German revolution of 1918-1919

“Violated, dishonored, wading in blood, dripping filth – there stands bourgeois society. This is it [in reality]. Not all spic and span and moral, with pretense to culture, philosophy, ethics, order, peace, and the rule of law – but the ravening beast, the witches’ sabbath of anarchy, a plague to culture and humanity. Thus it reveals itself in its true, its naked form.”   http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1915/junius/ch01.htm

This passage is interesting as it describes the crisis during 1918 – 1919. It describes how the German were violated, dishonored, exploited by bourgeois and struggle against militarism and war. This passage address German moral, culture, philosophy, ethics, order peace and the rule of law. The dictatorship of the land has been an outbreak to their society and humanity.

Rosa Luxemburg essay highlights several aspects that reflect on humanity. She was part of a working class council, known as the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This group was guided by Marxism and lead by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. The things Luxemburg wrote are of value. They represent political break, she had a fundamental view on the role of intellectuals in the struggle for socialism.  The passage shows that Germany was a leading industrial power in Europe and its working class was very structured were very fixed political alertness. German action removes the fear that counties would be condemn to isolation and expects defeat. They were surrounded by hostile imperialist powers and subject to embrace economic dictates of the world division of labor.

           The war has cause trauma in several human lives. It has also brought people together. During the time of war society was in constant class struggle, they were in conflict over land, people wants civil freedom’ no control over land and themselves. They want to determine their own destiny. At war time, German troops forced men, women, and children out of their home and many perished; there have been exploitation of laborers. As a result, people rebels against German control of their homeland.

German society uses politics to persuade the working class councils to join in the war. SPD is lead to believe that they will be fighting for the good of the land, for civilization, peace and equality. That the leaders promised, as a result, the SPD decides to corporate for the good of the fatherland with whatever stat form is created the National Assembles and seek to influence their political views in it. SPD formed alliance with their enemies, the officials of the imperial army and the leaders of the capitalist industry in effort to defend the fatherland. The intention for the sake of democracy that protects private property, guaranteed the tenure rights of imperial civil servants and equal rights.

Humanity is never changing’ happening of the war is still present in our society today. People are exploiting each other to achieve power and wealth. Capitalism alienates and exploits proletariat, politician deceives nation with promises, and these are all seen in pass war and is now a reflection of today’s society.

Questions

(1)          Luxemburg believes the war of 1871 affects the war in 1914 because the German power was in the hand of the Kaiser. Their government was bound by the constitution enacted in 1871. Prussian state is a military despotism that dominates the German officers with their bureaucracy of Germany Kaiser control.

(2)          Luxemburg judges the claims made about Russian despotism supported by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) as a betrayal of the main principle; when the working class was invited to defend the frontier against the military. Class or nation was the issue of the war. They believe that they were fighting a defensive war that would bring civilization, peace and equality. The German socialist supported Germany in the war. Doing so, they betray the spirit of their international working class solidarity.

(3)          The relationship between nationalism and capitalism has to do with control in environment. Nationalism relates to extreme belief in ones country and strong central government and power. It also discourses on cultural, political and social differences. Capitalism focuses on economic with the view on profit; it individuals’ intention is to accumulate wealth. Nationalism is seen when patriotic sign allows union leaders to promise class peace to the working class councils; this was replaced by capitalism.  The capitalist exercise control in the workplace, community and media. Capitalist allows self-interest and the urges to maximize profit intrude on the wellbeing of the working class, thus result in alienation and exploitation.          

(4)          Luxemburg believes that the war supports the business interest of steel and the bank because German system was a federalism of small monarchs.  They were in the upper class of imperialism that  was concerned in business interests and  allied with the new industrials of irons and steel production.

M (1931)

M (1931) is a German film directed by Fritz Lang; main characters are Hans Beckert played by Peter Lorre, Frau Beckmann, Elsie, Police Lohmann, Detective Greober and other characters ‘M’ contain both speech  and silent sequences with music and sound effect; the setting is black and white. This black and white and shadow give a moody and haunting tone to the movie.

This is an intriguing movie that conveys terror, complexity and malignity. Each individual character displays distinct personality and aspect of emotions. The movie contains high tension. It begins with children singing about the nasty man in black that will come and chopped them up. It seems like the parents are worried for the children because of the serial killer that preys on children especially their girls.

The main theme focuses on the kidnapping and murdering of children in Berlin. ‘M’ portrays chaos of the town in terror. The murdering of children has disturbed the neighborhood. Parent everywhere are living in fear of their children being kidnapped and suddenly destroyed.

Frau Beckmann heard her clock, she seems happy to know that it is time for her daughter Elsie Beckmann to return from school. As time pass by her daughter did not return home. This leads into the investigation of a child murderer.  The police search extremely.  They search in the woods, underground in homes and business places. Everyone including those with illegal business became nervous.  The locals decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible. Everyone, people are demanding result and the police are monitoring everything and everyone is in desperation to find the murderer.

In the scene with the men around the round table reading about the murder, chaos and terror is identify. This murder brings distrust in the community. These men begin to accuse each other and fuss with each other. In the street, they accuse innocent citizen; they mob the innocent neighbor who was seen talking to a child.  As the search intensifies, criminals are being raid constantly by the police. As a result, these criminals decide to take the matter in their own hands and assist in the search.  Also, in this scene the film seems to be shifting from the mobs around their table organizing how to catch the murder to the scene with polices around their table organizing their search. In this scene one can hardly tell the different from the police and the criminals’ scene who is speaking. As the film continues, the murderer was eventually caught with the assistance of the blind man that recognizes the whistle of the murderer and associates it with the time when Elsie went missing. The beggar follows and watchs the killer and marked him with the letter M. The criminal and police learns that the killer is identified Then begin a chase until he was caught and tried by the criminal and finally by the police.  

‘M’ film portrays a current human world that we are now living in; it relates to several serial killing and killer of our modern world. It depicts pathology of such criminals; it examines patterns of society, mass media and media culture. It reflects codes of behavior judgment and criticizes society disintegration; this can be seen when the people violently turn on each other and cause riot. Also, it depicts a society of social mistrust.

Questions;      

1          Police power as depicted in Dr Caligari and M have evolve, some change between both is seen in the way the react with the public they are more sociable in ‘M’ than in Dr Caligari. The police seem to be more receptive to the public in ‘M’ than in Dr.Caligari. In Dr. Caligari when Francis report his suspect to the police he was ignore by the police. In ‘M’ the police are given more power to the search people’s home and interfere more.

2          Yes, although he claims that he has no control over himself; he is responsible for his action and the killer deserve to die because he preys on the innocent.

3          The criminal ability to organized themselves does affects their ability to capture Beckert; they were distrusting to each other and suspecting that either of themselves can be the killer. They spend more time arguing and fussing with each other rather than focusing on planning.

4          Nazis are depicting as criminals base on the fact that they are corrupt; they betray the people. In the reading it shows that they are engage in more violence, street battle throughout Germany            .

5          The importance of the media in the film is to spread words about murderer. The media informs the people in the community of the tragic incident. It speaks against wrongful acts and gives voice to poor people. It gives information on crime, corruption and shape society lives. In this movie media is use to alert and informs the public of incident; it can encourage change in people or society. It aims to influence the people, which can be seen when criminals, beggars and people of the community get involved in the search for the murderer.      

The Blue Angel

The Blue Angel         

The Blue Angel is a German film; it is another expressionism film that follows silent movies during the 1920s. This film expresses change in German society. The main change is to introduce talking in the film. The setting is black and white with more appealing and larger cast. Several shadows in the movie reflect mysteries and dangers. The film depicts the view on moral and superiority. The main theme of the film is Professor Rath’s failure in the community; he is seduced by Lola Lola forceful power of sexuality: he reduces from a respectful school teacher to that of a clown, in which he lost his dignity. The Blue Angel is night club with the settings as a place of sex, seduction, drinking and exotic music.  Lola Lola’s attraction is captivating. Her fans are hypnotized by her attractiveness and sensuality. She seems to get what she wants. The way she dresses indicates attracts males. She becomes a commodity through picture and her singing talent. She makes profit by selling her singing talent and her pictures. Lola seems to be in control. She enslaves men and satisfies her need for comfort, security and power.

