rosa Luxemburg has many different points that encourage socialist reform. In this specific passage she provides concrete examples as to one of the major problems with capitalism which is war. Luxemburg shows that the bourgeoisie use the war to promote brotherly love, to promote humanity when in reality it is actually the opposite of this. German is fighting against their French and English brothers. Everybody is a human being and everyone should be taking action to prevent war not cause hostility between the countries because of the need to gain power.

Luxemburg puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that war is murder. There is no difference to her between war and murder. “War is methodical, organized, gigantic murder.” Here, she is showing how important it is to understand that the government does not blindly go into war just as a means of self defense. The government understands the full implications of war and does not care that war is harmful to the target country but even to their own country. As long as they achieve the outcome it does not matter to the government that families lose fathers, brothers etc. Due to the need for capitalistic gain, either in the form of money or power, the proletariats are the ones who must suffer the consequences.

Many times war between countries is initiated for the personal gain of a country. For example the War in Iraq was executed to ensure that America will have access to the country’s oil however, it was masked as war on weapons of mass destruction that were never found.  Furthermore, in Crimea, where the Russians have either used military force to annex Crimea or Crimea wanted to separate itself from the Ukraine and join Russia, is a major political issue for America and the European Union. It is quite frightening to think that larger military countries are still able to expand imperialistically in today’s world. 

Rosa Luxemburg What Does the Spartacus League Want? Interpretation

"Out of all this bloody confusion, this yawning abyss, there is no help, no escape, no rescue other than socialism. Only the revolution of the world proletariat can bring order into this chaos, can bring work and bread for all, can end the reciprocal slaughter of the peoples, can restore peace, freedom, true culture to this martyred humanity. Down with the wage system! That is the slogan of the hour! Instead of wage labor and class rule there must be collective labor. The means of production must cease to be the monopoly of a single class; they must become the common property of all. No more exploiters and exploited! Planned production and distribution of the product in the common interest. Abolition not only of the contemporary mode of production, mere exploitation and robbery, but equally of contemporary commerce, mere fraud."

Written in December 1918, the Rosa Luxemberg, discusses the German people who suffered from WWI. The introduction goes into detail about the destruction of the war especially of the wounded and lost German soldiers. Many films during this time period hinted at the need for social reform, specifically the need for a strong leader. This quote begins to discuss the need for social reform contrary to what the media was portraying, socialism, the idea of people governing themselves. The author proclaims that the bourgeoisie are taking advantage of the proletariat. The proletariat class are the backbone of the German society, their hard labor is what is necessary for the economy to thrive and yet they are at the bottom of the barrel while the bourgeoisie are reaping all the benefits. 

The wage system should be abolished and replaced with the collective labor. The bourgeoisie should have to do just as much work as the proletariat, in fact people should work just to benefit the society as a whole not as a means to earn income. If people were able to work as they please and not just for the income there would be a lot of people who are happier to go to work. Since the proletariat class out number the bourgeoisie they would be the only people who can actually begin this process of revolt and reform.

Here we see nihilistic themes reoccur. The proletariat represent the followers of Nietzche's ideals. The proletariats are following the government blindly rather than recognizing the problems with the government especially one that models capitalism. The bourgeois, superhuman, are able to take misuse the proletariats for their own benefit. 

M directed by Fritz Lang Scene Analysis

The film M directed by Fritz Lang is set in Berlin, Germany. A serial killer, Hans Beckert, of little girls is on the hunt for his next victim. However, in response the police are taking extreme measures to find him. This affects the towns criminals' business of hustling and burglary so they also begin their own search. One of the most compelling scenes of the film occurs when the criminals get together in order to take on the responsibility of stopping the murderer. From the moment the criminals are in the room the audience is unsure if it is another police gathering, however they soon realize that they are in fact convicts. The head of the scandals, whom is Schranker, appears and the discussion of the stopping the murderer begins.

The team of lawbreakers begin to discuss how the murderer is different from them, even though some of these men have also committed murder. It is a way to desensitize themselves from the fact the murderer is a human and make him appear to be more of a "monster" as well as a threat to the town and the criminals themselves. Here, it is easy to compare the criminals to the Nazi party. The Nazi party during this time believed that they would do a better job of fixing Germany than the current political party. They believed that the current political party was not helping to solve the many economic and criminal problems of Germany.

The outlaws begin to discuss ways as to why the police are unsuccessful with stopping the murderer. According to one of the men, the general public is of no help at all. He is suggesting that the townspeople should not be allowed to be involved in these matters of handling the murder because they give inaccurate information and become overwhelmed by hysteria. Here, the need for someone to take control of the situation at hand is being suggested. This is indefinitely how the Nazi party was able to become a strong force in Germany by recognizing the German people's need for control. Due to the economic difficulty and the failing infrastructure of government the Nazi party was able to seize political power.

Schranker suggests that because the police are unable to stop the murderer it would be in the best interest of the outlaws to pursue the murderer themselves. They discuss the use of street beggars as a means of surveillance in the town because it would not be suspicious. Once again, the parallels between the scandals and the Nazi party are uncanny. The group of scandals and the Nazi party both felt that the government are failing them and the German people. They both felt the need to take the matters into their own hands and to take control of the situation.

There are also many nihilistic themes that are apparent in the movie. The nihilistic lawbreakers decide to go against their government and the take matters into their own hands. They did not and never have conformed to society norms, such as having respectable jobs. Once they were able to see the police failing them as well as the German people they decided to go against police efforts and take control of the situation. They symbolized the Nazi party in Germany in many ways even before the Nazi party had full control of Germany in 1933.

Paragraph 175 (Society - Homophobia) Summary

 Paragraph 175 before it was amended states that any unnatural male homosexual activity or any person who engages in sexual activity with an animal is punishable by imprisonment. The Nazi party had amended the paragraph to include any males who are willing to engage in homosexual activity are also punishable by imprisonment. The amendment also stated that in very rare cases men that are under the age of 21 at the time of the act may be excused from imprisonment. Paragraph 175 was again revised by the Nazi party. Paragraph 175a goes into more depth of the punishment of those participating in homosexual activity. Men who engage in homosexual activity can be charged with penal servitude up to 10 years and if necessary imprisonment of up to 3 months. This included men who are potential rapists, gay men, male prostitutes, 21 year old men who seduce men who are underage. Paragraph 175b states that people who engage in unnatural sex with animals can result in imprisonment and even the loss of civil rights. 

This is very pertinent to Freud's argument that "...we are animals, our reason develops out of a conflict with the natural world, including the internal regulation of our instincts in order to better adapt for survival..." The fact that people are engaging in homosexual activities goes against the natural instincts of heterosexuals. The Nazi party wanted to enforce punishment against homosexuals because it helped to make the Nazi party more powerful. People who may have not been in favor of the Nazi Party, but are heterosexual, now had some form of common ground. People were able to identify with this due to the previous opinions about homosexuality, and therefore where easily manipulated by the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party exploited their power over homosexuals due to the newly gained support of the public. This allowed  for unjust punishments to homosexuals.

Cabaret Songs of Germany Reflection

Click here to listen to "No Time" (Keine Zeit) music by Rudolf Nelson, lyrics by Herbert Nelson (1933)

"No Time" (Keine Zeit) English Translation

There may still be those who live unhurried lives
and don’t care about the hectic pace of these times.
Those who are not yet wildly obsessed
as they devour food from vending machines and make themselves sick.
However, in these frantic times, you meet few of these unhurried people.
Nowadays you stand at the vending machine,
with the token in your trembling paws.
You insert the coin, the tray revolves, and you take some bread.
Then you eat the roll at a frantic pace,
because hundreds of others are right behind you.
You chew and you chew without peace and rest
because there is a voice telling you:
"Insert token, take out bread,
for the food might soon be sold out."
One eats without finesse.

CHORUS:

No time, no time, no time.
Yes, we have no time.
Sorry, but we're always on the go,
with tongues hanging out as we run.
We have no spare time.
No time, no time, no time,
no hours nor even a second to spare.
We hardly sleep, we don’t rest.
No time, no time, no time.

