The Kulturkampf - Blog #3

Germany was greatly effected by a massive political alignment due to the presence and great influence of the Roman Catholic Church; this was called the kulturkamp or literally "culture struggle."  The Catholic Church had a great deal of power during this time period, which dates to as early as the 1840's.  The first thing the church established was a "cohesive Catholic subculture."  By doing this mainly the lower class was able to bond together under the influence of the church.    This huge subculture was able to question and really take a stand against German Authority.  This is best summarized when Anderson states that this cult had a "Reaction function in buttressing Germany's authoritarian establishment against the forces of democracy, often expressed in shorthand as Revolution."  The threat of the influence of the Catholic Church frightened the German government very much.  Instead of a seeing this cult as a peaceful, religious group they saw them as very dangerous, potential revolutionaries. 

 The government also took note of the fact that most of the members were lower class and upset with the German authorities.  The other largest concern for the government was that church figures were being transformed to political figures.  The people could relate to these church figures much more compared to politicians because they would see them very frequently and were very personable, unlike the politicians that would come around once and a while to gain votes.  These church figures had a huge backing thanks to this new, emerging cult.  The government saw this cult as an ongoing issue.  The church had a great deal of power that the government felt were "brainwashing" these people.   The figures of the church could spread their influence through talks not only in church but also in school.  If future generations of children were being taught by members of this culture there is no telling how many people could be influenced by the party.  This was also a very organized, faithful cult. I can completely see the fear from the government because of the strength and overflowing popularity that the Roman Catholic church possessed.

The Sewing Machine Important?- Blog 2

      In today's society when I think of a sewing machine, nothing really crosses my mind.  I do not find it very important, however I do respect that it was a great invention but I would have never believed it to actually change peoples lives when it was created.

When the sewing machine was introduced to German Society in the 1850's it changed society.  The sewing machine was originally an American invention.  It was improved in Germany and was put into widespread use.  The sewing machine was such an efficient machine that it could sew, " 300 stitches a minute, proved faster in a sewing contest that five practised seamstresses."  This machine played a vital part more so in the lower classes but also a strong part for upper class seamstresses.  The middle to upper class women used the device to mend and make clothes for the family but they were not working long hours on the machine.  On the other hand, the lower class women were making clothes not only for the family but for other commissions in order to make extra money during the very difficult time economically.  These women would either work at the house or go to the factory.  The women that had to work at the factory had to leave the children at home, which was a very different development socially in Germany.  Usually the women were always at home minding the household and kids.  The fact that they would have to go to work, like the men was very strange.  These factories were growing very fast because so much profit could be made from these new machines.  For example, "The same leading firms which had had twenty to thirty employees in the 1860s had by the the 1870s developed into large concerns with more than a hundred employees."  By 1907 the factories employed roughly 500 seamstresses.  These figures really allow one to see how big of an influence the machine had on businesses and the economy.  By 1907 I wonder how many tailors were still operating.

I never expect a machine in the future to have as large of an impact as the sewing machine had on German society during this time period.  

Blog #1 - Revolution?

While reading, “Middle-Class Anxiety in the German Revolution of 1848” by Edward Shorter I was very intrigued to discover that the title of the article was not completely accurate. When I picture a revolution I picture violence, complete chaos, absolute uproar, and people sacrificing their lives to get their point across. However, when I read that the German “Revolution” was almost the complete opposite of what I had expected I was very confused. Contrary to popular belief Shorter explains, “Scholars have long realized that the revolution in Germany was really not a revolution at all.” This revolution was “rarely drastic” and for the most part it was very organized, subtle, and peaceful. There were some smaller outbreaks of violence from the lower class, which horrified the conservatives and politicians but the outbreaks were quickly subdued. For the most part the protests consisted of an extensive petition campaign. Shorter explains there was only one instance of luddism in Bavaria of which he encountered. This occurred when solid local class citizens tried to destroy and smash up their competitor’s steamships, which were putting them out of business. A strong example of how the revolution truly took place happened when clerics, petty officials, shopkeepers, and artisans constantly sent petitions to their congress members and chancelleries. They joined local clubs to make sure that they were noticed and could collaborate in order to find a winning strategy. Finally, I believe a more suitable name for the article and time period would be the “Annoyance and Unfaithfulness felt by the Germans Toward their Government.”