Assignment on Spartacus League.

Assignment of Spartacus League

Spartacus League is an underground political organization created to incite the working family, and other civilians in Russia and Germany for a revolution.  Although the league was not very strong because most of their leaders were either in jail or in exile but they wanted the socialists to turn nationalist conflict that arose after the World War I  into a revolution  in Germany.  This league propagate their views through illegal news paper they created.

Spartacus League was like the present day Tea Party in American Politics; some of their leaders and founders are Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, Leo Jogiches, Paul Levi, Ernest Meyer, Franz Mehring, Clara Zetkin, Hugo Eberlein, Hermann Duncker, Pieck Wilhelm and Marchlewski, Julian. 

1915, Karl's pamphlet, "The Main Enemy Is At Home!"  He stated  that the German's enemy is in the country unless they deal with that enemy Germany may not experience peace or victory. The enemy he was pointing to were the German imperialist, The German Soldiers or war party, and German Secret diplomacy.

This league was motivating the people to engineer a change of governance or a type of mass action that will bring about a Revolution in Germany.


 

RELECTION OF “THE JUNIUS PAMPHLET” BY ROSA LUXEMBURG

RELECTION OF “THE JUNIUS PAMPHLET” BY ROSA LUXEMBURG

“One thing is certain. The world war is a turning point. It is foolish and mad to imagine that we need only survive the war, like a rabbit waiting out the storm under a bush, in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over. The world war has altered the conditions of our struggle and, most of all, it has changed us. Not that the basic law of capitalist development, the life-and-death war between capital and labor, will experience any amelioration. But now, in the midst of the war, the masks are falling and the old familiar visages smirk at us. The tempo of development has received a mighty jolt from the eruption of the volcano of imperialism. The violence of the conflicts in the bosom of society, the enormousness of the tasks that tower up before the socialist proletariat – these make everything that has transpired in the history of the workers’ movement seem a pleasant idyll.”

This quotation shows how the whole world (France, Russia, America, Britain, Germany and their allies) did not learn from the ruins of the World War I; but allowed their selfish interest of international imperialism, capitalistic gains blind fold them to another round of war so devastated in the history of human race.  Rosa Luxemburg was expressing her dismay at the political situation in Germany, America, and Europe which rubbished the efforts of the working class as well as the senseless massacre of soldiers. These soldiers who were the future – husbands, fathers, working class, skills, talents, and intellects were wasted.

 I am fascinated by this quote, because it reflects how the so called world powers at the time allowed themselves into another circle of senseless spending of money of ammunitions to kill their own people in the name of imperialist nationalism.  Despite, economy recession, psycho-socio problems, and enormous death to man power-resource due to World War I, the world was plunged into another round of wastage.    This Rosa Luxemburg quotation relates to the present time world politics with Russian flexing muscles against Ukraine this year many lives were lost and this draws the attention of Britain, American and other friends of that country.  Another example is the Palestinian versus Israelis shedding; the Arab countries were plunged into series of wars both internal and international. This indeed according to Luxemburg, “foolish and mad to imagine…, like a rabbit waiting out the storm under a bush, in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over.”

THE FILM "M" 1931

ASSIGNMENT ON FILM “M” 1931

  

            I chose the scene where the government authority located the kangaroo court organized by congregation of criminals to trial the accused murderer. The murderer was turned in to the legal authority, the government. The scene further showed some women crying for their dead children, the victims of the serial murder.

 

This scene shows how the judicial system was one sided, because the victim’s family were left to bear their sorrow, pains, and grief without any compensation by the government. Havoc has been done to their family and nothing can fill the loss and heart-ache they suffered.

 

This is important because it reflected terror, chaos, confusion, unemployment, trauma of war, hopelessness, frustration and recession that the society was thrown into after the World War I and II. The man marked with “M” mark seems to represent Hitler or waves of terror swiping the whole world. Also, the crash of wall street that was the main financial back bone (Lender) of Germany plunge the society into deep economic and psychological torture and developed into terror, fear, horror, thought of suicide, tragedy  and the movement of Nihilism.  A society where there was no job, no food and no basic amenities of live but carcasses of dead people scattered all over, ruin, and German current has no value. Definitely negative thoughts will be very rampant as trauma (PTS).   Even nowadays it happens to soldiers and other veterans of wars.

Summary of Paragraph 175

SUMMARY OF PARAGRAPH  175


A male offender of homosexuality or a male that allow himself to be used to commit homosexuality shall be punished by imprisonment but a minor and those under 21years old at the time of their conviction of this offence shall be pardoned.