Nowadays, a person doesn't have a second to spare.
Yet many even think the pace is too slow.
If you do business today, you go bankrupt before you have even started.
People don't want to waste time with the beginning,
they'd rather skip straight to the end.
In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,
and get married the next morning.
At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.
In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is evened signed,
it's already broken.
Because nowadays it is considered chic to be quick.

CHORUS:

No time, no time, no time.
Yes, we have no time.
Sorry, but we're always on the go,
with tongues hanging out as we run.
We have no spare time.
No time, no time, no time,
no hours nor even a second to spare.
We hardly sleep, we don’t rest.
No time, no time, no time.
 

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Keine Zeit

Es soll noch Menschen geben,
die ganz gemuetlich leben und sich nicht kuemmern um das Tempo unserer Zeit.
Die noch nicht wild besessen aus Automaten fressen, bis ihnen uebel wird vor lauter Schnelligkeit.
Jedoch in diesen bewegten Zeiten, trifft man nur wenige von diesen Leuten.
Denn heut steht man im Schnellautomaten, mit der Marke im zittrigen Pfoetchen.

Oben steckt man sie rein und dann gibt’s einen Dreh, schon ist unten zum Vorschein ein Broetchen.
Und dann isst man das Broetchen in rasender Hast, denn es warten ja schon hundert andere und man kaut und man kaut, ohne Ruh ohne Rast, denn es sagt eine Stimme, der wandere.
Marke rein, Broetchen raus, schon ist dein Essen aus.
Man ist schnell ohne jede Finesse, der es schmeckt ist ganz ohne Fingresse.

Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit. Ja, wir haben keine Zeit. Es tut uns leid.
Wir sind immer auf dem Sprung, haengt uns raus schon die Zung und doch wir rennen, ja wir kennen keine Zeit.
Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Stunde und Sekunde haben wir Zeit. Ja, wir schlafen heute kaum noch, denn wir ruhen uns nicht aus. Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit.

Man laesst sich weit und breit heut nicht mehr Sekunde Zeit heut.
Es geht im Gegenteil uns noch zu langsam fast.
Machst du Geschaefte heute, bist du bereits schon pleite, bevor du ueberhaupt noch angefangen hast.
Man moecht am liebsten, ja das soll’s geben, das Ende noch vor Beginne leben.
Heut verliebt man sich abends, verlobt sich bei Nacht und vermaehlt in der Frueh sich zufriede und am Mittag da hat man bereits sich verkracht und am Abend ist man wieder geschieden.

Findet heut zwischen Laendern Verhandlungen statt und die Herren haben alles besprochen, ja dann wird noch bevor unterzeichnet man hat, der geschlossene Vertrag schon gebrochen,
denn das findt man heut chick, denn wir sind ja so quick.
Es ist gleich, ob wir heute reell sind, denn die Hauptsache ist, dass wir schnell sind.

Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit. Ja, wir haben keine Zeit. Es tut uns leid. Wir sind immer auf dem Sprung haengt uns raus schon die Zung und doch wir rennen, ja wir kennen keine Zeit.
Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Stunde und Sekunde haben wir Zeit. Ja, wir schlafen heute kaum noch, denn wir ruhen uns nicht aus. Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit.

"No Time" (Keine Zeit) music by Rudolf Nelson, lyrics by Herbert Nelson (1933)

Second Verse

Nowadays, a person doesn't have a second to spare.
Yet many even think the pace is too slow.
If you do business today, you go bankrupt before you have even started.
People don't want to waste time with the beginning,
they'd rather skip straight to the end.
In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,
and get married the next morning.
At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.
In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is evened signed,
it's already broken.
Because nowadays it is considered chic to be quick.

What the author is trying to discuss here is the fact that people are living too fast. People don't properly evaluate major life decisions, they just jump right in. The song was written in Germany in 1930, while Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party where becoming popular with the German people. The song suggests that making decisions so quickly without properly assessing the situation leads to destruction. If you open a business too quickly, it fails. When you jump into marriage, it ends in divorce. The most significant line is the "In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is even signed,/ it's already broken." This is a reference to the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Here, the allied powers signed a doctrine, that deemed Germany responsible for WWI and had to pay back all damages to the allied powers that had suffered. This treaty was meant to limit the German Powers but was not thought thoroughly enough because it didn't assess the possible negative consequences that could occur, such as the Nazi Party coming into power. 

Even though this song was written in 1933 it is still very relevant today, especially in America. People are always making poor decisions or rushing into things without fully understanding what the consequences are. When it comes to voting, a lot of Americans are guilty of voting for a party without really being well read on politics. Although, not everything politicians promise will happen it is important to know what is promised by the political party and if those promises were put into action. This is important to make sure that the government officials are working in favor of the people.  

Click here to listen to "Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Mannern), by Friedrich Hollaender (1926)

"Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Männern) English Translation

The battle for emancipation's been raging since history began
Yes, feminists of every nation want to chuck off the chains made by man
Hula girls and housemaids and wives in Maribou
hear all our voices thunder in protest
Anything that men do women can do too
and more that that we women do it best

CHORUS:  Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag
and chuck all the men out of the courthouse
Men are the problem with humanity
they're blinded by their vanity
Women have passively embraced them
when we could have easily outpaced them
Yes we should have long ago replaced them
or better yet erased them
If we haven't made our feelings clear
we women have had it up to here

As babies men all howl and bluster they cry through the night and the day
perfecting the techniques they'll muster for the times when they don't get their way
Nursie holds the monster and feeds him from her breast
and baby is contented for a bit
But when he sees his nurse is trying to get some rest
the little man decides to have a fit

CHORUS

The men get their pick of professions they're policemen or scholars or clerks
They get rich and acquire possessions like we wives who keep house for these jerks
They're ruining the country while we mop up the floor
They're flushing this whole nation down the drain
Sisters stand together, let's show these men the door
before they drive us totally insane

CHORUS

English translation copyright by © Jeremy Lawrence
 

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Raus mit den Männern! (für Claire Waldoff) 

Es geht durch die ganze Historie
ein Ruf nach Emanzipation
vom Menschen bis zur Infusorie
überall will das Weib auf den Thron.
Vin Hawai-Neger bis zur Berliner Range
braust ein Ruf wie Donnerhall daher:
Was die Männer können, können wir schon lange
und vielleicht ’ne ganze Ecke mehr.

Raus mit den Männern aus dem Reichstag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Landtag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Herrenhaus,
wir machen draus ein Frauenhaus!
Raus mit den Männern aud dem Dasein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Hiersein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Dortsein,
sie müten schon längst fort sein.
Ja: raus mit den Männern aus dem Bau,
und rein in die Dinger mit der Frau!

Es liegn in der Wiege und brüllen
die zukünft’gen Männer ganz klein.
Die Amme, die Meistrin im Stillen,
flöt die Kraft ihnen schluckweise ein.

"Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Männern), by Friedrich Hollaender (1926)

Chorus

 Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag
and chuck all the men out of the courthouse
Men are the problem with humanity
they're blinded by their vanity
Women have passively embraced them
when we could have easily outpaced them
Yes we should have long ago replaced them
or better yet erased them
If we haven't made our feelings clear
we women have had it up to here

Although the songwriter, Friedrich Hollaender, is in fact a male, he writes a very feminist song about woman empowerment. However, I think the feminist message is just the scratching the surface of the song. The underlying message is the overhaul of government. "Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag/ and chuck all the men out of the courthouse/ Men are the problem with humanity/ they're blinded by their vanity" is an assessment of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. He is subliminally trying to inform the people of Germany that Hitler should not be in office, furthermore that if he does gain power he will be the destruction of Germany. Hitler's party principles are too extreme and inhumane. 

