Apr
21
Covenant of the League of Nations
April 21, 2012 | Comments Off on Covenant of the League of Nations
The Covenant of the League of Nations (Including Amendments adopted to December, 1924) THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES, In order to promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security by the acceptance of obligations not to resort to war, by the prescription of open, just and honourable relations between nations, by the firm establishment […]
Apr
17
Michael Collins
April 17, 2012 | Comments Off on Michael Collins
A soldier and politician who was prominent in the struggle for Irish independence in the early 20th century. He agreed to the partition of Ireland and the creation of the Irish Free State, becoming leader of its provisional government. Michael Collins was born on 16 October 1890 near Clonakilty in County Cork, the son of […]
Apr
17
Alexander Kerensky
April 17, 2012 | Comments Off on Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerenski (1881-1970) served at the head of the Russian Provisional Government from July-October 1917; with the Bolshevik October Revolution he was forced to flee the country, remaining in exile for the remaining 53 years of his life. Born on 2 May 1881 in Simbirsk, Kerenski was the son of a schoolmaster. From […]
Apr
16
Richard Strauss in Nazi Germany
April 16, 2012 | 1 Comment
The Nazi Reich forms the Reichsmusikkammer In March 1933, when Richard Strauss was 68, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power. Strauss never joined the Nazi party, and studiously avoided Nazi forms of greeting. For reasons of expediency, however, he was initially drawn into cooperating with the early Nazi regime in the hope that Hitler — an ardent […]
Apr
16
Weimar Culture
April 16, 2012 | Comments Off on Weimar Culture
Weimar culture was a flourishing of the arts and sciences that happened during the Weimar Republic (between Germany’s defeat at the end of World War I in 1918, and Hitler’s rise to power in 1933). This period is frequently cited as one of those with the highest level of intellectual production in human history; Germany was the country with […]
Apr
16
WWI’s Affect on Composers
April 16, 2012 | Comments Off on WWI’s Affect on Composers
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), the Finnish composer, was arguably unaffected musically by the war. To follow through his symphonies, one sees a continuous progression and growth of his musical language,logically refining and unifying the symphonic form as well as that of his tone poems. The silence after his seventh symphony (1924) was due to his lack of inspiration in […]
Apr
16
The Seeds of Evil: The Rise of Hitler
April 16, 2012 | Comments Off on The Seeds of Evil: The Rise of Hitler
The impact of the First World War on Germany This unit covers the impact that the First World War had on Germany. This is an extremely complex area to study and is extremely significant to the way in which German society developed during the Inter war years. This section covers the social, economic and political […]
Apr
10
The Exile of Leon Trotsky
April 10, 2012 | Comments Off on The Exile of Leon Trotsky
In October of 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia and named Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov (otherwise known as Lenin) their leader. After negotiating a peace treaty with the Central Powers (namely Germany) Lenin appointed Trotsky as the “commissar of war,” to command the Red Army. Trotsky moved quickly to put down the White Army: anti-Bolshevik […]
Apr
4
Nazi Germany: Anti-Semitic Propaganda
April 4, 2012 | Comments Off on Nazi Germany: Anti-Semitic Propaganda
In the Nazi Party’s attempt to gain power and promote the idea of racial hygiene, the Jewish population in Germany was targeted by pogroms and propaganda. This BBC clip summarizes some of the attitudes found in the anti-semitic propaganda of the age. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNyc_LlJhs[/youtube] -Alex Gillotte
Mar
21
Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will
March 21, 2012 | Comments Off on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will
By: Matt Rudderow [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHs2coAzLJ8[/youtube] Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens) is a propaganda film made by Leni Riefenstahl. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters. The film contains excerpts from speeches given by various Nazi leaders at the Congress, including portions […]