Summary of Paragraph 175a:   Penalty of 10 years imprisonment could apply to violator of homosexual crimes; however, the follow cases may attract not less than 3 months penal servitude:

1. A male who, with violence or the threat of violence to body and soul or life, compels another male to commit a sexual offense with him or allow himself to be used for sexual offense.
2.  A male who by abusing a relationship of dependence based upon service, employment or subordination, induces another male to commit a sex offense with him or to allow himself to be abused for a sex offense.
3. A male over 21 years of age who seduces a male under 21 years to commit a sex offense with him or allow himself to be abused for a sex offense.
4. A male who publicly commits a sex offense with males or allows himself to be abused by males for a sex offense or prostitutes himself.

Summary of Paragraph 175b:


 Sexual assaults committed by humans with animals is punishable by imprisonment, and may include loss of civil rights.


How it relates to the lectures: It shows the level of hopelessness in the society and the perpetration of immoral acts even in politics and government.  This laws was not amended during Nazis regime to allow for loop holes which has no penalty for the elites or the privileged (favored) citizens then. This can be considered double standards. The first enactment penal codes was not specific and very vague.

ASSIGNMENT ON SONGS

 ASSIGNMENT ON SONGS

"It's All a Swindle" (Alles Schwindel), by Mischa Spoliansky and Marcellus Schiffer (1931) (Culture - Cabaret Song)

 Short description: Lyrics:

Papa swindles

Mama swindles

Grandmama's a lying thief

We're perfectly shameless

but we're blameless

after all it's our belief

Nowadays the world is rotten

honesty has been forgotten

fall in love but after kissing --

check your purse to see what's missing

Everyone swindles some

my son's a mooch and so's the pooch

 

German version

Alles Schwindel

Papa schwindelt,

Mama schwindelt,

tut sie auf blob ihren Mund!

Tante Otilie,

und die Familie

und sogar der kleine Hund!

Und besieht man’s aus der Nähe:

Jedes Band und jede Ehe

jeder Kub in dern Betriebe

und sogar die grobe Liebe!

Und die ganze heut’ge Zeit ja,

sogar die Ehrlichkeit!

This song exhibited the social corruption and decadent that existed in the society of Germany at the time.  It shows anti-moral or social norms.  It’s a mirror of what the societal condition has been reduced to absurdity with little regard for life or dignity. According to a verse in the lyrics, “[W]e're perfectly shameless but we're blameless after all it's our belief…”    I see the philosophy of Nihilism movement in action as per this song.  The frustration, hopelessness, unemployment, lack of faith in government and church had eroded the value system in Germany society. Survival has become a fight of the fittest, even the old generation – “Papa” and “Mama” , politicians, and the military that were supposed to be preserving the norms were also corrupted. This is a satire of political and social corruption, so it became the new order of the day as portrays by the song, “after all it’s our belief…”  This also reflected the Dadaism movement as well as Expressionism to evoke emotions.   I feel this is a powerful song that said it all!  It totally reflected what is happening in the raw sense of it; even the chorus shows how everybody has become greedy, including the Socialist party just for their selfish gains.   This songs still relates to what is going on in the world presently. 

 

SECOND SONG:

 

"Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Männern), by Friedrich Hollaender (1926) (Culture - Cabaret Song)

 Lyrics:
CHORUS: 

Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag

and chuck all the men out of the courthouse

Men are the problem with humanity

they're blinded by their vanity

Women have passively embraced them

when we could have easily outpaced them

Yes we should have long ago replaced them

or better yet erased them

If we haven't made our feelings clear

we women have had it up to here


German version:


Raus mit den Männern aus dem Reichstag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Landtag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Herrenhaus,
wir machen draus ein Frauenhaus!
Raus mit den Männern aud dem Dasein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Hiersein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Dortsein,
sie müten schon längst fort sein.
Ja: raus mit den Männern aus dem Bau,
und rein in die Dinger mit der Frau!

Reflection

It sounds like the cry of the oppressed, the repressed and the less fortunate in the society (the women). This is female empowerment song to awake or arouse women to action and take the lead position, instead of allowing men to misrule and manipulating their emotions at all time.  This song portrays the egoism of men and how they have ruined the society. This is Expressionism and Dadaism movement song to elicit awakening in women to action. Also, the song was attacking male supremacy and dominance of women in their society. This seems to me as an emancipation song for women to rise and shine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENT ON DR. CALIGARI
 This movie, Dr. Caligari is a good invention of motion, sound and lighting.
It seems scary and inducing fear, anxiety and sometimes creating confusion and suspense.

I chose the scene at the entrance of the fair, where Dr. Caligari was seen standing at the open entrance to Holstenwall fair. He stood for few minutes, waiting, watching and accessing the atmospheric situation at the fair before he joined and set up.


I view this scene as critical in the action of Dr. Caligari at the fair. It seems to me as a moment of meditation of his assessment of the environment and the people before deciding on an action (the set up of somnambulist).

 This scene relates to the philosophy of Nihilism and Expressionism in Germany before and after the world war 1. There were fears, anxiety, hopelessness, confusion, and life means nothing which relates Nihilism Movement.  At this time, some leaders in Germany study the situation to manipulated the people.  They listen to the groaning, and suffering condition to evoke fears on the people. A good example is Hitler is a good orator that used the situation to his advantage just like Dr. Caligari in the movie. Dr. Caligari uses hypnotism on the people; he uses innate ability to evoke people to emotion just like the paintings of the Expressionism.

The assignment on Dada Manefesto

“I shall be reading poems that are meant to dispense with conventional language, no less, and to have done with it.”  This is a passage from “Dada Manifesto” by Hugo Ball.

This quote reflects innate feelings express in art work, poems and which also shows in the movement’s paintings. It means that Dadaism or dada movement found nothing worth of preserving or of value in the society, so they show their disapproval of imperialist activities of German government, anti-war,  hopelessness, corruption, lack of trust in the condition that exist in Germany then,  and to ridicule it by going against it. The movement felt betrayed by the socialists that support war so deviant culture of dada was used to protest the situation with the use of distorted pictures, paintings and culture to evoke shocking reactions from the people.   This relates to Nihilism and expressionism movement we have been discussing in class; anti-culture also portrays that lives has no meaning and is nothing. The innate feelings were used to portray the condition in society at that time absurd through their Dada paintings. This philosophy relates to the expressionism’s philosophy by showing how they feel against the society’s condition in their Dada movement culture. It gained popularity right from Switzerland where it started, and spread like fire even to the New York and beyond.

I chose this quotation because the words actually hit the nail on the head about the stand of the movement and their philosophy in one sentence.  This quotation challenged my stand regarding what is going on presently in the world now. The war in Syria, Iraq and other Arab countries, ISIS Islamic movement terrorist activities, and Americans and British Citizens were beheaded. The action was used to show their deviance for live, anger, frustration and hopelessness in the world in general and in their situation or condition in particular.

PICTURE ASSIGNMENT

     "The Starry Night," Vincent van Gogh, 1889  
Starry Night is a painting that appeals to me and it's a post-impressionism painting which shows true emotions in oil paintings portraying a peaceful night with arrays of lights and full moon. It makes me feel the small village is protected by blankets of stars and moon with pillars of trees for shade.

This the painting work of Vincent Van Gogh which he did in 1889. Vincent was born in 1853 in Netherland but grow up in Holland. He started his life as a pastor and was made popular by his paintings, especially when he died.  He spent most of his life in Paris, France. He died in July 29, 1890 in France. Most of his paintings influenced other artists to rise.  I love this painting!


"Pillars of Society," George Grosz, 1926


This painting shows an influential figure talking or appealing to someone, some soldiers standby as protection guide for the great and mighty in a now corrupted German society. The atmosphere denotes imperialism in Germany at the time. I saw three other men with distorted brains or head; one with socialism logo whose head was half- chopped with brain stuffed of porriage. the other two men had beer class in at hand one holding writing feather with documents of authority, head covered in tea cup. The last man appears to me as a satire of Hitler, holding beer in one hand and a sword in another hand. His brain was distorted with dreams of wars or battle horses racing to war.  This is a Dada movement paintings,

I find this painting very interesting because it actually shows the absurdity of the condition in German society at that time. It seems to that the man in civilian attire represents the common people in the society appealing against war; however, the three other men whose brains had been altered seemed to be corrupted and intoxicated with power so they are yearning for war. The one with the sign or logo of Nazis represented Hitler was dreaming of war or battle ground and displaying his military power as can be seen in the stern looking soldiers standing by with guns ready for war.   The porriage head represented Socialism movement leader who betrayed the workers and populace.  In fact, I now understand why this painting is categorized as "art on the edge of insanity". This work of painting ridiculed the society and attacking military prowess of Germany.

The artist, George Grosz was born in July 26 1893 in Berlin, Germany, and died in July 6, 1959 in Berlin.  I feel his work is political satire or deviance. He went to school of Art and Craft in Germany and later served in the army. Most of his art works were anti political and social corruption in Germany. He had great influence also on other upcoming Dada artist.

"The Scream," Edvard Munch, 1893

This painting is wired to me because I can see a sky that is orange instead of white or blue.  the figure standing of the bridge is very slim and hairless showing expression of screaming aloud.  This image appeared to be lonely and disoriented.

 

 This is an Expressionism painting evoking the emotion of great fear, disorientation, and trauma.

The artist, Edvard Munch born in 1863 in Norway and died in 1944. He belong to the Expressionism movement.  He dropped out of college but embraced art work . His father was a church person who must have painted his young son life with horror of hell that Edvard Munch must have committed rapped it in his soul and his memory so much that it reflects in all his paintings. Well, like other artists, he to Berlin and joined the Expressionism movement. He is a great influence on other young artists of his time and beyond.