There two very important messages here that can be utilized even today. There should be equality for men and women. Women should not allow men to dominate them. The second message is that government should not dominate the public. There should be a greater balance of power between citizens and government. He states, "Yes we should have long ago replaced them/ or better yet erased them" this suggest the idea of having no government at all. Not always does government have the citizens best interests a lot of the times the government is looking to gain more power no matter what the cost.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari directed by Robert Weine

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari directed by Robert Weine is considered to be one of the first horror films of all times. The movie was filmed in the early 1920's in Germany. The movie invokes feelings of fear, suspense and anxiety. It follows the expressionistic art movement during that time.

One of the most terrifying scenes of the film is when the young Francis is searching for Dr. Caligari in the insane asylum. The setting of the asylum is very dark, although the building itself is white The entrance ways into the building from the garden are very dark with a glimpse of stairs that lead to somewhere. The scenery is very eerie, the viewer can already anticipate that something is wrong with this place. Even the doctors themselves look a little off, sort of what a mad scientist would look like with the long white lab coats and darkened eyes. Francis asks the staff where is Caligari and unfortunately, they inform him that Dr. Caligari is not a patient there. Puzzled the staff recommend that he see the head of the asylum.

As Francis is walking to see the head of the asylum, there is a change of background. The asylum walls are white with dark black swirls, while the door leading to the directors room is a very odd trapezoid shape. Again the background sets a very mysterious and eerie mood for the viewers. Here, lies the biggest shock of the movie, the apparent murderer in the story, Dr. Caligari, is actually the director of the asylum. He is seated with his white hair and glasses and darkened, crazed eyes. Francis sees this and is so terrified that he runs out of the room in a frenzy.

The movie is a very unique form of expressionism, perhaps even more along the lines of dadaism. The film emulates a lot of mixed emotions for the viewers through the set design and story line. The moment when Francis sees the crazed murderer as the head of the asylum, the audience immediately feels shocked and frightened. The sets are very obscure, using light and dark to make it more dramatic. The costume design resembles almost a zombie like crowd, with the darkened wide eyes.

Dr. Caligari is a murderer and also the director of an insane asylum. While Francis contrasts Dr. Caligari; he is sane but ultimately has no control over the situation. Francis is supposed to represent the people of Germany, while Dr. Caligari represents the German government. The nihilistic ideals of Nietzche are once again appearing, people can not follow others blindly. This way of just accepting other people's views and opinions allowed a crazed murderer to with hold power, so much that he is the head of the insane asylum. Here, the similarities between Dr. Caligari and Adolf Hitler are indisputable.

Robert Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is not only important for the social messages it had delivered in the past but for what it contributed to today's film industry. Weine accomplished many firsts with this film, such as being the first horror film, and integrating a surprise ending which was never done before.

Siddartha by Hermann Hesse Reflection

"Having been pondering while slowly walking along, he now stopped as these thoughts caught hold of him, and right away another thought sprang forth from these, a new thought, which was: 'That I know nothing about myself, that Siddhartha has remained thus alien and unknown to me, stems from one cause, a single cause: I was afraid of myself, I was fleeing from myself! I searched Atman, I searched Brahman, I was willing to dissect my self and peel off all of its layers, to find the core of all peels in its unknown interior, the Atman, life, the divine part, the ultimate part. But I have lost myself in the process.'"

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, portrays a young Brahmans religious struggles and his journey away from religion in order to find one's purpose. Siddhartha is an interpretation of Friedrich Nietzche 'superhuman' of nihilism. Govinda, the antagonist, is the complete opposite of Siddhartha and whom represents the blind religious follower, describes Nietzche's problematic religious 'culture'. Hesse uses nihilistic central themes in the short novel Siddhartha. He is able to juxtapose the two characters and bring life the importance of the 'superhuman'. In this quote, Hesse brings to life the enlightenment of the young Siddhartha as he begins his transformation from the young Brahman to the 'superhuman'.

The quote represents a turning point within the young Brahman. The nihilistic Siddhartha comes to an epiphany and realizes that all his religious teachings have taught to be anything but himself. Here, he is awakened and understands that in order to be able to live a fulfilling life. In search of happiness within himself, Siddhartha must break away from his religious shackles and live life. He was always in question of his faith, because all his religious teachings have said that the Atman, which refers to the Hindu belief of recognition of one's self before identification with higher beings, was the way to Brahman. However, the religious teachers were teaching their followers the practice of "numbing of the senses" through meditation and fasting.

Since birth Siddhartha was destined to be a holy figure. He was able to meditate better and faster than any of his peers. He was able to convince people of his greatness so easily because of his piety. However, Hesse cleverly makes the protagonist lose all his ties to religion in order to become a "superhuman". Siddhartha realizes here that he must embrace the fact that he is human. After being able to experience greed, lust and love Siddhartha becomes more humane but also more powerful as a religious figure. Govinda's journey provides concrete evidence of this fact. Govinda who has always followed the religious Gotama still was unable to find peace and asks Siddhartha how he can come to this understanding of peace, at the end of the novel.

It is important for people today to be able to make judgment through there own self and not follow other opinions blindly. Experience life, learn from the good and the bad. Religion is a beautiful concept, but should not be followed so closely that people are constantly in fear of living or forming their own judgment on people. These are all important principles within Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, but also for people in everyday life.

Dada Manifesto Reflection

"How does one achieve eternal bliss? By saying dada. How does one become famous? By saying dada. With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness. How can one get rid of everything that smacks journalism, worms, everything nice and right, blinkered, moralistic, europeanised, enervated? By saying dada. Dada is the world soul, dada is the pawn shop. Dada is the world's best lily-milk soap. Dada Mr Rubiner, dada Mr Korrodi. Dada Mr Lilienstein. In plain language: the hospitality of the Swiss is something to be profoundly appreciated. And in questions of aesthetics the key is quality."
- Hugo Ball, Dada Manifesto 1916

Hugo Ball, a German poet, wrote the Dada Manifesto in favor of the Dadaism movement. In the quote, Ball tries to show how much importance is placed on the term "dada" even though it actually has no importance. The term "dada" literally is a nonsense word ie a word with no meaning. Ball glorifies this unimportant term by suggesting it is the key to success and eternal bliss. The reason why Ball does this is to show that anything without meaning can be given meaning. He is taking a jab at society around him. He feels that people are very easy manipulated and will believe anything during this time period.

I personally agree with Hugo Ball. I feel that a lot of people who are uneducated and ignorant follow the "dada". For example, when I say that my parents are from Afghanistan, people are so quick to ask me if I know where Osama bin Ladin is or whether I am involved with the Taliban. Funny, I was born and raised in America, and before 9/11 most of my peers did not know that Afghanistan was a country, but in today's society anybody who is associated with Afghanistan is part of the Taliban. This is the problem with "dada" as Hugo suggests, people whom do not do enough thinking for themselves but go along with society, will continue to be ignorant.

This is especially problematic with our society today. Media, religion and even the internet can easily manipulate their uninformed followers. Another example of today's "dada", are the social pressures to be a thin. Women are photo shopped to look smaller, and runway models are typically a size 2 when back in the 1950's they were of a healthier size 8-10. There are websites that can terribly influence women into becoming anorexic or bulimic. Celebrity are slandered and ostracized when they gain weight. These are horrible tools to manipulate women but, we as a society, fail to recognize this. Instead we further criticize and allow this to occur. Aren't we the educated America? Aren't we the land of the free thinking and free expression? It is scary to think how we as a society allow each other to disregard our responsibility to the society. This is one of Ball's central themes in the Dada Manifesto. How something like a person's weight can be so glorified like "dada" however, there are other important issues we should concern ourselves with in order to improve society.

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was born in Norway in 1863. After his mother died of tuberculosis in 1868; he was left to be raised by his father. Unfortunately, his father suffered from mental illness teaching his children to be fearful of hell and other deep seated issues. This is one of the major influences of Munch's dark emotions and undertones in his artwork. Edvard Munch had traveled to Paris in 1885 and was very impressed by the artists. Here, he mastered expressionistic techniques. Between 1892 and 1908 Munch was traveling back and forth from Paris to Berlin. His artwork played a major role in German expressionism and which helped to pave the way for Dadaism to flourish in Germany.  

