#4 - Berlin's Unique Growth and Split

I found the reign of Frederick the Great to be very interesting as he was not a traditional powerhouse leader who had a love for war that would raise him up on a pedestal above everyone else. Instead, Frederick, also commonly known as Fritz, had a more refined passion that consisted of poetry, music, and art. In the eyes of his father, King Frederick William I, he was rebelling with this strong love for the arts and because of this was imprisoned for some time. Writer and philosopher Voltaire inspired Fritz a great deal with his views on education and when it was time to accept being king following his father’s death, Frederick the Great looked to improve the people’s status and not solely his. He even demonstrated this by ridding princes and others of divine rights; hopefully positions would be elected more on merit and worth to the people then. Frederick went on to win several important wars and battles expanding Prussia’s territories. Afterwards, he commissioned the construction of the Brandenburg Gate (seen below).

A statue of four horses and the Goddess of Peace sits atop the Brandenburg Gate.

I think it is simple to see this monument as being a symbol of peace, but many people throughout Berlin's years saw this as great militarism and rule. Frederick the Great showed great power after gaining so much land and using amazing maneuvers and strategy to do so that this structure would remind people of that. And if time is fast-forwarded to the 1950's, communist  East Berlin would see this power in a negative light; so much so, East Berlin had Frederick the Great's other statue, one of himself, removed as it was a bad influence.

Removed and brought back by East Berlin

Frederick had fans of both extremes. One side looked up to him as shown by the admiration of the large platformed statue to the right. Many East Berliners thought he exploited his people though, and dropped his 'Great' title, simply referring to him as Frederick the Second. However, what amazes me more is after East Berlin denounces Frederick the Second, they bring him back. By 1980, Ol' Fritz was embraced again for his compassion and tolerance. Why such a drastic change in just twenty years? Their love for his military ethic must have been the reason; they needed a new, or old, power figure to put a charge back in people. This decision baffles me as the Frederick the Great considered justice to be the main priority over all other concerns.



East Berlin had a lot to say about Frederick and he had been dead for some time, just imagine what they were saying about living people. Well the Americans and British in West Berlin did not want to imagine; they came up with a plan to hear about those living people. While the Russians were busy using rubble from the end of World War II to build monuments both honoring soldiers and shaming others, the West was creating a hill with their rubble for a listening post. How ingenious was this?! Actually, at first I thought this was very impractical, but after learning that this bold strategy helped the West listen in on conversations miles and miles away (and leaving out the ethics question for a moment), I decided to change my mind.

The largest station is on Teufelsberg, which can be translated to Devil's Mountain.

1980's map of Berlin

The measures East & West Berlin were going through to hide and uncover information about themselves were new and intriguing to me, especially West Berlin being left off the map purposefully by East Berlin.










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#3 - Martin Luther: 16th Century Revolutionary

In order for Germany to continue its emergence from the Roman Empire, it needed someone the people could follow or look up to. Martin Luther was this man by standing up against the Roman Church and inspiring many others to do the same with their beliefs. Luther religiously attacked the Church and more specifically the Pope, with his 95 Theses which explained all that was wrong such as the Church manipulating its powers over its people.

Martin Luther is believed to have nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of the Church of Wittenburg. Speaking out about the Church was gutsy, but to physically show it and make it public for all to read and question their own thoughts was even braver. Could something revolutionary bloom from this perhaps? This alone would not be enough to make Luther succeed though.

It was taking too much time to hand write papers and give them out, so Martin Luther chose a different option which would help him tremendously. The use of the printing press (illustrated below) was what quickly made a person's opinion into a voice of the German lands. News of what Luther had discovered about invented sacraments not in the Bible and his views toward the use of unnecessary clergymen and superfluous spending spread across Europe.

Inking, pressing, and arranging plates were separate jobs to make publication even faster.

Martin Luther's religious outcry is now paired with a political following due to the gaining number of people he has campaigned for with his texts. By this time, the Church demanded he recanted his Theses and warranted for his arrest, but with support, Luther would defend his points to gain a dire friend later. He argued ordinary Christians have a role in the Church and more direct contact should be made with God, instead of being intersected by clergymen. This individualized form of prayer would transcend into a bigger cultural problem for the Empire. People eventually had a more individualized way of living outside of the Church as well, as they were free from lords. Martin Luther called it personal freedom and this was clearly demonstrated by rules, welfare, and education being reorganized, but also by the much more brutal riots, slaying, and bloodshed that went on.

Luther was held in Wartburg Castle where he translated the Bible to German.

            However, Luther was not in charge of or aware of this war that was going on. As he was being transported back home, he was secretly captured with help from his newly made friend and hidden in a castle for safety. While being trapped in the castle, Luther still continued his revolutionary efforts as he would go on to translate the Bible into German. This would effectively allow the German people to read and see for themselves that they could connect with God, instead of being told by the members of the Church what to do.

Once freed, Luther was shocked to hear of the bloodshed lost. He would devote himself to speaking out, preaching not to use violence, and teaching his principles in hope to fix this.


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