The film basically starts with Immanuel Rath, a lonely, withdrawn and shy in the first scene in his apartment. He is professor of a German boy’s high school. He is a man with no sense of humor, he is careful in his attitude and his associated with civilization. He decides to confront Lola the night club singer, about her alluring effect on his students. At this point, Rath himself becomes attracted to Lola.

In the scene where Rath wakes up with the black doll which symbolizes Lola’s alluring and dangerous sensuality which she figurative uses in the weakening of Ruth in their first sex act. He displays his weakness and obsession for Lola. Absorbed by the sensual carefree Lola, he continues to return to the Blue Angel night-club to be with her. Soon he becomes the object of ridicule and, in an attempt to protect some notion of "honor" marries her.  Years later Rath is unemployed and humiliation have damage the reputation of the once dignified teacher. He is untidy and broken; hypocritically selling provocative pictures of his wife to the patrons; this he promised would never do while he is with her. He is subject to increasingly degrading circumstances, climaxing in a pathetic clown act in front of his former colleagues and student. Here a highly nuisance portrait of a staid elderly man ruined by his obsessive, cheated on by his flirtatious wife. Ruth been under stress form his trodden life became withdrawn, he appears irrational, irritable, aggressive and violent towards Lola in the last scene where she was with that young strongman.

How the relationship between the rational/irrational is displayed in the film?

The scene where the shadow of the school bullies looks over the sleeping classmate and attacked him. This foreshadows the way in which German society humiliates intellectuals and glorifies the physical. This can is also seen in the odd relationship of the professor and Lola Lola. The film shows their low morals and hardship. Shadows in the movie relate to a world of darkness and a place of alienation, the evil in the world have the power to send one insane.  Rath is obsessive and fascinated by an undecided, mysterious temptress whose infrequent self-sacrifices fail to disguise her mockery of the absurdity of romantic love and sexual infatuation. Lola supplied the detached but intense personality. These scenes reflect irrationalism. Rationalism is depicted in the scene in the class when the head master of the school addresses Rath situation.

This film is nihilistic; it opposes traditional ideas of morality. It depicts nihilism in several ways, for instance, in the classroom scene, some of the boys was exploring other ways of life instead of the tradition of society to respect those in high position; after the professor visit the club and the boys learn of their affair, the students became lawless and disorder in class. They disrespected the Professor Rath and opposed to some moral principle of that social system. In addition, nihilism is display in the professor and Lola relationship, the role of the male domain shift to Lola.  When she married Rath, she displays the male sex role. First, she seduced him, the supported him and in the end she disregarded him for a younger partner.  This is a form of rejecting the tradition social order.

Expressionism; the cabinet of Dr. Caligari

This is the first time I have sit and watch a silent movie. At first, I thought it was a scary movie; I did not want to watch. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari silent horror film is artistic.  Some characters are Dr. Caligari, Cesare, Francis, Alan and Jane. The musical sound is captivating and seems a bit haunting. The sound track is the most spooky and creepy. The settings depict characters are zombie-like, shown in black and white pictures. The movie begins with two men in a garden; it seems like the young man Francis is telling his old friend Alan some pass experiences.  Francis tells the story to his old friend Alan. He recalls memories of himself and his fiancée Jane, the story continues scene of town fair, two murders, attempt murder, the murder investigation until it comes back in the garden at the beginning scene. The story is a fantasy made-up by Francis a patient in the hospital with Jane, Cesare and Alan.

 There is a scene of the annual fair in Holstenwall. This scene show Francis and Alan goes to the fair, they went into Dr Caligari cabinet; Dr Caligari awake Cesare from his death-like sleep. They ask Cesare their future. Cesare answer is that they will die before dawn. The next day Alan is found dead. Francis suspects that Cesare is the murderer and inform the town’s police of Cesare’s prediction. Francis begins to spy on Caligari. The next day, Cesare attempts to stab Jane in her bed but he run off with her instead.

 This scene reflects cultural attributes that relates to our society today. Mass culture and authority figures misuse their powers and oppress the working class. The police, the business man and the doctor all seems to show power. As the reading States, “Caligari was supposed to reflect a world of insane murderous authorities and universal conscription for total war”

Expressionism: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Dadaism

NIHILISM IN GERMANY

How Dadaism does relate to Nihilism?

Research shows that Dadaism has no real meaning. It is an artistic movement begins in the 19^th century. Dadaism revolts against traditional unfair societal movements of hypocrisy and satire of socialism and militarism. Dadaism seems to uphold principles of freedom and utilitarianism. Dadaism forces artist to declare openly their position. Dadaist believe that it do not matter whether a do good or bad.

George Grosz a Dadaist expresses his thought, inner emotions and feelings of events that took place in the period of World War One.  The aesthetical side of his work depicts nudes, still life and street scenes. Others reflect tone of political and religious scenes that depict a collection of disgust with German nationalism in the struggling post war. Some of his painting shows victims of the world war, such as crippled, mutilated and rotten skeletal corpses. In addition, his drawing portrays the collapse of the capitalist society. Like nihilism, Dadaism rejects the authority of the state, church and family. They are both lacking of rules and are indirect conflict with many contemporary values. Nihilism is denial of traditional and religious and moral principles. Dadaism is the protest against bourgeois society, religion, socialism and militarism.

DADAISM; DADA MANIFESTO (1916, HUGO BALL)

Dada

“An International word. Just a word, and the word a movement. Very easy to understand. Quite terribly simple. To make of it an artistic tendency must mean that one is anticipating complications. Dada psychology, dada Germany cum indigestion and fog paroxysm, dada literature, dada bourgeoisie, and yourselves, honoured poets, who are always writing with words but never writing the word itself, who are always writing around the actual point. Dada world war without end, dada revolution without beginning, dada, you friends and also-poets, esteemed sirs, manufacturers, and evangelists. Dada Tzara, dada Huelsenbeck, dada m'dada, dada m'dada dada mhm, dada dera dada, dada Hue, dada Tza”. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dada_Manifesto_(1916,_Hugo_Ball)

Dada George Grosz 
Research shows that George Grosz is known for his “savagely caricature drawings of Berlin life in 1920s”. He is a well-known member of the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity Group. Grosz was born in Berlin Germany on July 26 1893; his birth name was George Ehrenfried Grob. His father was a tavern owner. His mother became a house keeper when his father died. Grosz cousin encouraged him to attend drawing class. His skill develops as he continues drawing. From 1909 to 1911 he studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Art.  In addition, he studied at the Berlin college of Art and Crafts. Grosz made his first oil painting in 1912. Some of his drawings are of drinking and imaginary battle scenes.
In1914, he volunteered in the military and was discharged in 1915 for sinusitis. In 1916, he changed the spelling of his birth name to George Grosz as a protest against German nationalism. In 1917, he tried to commit suicide. He was diagnosed as suffering from shell-shock and was dismissed from the German army. In 1921, Grosz was accused of insulting the army and was charged 300 marks. He was an antagonist of the war and was released as unsuitable for his duty. Later, he joined the Dada Group. He used his paintings to attack members of the Government and important business leaders. In 1920s through 1930s, Grosz directs his attacks against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.  He gains his reputation as apolitically committed Artist. He was forced to leave Nazi German in 1932, he then settled in the United States where he became a naturalized citizen. He died in 1959.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Grosz
Here is one of his paintings. This piece is entitled “Germany a Winter’s Tale” and was completed between 1917 and 1919. This painting depicts some of vivid grotesque portrayal of those who control society. It shows the political man, clergy, and businessman, general. When look at these portrait, their facial expression reflect a vicious, selfish and uncaring one. Grosz uses his skill as caricaturist to express to produce this painting. Other portraits in the drawing are of nude pregnant woman, this may signify prostitution; man dining by himself, indication of selfishness; there is many things shown in this picture such as pyramids, cathedrals pollution lantern lamp, crosses, skeleton, man pulling wagon of crosses and a hungry or sick dog  on top of a building.
At the bottom depicts a priest holding his bible with a long face, a military general and a political leader. Their stern and vicious facial express shows that they are in authority. To craw this paint oil on canvas are being used, with many different colors, such as red, green gold, blue, brown, white, yellow, black and other colors. The light is dark. The themes address genre of expressionism. The theme relates to nihilism because it conveys strong emotional and personal feeling of concern against political, religious, military and social values and principles at that period.






Cited List
Dada Manifesto (1916, Hugo Ball)
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dada_Manifesto_(1916,_Hugo_Ball)

1.    George Grosz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Grosz