Golgotha 1900

This painting depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Munch juxtaposes light and dark within his painting. The lighter blue for Christ and a darker blue grey for the crowds. The crowd is a mix of emotions sad, happy confused and even diabolical. Christ's facial expression shows confusion although his head is upright. Munch portrays that although he may be at the stake, Christ does not feel defeated. The raised eyebrows of Christ suggest that he is fearful of what is going on. Munch does an excellent job of showing just how barbaric the crucifixion is. The crowd sort of mixes in together at the cross and looks more animal like. One of the central themes of this piece is hope. Although the holy savior is being crucified the mixed reaction of the crowd indicates that all hope is not lost. The nihilistic theme that is obvious here is the importance of the followers as opposed to the "super human". The crowd has more power over the "super human" even though they are ignorant of that fact. This is why today religion plays such an important role to people. The fear of God and religious leaders can be very limiting to their own power. However, if they can look past the religion they would be able to hold more power within their societies.

Evening on Karl Johan Street 1892

To understand this painting fully we must first understand where Karl Johan Street is located. Munch here a street in his native town of Oslow, Norway. The people of this town are very uniform, same style hats, same color clothing and even the same facial expression. The people of the town are all uniformly moving forward except the one bystander who is moving back. The people of Karl Johan Street have a mesmerized look on their faces, like they are all in a trance. Munch is showing the problems of conformity within society. Their is no room for diversity or expression. The people have lost touch with themselves as individuals. This is Nihilistic because it represents the dangers of society not being able to recognize they have fallen into these patterns of conformity. People can be easily influenced under these conditions, which then can turn this mesmerized society from a group of people walking down the street to a dangerous uniform force. For example, as with Adolf Hitler and the repressed German people, he was able to take control of the situation and society in his favor. Munch displays the importance of diversity by portraying the opposite, danger of conformity. This central idea is still important today because in order to be able to not conform to society one must overcome the society pressures against them. 

Anxiety 1894

The painting depicts many forms of anxiety. The woman's eyes in the front display a very somber anxiety. Something is troubling to her but she does not want to make it very obvious. However the man standing behind her to the left nearly has his eyes out of his sockets displaying anxiety, mixed with shock and possible terror. Using this form of expressionism to bring out other emotions rather than happy, euphoria, or even being sad was very dadaistic. However, the message behind the piece is not so harsh. There is definitely a silver lining underneath the clouds. This can be seen through the boats in the back with a brighter background unlike those that are walking in the picture in a darker grey black. Friedrich Nietzche would be a fan of this piece because he believed in good. His famous quote "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is portrayed in this piece. Anxiety here is still an emotion and people's emotions can change. Munch's message behind this painting is timeless; for those who are going through a string of sorrowful emotions can overcome them. Munch carefully places the boats far away underneath the light because when people are feeling anxiety must remember that better days may be far but they are still there. This is important for people today to be reassured that no matter what hardships may come tomorrow is another day do not lose hope.

Germany Politics

            Germany’s political system was ever changing from the time it was unified in the 1870’s, until many years after the Second World War. Some of its governments included monarchy, fascism and republic. The break in government, West Germany verse East Germany, was a major setback in Germany’s political infrastructure. Today, Germany’s government of civil law system has developed from independence, constitution and their branches of government.

            During WWII, Germany was a fascist totalitarian state under the rule of Adolf Hitler. Once the Hitler regime was brought down, the country split into two different governments, western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). West Germany modeled western economic ideals of capitalism whereas East Germany based their fundamentals on communism. By 1960, the split of the nation had peaked and the Berlin wall was built to separate the nation’s capital. West Germany flourished while their counterpart had major economic setbacks. With the decline of power of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the German people broke down the infamous Berlin wall in 1989. The unification of Germany occurred on October 3^rd, 1990 declaring East Germany free of the Socialist Party.

            The first governing doctrine of Germany was the Weimar Constitution written in 1919. Many of the principles of the Weimar Constitution were manipulated or revoked in order to enhance Hitler’s power. After WWII, a constitutional doctrine was redrafted and put into force on May 24^th, 1949 under the name of Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. The Basic Law was instated in order to prevent a dictatorship from reoccurring in West Germany. The framework of the Basic Law comes from the Weimar Constitution, however incorporating notions of human rights and dignity as central themes. Some of the defining principles of the Basic Law are democracy, republicanism, social responsibility and federalism. The Basic Law has had numerous amendments in order to keep up with the changes of a growing Germany.

            There are 3 branches of government within the civil law system the executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch consists of a chief of state, head of government and cabinet. The presidents are elected for a 5-year term and only for two terms, a precaution for dictatorship. Federal Council, the state governments, and the Federal Parliament, members whom are elected by popular vote, make up the legislative branch. There are two parts to the judicial branch, the highest court, which is made of the Federal Court of Justice, and the subordinate courts, consisting of the Federal Administrative Court, Federal Finance Court, Federal Labor Court, and the Federal Social Court. These branches offered a check and balance system in order to help maintain order and fairness within the German government.

            Since the independence from socialism, improved constitution and improved political system, Germany has become one of the most influential countries within the European Union. Germany has the fifth largest economy in the world and the largest in Europe. Industries such as iron, steel and coal are among some of the largest and most technologically advanced within the world. Each of these factors has contributed to Germany being one of the most powerful and influential countries in the European Union today.

Interpretation of Nietzche Quote

Blind pupils. -- As long as a man knows very well the strength and weaknesses of his teaching, his art, his religion, its power is still slight. The pupil and apostle who, blinded by the authority of the master and by the piety he feels toward him, pays no attention to the weaknesses of a teaching, a religion, and soon usually has for that reason more power than the master. The influence of a man has never yet grown great without his blind pupils. To help a perception to achieve victory often means merely to unite it with stupidity so intimately that the weight of the latter also enforces the victory of the former.

           from Nietzsche's Human, all too Human, s.122, R.J. Hollingdale transl.

            Friedrich Nietzche juxtaposes two main characters within this quote, the priest (any authoritative religious figure) and the religious follower. He describes the priest as being able to identify the fact that his teachings are not without flaws and imperfections. However, the priest will use this knowledge to influence those that are not as advanced as him. The pupil will listen to the ideals of the priest in order to better understand this idea of religion. The problem with this process is that priests do not allow room for interpretation about their religious teachings. Therefore, to be a “good” religious follower you must do so without using common sense, personal judgment or science. The priest becomes more like a dictator while his followers are his militia. Whether or not the intent of the priest is good, is irrelevant, because the influence the priest has amongst his followers is very high. As the priest obtains more followers, his power consequently also becomes greater.

            The importance of the role of the pupil must be further elaborated. Here, Nietzche describes the pupil as having “more power than the master”. Having just one follower is better than having no followers for the priest. This makes the pupil extremely valuable for the priest. A pupil that listens to the priest without questioning his ideals and does so in good faith has become invaluable; this is because the priest can more easily manipulate the pupil with his religious views. A pupil that is not ignorant to the flaws of the religious teachings of the priest can appreciate his teachings but make his own interpretations of how to appreciate “God”.

            I feel that this theory of the priest and pupil has been used throughout history and still are being practiced today. When Adolf Hitler was in power, he was able to convince the German people that by following his ideologies they will no longer suffer the aftermath of WWI. He also used his power of influence on people to commit horrible crimes against Jewish people during the holocaust. Today, use of this power occurs with Taliban in Afghanistan. Through the misuse of the Muslim religion they have succeeded in manipulating the Afghani people. Afghanistan has progressively digressed into the state it is today. A place where women were able to attend school freely has no such luxuries now. The Taliban have targeted Afghani people who are poor and are uneducated to initially start up their following. As their following grew, so has their tyranny within the country. In America, the teachings of the priest are used to target those who are seeking gay marriage. There is no reason why two people should not be allowed to be married to each other because they are of the same sex. However, those who are not homosexual follow the beliefs of their priest rather than judging themselves and having social acceptance for those who are different.