The Iron-Chancellor

Following the Thirty Year’s war the dozens of provinces that make up modern day Germany were very similar to our own colonies during the early years of our country.  The provinces were divided religiously, economically and lacked a central authoritative power to unify them.  Further there was a complete lack of infrastructure among the provinces that made trading between them completely incredibly inefficient.  The separation among provinces hurt the provinces economically, but this economic downfall was only a small issue compared to the defense issues that their separation caused.  The lack of unity between the provinces made the German provinces incredibly vulnerable to foreign attackers, and it was only a matter of time before an outside attacker took an advantage of the opportunity. 

            France finally capitalized on this opportunity, and as we will discuss in more detail this later, this attack may have been a bitter blessing in disguise.  France’s attack was led primarily through Napoleon, however the effects of his rule would have a long lasting impact on not only Germany but also the other major nations of Europe.  Similar to our own revolution, war forced the provinces of Germany to realize that there current system of government was inadequate in a variety of ways.  The path to unification didn’t happen overnight and was by no means “smooth”, however it is important to remember the surrounding events that let to the formation of what we recognize to be as Germany. 

            While we have already briefly discussed several events that led to the creation and unification of Germany, I have decided to focus on one individual who I believe was critical to Germany’s emergence as a national superpower towards the end of the 19^th century.  Otto von Bismarck referred to by some historians, as the “Iron-Chancellor” was appointed as the prime minister of Prussia on September 24, 1862.  The Iron-Chancellor was the spark that the German people needed to take the advancement of their nation to the next level.  As I stated earlier a previous major flaw to the unification of the German provinces was military unity, and the provinces often sat back on their heels as they were attacked from stronger European countries.  Bismarck changed this tactic, and believed that if Germany wanted to strengthen it needed to go on the offensive.  This came through a war with France that lasted till approximately 1871, and proved to be the final necessary major historic event that led to German Unification.

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This is one of my best friends Dan, and while he doesn't have much to do with Marin Luther, I can't wait to go to Germany with him. I hope all you guys enjoy getting to know him, because at the end of the day he's a great guy. 

Berlin at night? Can it really look this pretty?

I love this document, and its impact on history cannot be described in words...

It can be argued that we live under the most democratic government in the world.  The First Amendment of our Constitution guarantees us the freedom to several rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to the petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  We find this clause, in particular the “freedom of religion” clause in the First Amendment of our Constitution, but how much are we willing to invest to secure the freedom of these ideals?  Are we willing to send our loved ones across the world to die in the name of religious freedom?  Are we willing to sacrifice everything to promote what we hold most dear?

            I believe that most American citizens are willing to accept that we are culturally diverse and have a variety of religions across our nation; however how dedicated are we to securing the protection of religious freedom?  In my mind, the previous question I listed above leaves me at a crossroads…Am I willing to die for my religion?  For multiple reasons, I will not elaborate on the previous question, however let me tell you how much I respect someone who is willing to risk everything in order to secure their own religious freedom.  Regardless of your personal religious views, you cannot help but admire Martin Luther’s ability to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of his own religious freedom.  In an era dominated both secularly and religiously by the Catholic Church, Martin Luther risked everything to defend the things he believed in.  He stood up against the strongest governmental organizations of his times to defend what he believed in, and for that reason I cannot help but admire Martin Luther.  You always should stand up for what you believe in, but what are you willing to stand up against? Are you willing to face adversity in the best interest of your beliefs? To Martin Luther the answer to these questions was yes, and I cannot help but respect him for defying adversity in the best interest of his beliefs.  

This picture depicts Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses.