#German history

[cid5]

Wehrmacht solider and his cup of coffee on the Eastern Front.

[ivycopper]

So as of this month, trans ppl in Germany can finally change their name and gender marker without a court case and without having to pay 3k in fees. My local town hall is celebrating by flying the trans flag. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it!

As a history nerd, the funniest and best thing abt this is that the actual building itself was built by the nazis and this really is a giant fuck you to them.

[thetimeicansee]

[thatswhywelovegermany]

November 9, the fateful day of the Germans in history

Nov 9, 1313: Battle of Gammelsdorf - Louis IV defeats his cousin Frederick the Fair marking the beginning of a series of disputes over supremacy between the House of Wittelsbach and the House of Habsburg in the Holy Roman Empire

Nov 9, 1848: Execution of Robert Blum (a german politician) - this event is said to mark the beginning of the end of the March Revolution in 1848/49, the first attempt of establishing a democracy in Germany

Nov 9, 1914: Sinking of the SMS Emden, the most successful German ship in world war I in the indo-pacific, its name is still used as a word in Tamil and Sinhala for a cheeky troublemaker

Nov 9, 1918: German Revolution of 1918/19 in Berlin. Chancellor Max von Baden unilaterally announces the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II and entrusts Friedrich Ebert with the official duties. At around 2 p.m., the Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the "German Republic" from the Reichstag building. Two hours later, the Spartacist Karl Liebknecht proclaims the "German Soviet Republic" from the Berlin City Palace.

Nov. 9, 1923: The Hitler-Ludendorff Putsch (Munich Beer Hall Putsch) is bloodily suppressed by the Bavarian State Police in front of the Feldherrnhalle in Munich after the Bavarian Prime Minister Gustav Ritter von Kahr announces on the radio that he has withdrawn his support for the putsch and that the NSDAP is being dissolved.

Nov 9, 1925: Hitler imposes the formation of the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Nov 9, 1936: National Socialists remove the memorial of composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in front of the Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig.

Nov 9, 1938: November Pogrom / Pogrom Night ("Night of Broken Glass") organized by the Nazi state against the Jewish population of Germany.

Nov 9, 1939: The abduction of two british officiers from the Secret Intelligence Service by the SS in Venlo, Netherlands, renders the British spy network in continental Europe useless and provides Hitler with the pretext to invade the Netherlands in 1940.

Nov 9, 1948: Berlin Blockade Speech - West Berlin mayor Ernst Reuter delivers a speech with the famous words "Peoples of the world, look at this city and recognize that you cannot, that you must not abandon this city".

Nov 9, 1955: Federal Constitutional Court decision: all Austrians who have acquired german citizenship through annexation in 1938, automatically lost it after Austria became sovereign again.

Nov 9, 1967: Students protest against former Nazi professors still teaching at German universities, showing the banner ”Unter den Talaren – Muff von 1000 Jahren” ("Under the gowns – mustiness of 1000 years", referring to the self-designation of Nazi Germany as the 'Empire of 1000 Years') and it becomes one of the main symbols of the Movement of 1968 (the German Student  Movement).

Nov 9, 1969: Anti-Semitic bomb attack - the radical left-winged pro-palestinian organization “Tupamaros West-Berlin” hides a bomb in the jewish community house in Berlin. It never exploded though.

Nov 9, 1974: death of Holger Meins - the member of the left-radical terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF) financed in part by the GDR that eventually killed 30 people, dies after 58 days of hunger strike, triggering a second wave of terrorism.

Nov 9, 1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall - After months of unrest, demonstrations and tens of thousands escaping to West Germany, poorly briefed spokesman of the newly formed GDR government Günter Schabowski announces that private trips to non-socialist foreign countries are allowed from now on. Tens of thousands of East Berliners flock to the border crossings and overwhelm the border guards who had not received any instructions yet because the hastily implemented new travel regulations were supposed to be effective only the following day and involved the application for exit visas at a police office. Subsequently, crossing the border between both German states became possible vitrually everywhere.

[sonyaheaneyauthor]

The Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre, Ukraine during the Nazi invasion and the russian invasion. X

[makingqueerhistory]

"There is a rich queer linguistic history in Germany. Many of the words still used to talk about queerness originated there with people like Magnus Hirschfeld, a man whose contributions to the modern queer community cannot be overstated. A lesser discussed name is Emma Trosse, and with her, the beginnings of asexuality as an identity can be found. Standing on the legacy of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs and possibly writing some of her work defending queer identities before Hirschfeld, her name deserves more discussion."

[henryshakesmear]

Hi, this is for those who still think comparing Trump to Hitler is hysterical and overly dramatic.

Project 2025, which Trump claims not to be associated with, but on which many close associates of his worked, details a plan to mobilize several forces like the National Guard and local police and sheriffs to "go around the country arresting illegal immigrants in large-scale raids".

The immigrants would then be taken to "large-scale staging grounds near the border, most likely in Texas" to be held in internment camps (a sort of prison for people who haven't been charged with a crime) before deportation.

(I'm citing this almost directly from the Wikipedia page about Project 2025, in the section "Policies" under "Immigration reforms", second to last paragraph.)

In shorter words: Raids to collect immigrants and place them in prison-like camps without a criminal charge. Let's employ a little pattern recognition and see that this is EXCEEDINGLY SIMILAR to the Reichspogromnacht in the night of the 9th November 1938.

In this night, an assassination attempt on a German diplomat in Paris (Ernst vom Rath) by a young polish Jew (Herschel Grynszpan) two days before was used as an excuse to stage a raid on jewish property by the German SA forces. Synagogues were burnt down, jewish property was destroyed and jewish people were detained, abused, raped and killed.

About 26.000 jewish men and teenagers were taken to concentration camps in Buchenwald, Dachau and Sachsenhausen. Many of them died following abuse in these camps, they were forced to give up their property and most were only set free after agreeing to migrate to other countries.

Afterwards, jewish organizations were forcibly disbanded, jewish press was forbidden, jewish people were no longer allowed to pursue trades and crafts, or own businesses. And obviously the discriminatory laws against jewish people only increased further.

(Information taken from the website of the state headquarters for political education Baden-Württemberg. The site is in German.)

TL; DR In both cases, people are forcibly detained without charges and placed in camps to be forced to migrate/ be deported. Are you seeing what I'm seeing??

As a German, do not repeat our mistakes and do not let yourself be radicalized into committing another Holocaust. Yes, it is exactly as bad as we're making it sound and we're being loud about it to prevent another eleven million people being killed systematically by a faschist government and its ignorant people.

[j-m-angelofdeath]

Look what I did (cat)

[city-of-ladies]

Princess and Abbess, Matilda of Quedlinburg (955–999) expertly wielded religious and political power and served as a regent.

The Princess Abbess 

Matilda was the only daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I and Adelaide of Italy. In 966, at the age of 11, she was appointed abbess of Quedlinburg Abbey, founded by her grandmother, also named Matilda.

She was consecrated in an exceptionally grand ceremony attended by the entire imperial family and all the bishops of Germany. Since only her metropolitan bishop’s presence was required, this elaborate display suggests that her father intended to associate her with his authority. Matilda received the title suae metropolitanae sibi haereditariae, which hinted at episcopal powers.

In 968, Widukind of Corvey dedicated his Res gestae saxonicae (Deeds of the Saxons) to Matilda, aiming to teach her the art of governance through the examples of her ancestors.

A skillful politician

While her father and brother were in Italy until 972, Matilda exercised some form of government. Widukind referred to her as the “mistress of all Europe,” noting that she “shone with imperial majesty” and was “exalted by the extraordinary achievements of her father.”

Her influence only grew during her brother Otto II’s reign. From the start of his rule, Matilda’s name appeared on his statutes, and she managed his holdings. Otto II often visited Quedlinburg, publicly affirming her political role. In 980, she accompanied him to Rome.

Collective queenship

After Otto II’s death in 983, Matilda collaborated with her mother, Adelaide, and sister-in-law, Theophanu, to secure the throne for the three-year-old Otto III. The Annals of Quedlinburg referred to these three women as dominae imperiales, hinting at a shared regency and queenship.

However, their unity was short-lived. Matilda returned to Quedlinburg while Theophanu acted as regent. In 984, Matilda convened a synod at the abbey and later commissioned a church in memory of her brother.

A last regency

After Theophanu’s death, Matilda appeared regularly in her nephew’s decrees between 991 and 997. When Otto III traveled to Italy between 997 and 999, he entrusted the regency to Matilda. The Annals of Quedlinburg referred to her as a “vice-empress.”

She was also given the title matricia, likely a feminine adaptation of patricius, denoting an imperial representative in the emperor’s absence. Contemporary accounts praised her "astounding wisdom", her efforts to maintain peace, and her skill in strengthening the empire’s foundations.

Matilda passed away in 999.

Enjoyed this post? You can support me on Ko-fi!

Further reading: 

Audebrand Justine, “Empresses and abbesses: Ottonian dominae imperiales (tenth and eleventh centuries)”

McNamara Jo Ann, Sisters in Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millennia

[ripstefano]

[T]he Franco-Prussian war was an expensive one; but it was worth to France all it cost her people. It was the completion of the downfall of Napoleon III. The beginning was when he landed troops on this continent. Failing here, the prestige of his name—all the prestige he ever had—was gone. He must achieve a success or fall. He tried to strike down his neighbor, Prussia—and fell.

Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (1885)

The Franco-Prussian War, between the German Confederation and France, lasted six months from 1870 to 1871. The immediate consequences for the belligerents were considerable: on the one hand, the fall of the Second French Empire, the civil war of the Commune and the advent of the Republic; on the other, the creation of the German Empire under the aegis of Prussia.

From "French Army 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War: 2 Republican Troop"

[cid5]

Two German soldiers lighting a cigarette with a Wechselapparat ("Wex") flamethrower. 1917

[yeoldecryptid]

Remember kids: if anyone says autism is a modern ‘problem,’ show them accounts on Robespierre, and if anyone says homosexuality is a modern ‘problem,’ show them accounts on Friedrich The Great.

[thespookydookie]

hot researchers don't gatekeep so something i cannot recommend enough if your field is 19th - 20th century (first half) and especially imperial german militaria are these two channels: plw history and feldpost - beautifully presented content and a wide range of topics+additional english subtitles for those who don't speak german;

additionally, for those who do speak german, i would recommend the most recent episode of the "don't forget history" podcast, hosted by the lads from plw history - beautiful episode and a lovely insight into the reality of militarism and its ties to ptsd reception explained by the guest from feldpost.

[thatswhywelovegermany]

August 20, 1989: 35 years ago, hundreds, maybe more than a tousand citizens of the GDR went from Hungary to Austria after the Hungarian government had torn down the border fortifications and stopped the border patrols near the city of Sopron. The day before, Otto von Habsburg had organized a "pan-european picnic", inviting Austrians and Hungarians from both sides of the formerly insurmountable border.

This was one of the key events that led to the collapse of the dictatorial government of the GDR and eventually to the German reunifucation in a unified Europe.

Watch the entire series of West German TV news reports to see how things unfolded from the occupation of embassies by GDR citizens to the fall of the wall in merely five months.

[valkyries-things]

FELICE SCHRAGENHEIM // RESISTANCE FIGHTER

“She was a Jewish resistance fighter during WWII. She is known for her tragic love story with Lilly Wust after she was reported to the Gestapo. She was murdered on a death march from Gross-Rosen concentration camp to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on 31 Dec 1944.”

[royalty-nobility]

Portrait of Princess Marie Luise Alexandrine of Prussia, born Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1808-1877)

Artist: Franz Xaver Winterhalter (German, 1805-1873)

Date: 1873

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Private collection

Princess Marie of Saxe-Eisenach

Princess Marie Luise Alexandrina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (3 February 1808 in Weimar – 18 January 1877 in Berlin) was a princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, by birth, and, by marriage, a princess of Prussia. She was the daughter of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia.