As I arrived to class I was met in the hallway with a majority of the class, as Brittany forbade us to enter the room. One by one, Brittany allowed us into the room. As I entered the room, Heidi immediately asked me to give her one of my shoes and also one of my rollerblades that I was carrying in my hands. During this time Ben was sitting on a high desk yelling at us both in German and English to do work. Also, Heidi, Liz, and Elisa were demanding us to work by yelling in mini microphones. Our work on “the farm” consisted of writing down quotes or thoughts on a large piece of paper that was centered in the middle of the room. If we were caught not working we were either bombarded with bubbles, our hands being taped, or yelled at. Ben then proceeded to ask us what we would do if we wanted our belongings back. Halle immediately suggested that we all revolt and all at once bombard Ben and grab our things. On the count of three we all went and grabbed our things and were successful. We then went back and sat down in our chairs. We won.
Ben then started out with some historical context. In 1517 Martin Luther posts 95 thesis in Wittenberg. What actually happened in 1525 was that certain german princes they realized that in martin lathers attack on the church in the 95 thesis and the other things he was writing was a great political advantage for them. Ben then proceeds to say that he is lecturing more than he wants to… but he’ll still lecture some more.
The Roman Empire falls in the first decades of 4 AD, however it didn’t all crumble. Heidi states that it got too big for them to control. Ben then states that what they had at that point was an understanding for people that were living in central Europe. The big map that was displayed on the overhead is a representation of what Austria, Germany, Italy, and Slovakia look like today.
Ben then proceeds to lecture by saying that there was not actually an empire; the Roman Empire didn’t have political power, but a confederation of states, lots of them, that were normally run by two people. One of which was the religious leader, the pope. The Catholic Church is a universal religion, of all space.
This is just some background… you had a fundamentally different perception of history of your role in your self back in time in history. At this time there was a fundamental change of how people viewed themselves.
The change went a little like this – we understand ourselves as autonomous individuals and we all have a certain amount of agency in the world. Can make our own path and do something that we want in the world. The future is open, what we are going towards. This is the tripartite distinction… the past, present, and future.
The Holy Roman Empire – there was no fundamental difference. Everyone who was Christian, everyone who was a person, is living in the same universal empire, which doesn’t really exist, and we are leaving at the n times. The second coming might be tomorrow. In the early days of Christianity they had to keep rewriting the calendar because it said that Christ was going to come back.
There are four-world empire – Greek, Roman, Persian, ____. In the sense of Christian, this is the end of history. What was happening around Luther was that the political power of the Holy Roman Empire was weakening. He didn’t have the power over the states that he used to. IN the relatively small part of Europe there is still a vast amount of divisions and differences. You don’t have nation states, you have individual freedom, where individuals owned the land and peasants worked the land.
Today was a representation of a feudal economy and example of civil and human rights. They make no sense.. If I own the land and I'm giving it to you as a favor, as a return for protection you would farm my land for me, plant my class for me. There are no rights because there are no states in the pre-modern, capitalist era.
Halle then brings up the question of what the issues of serfdom are. Ben responds with the answer that serfdom is different form Peasantry. Serfdom is tied to the land from debt, they are totally owned by the lord. What was going on in Germany didn’t exist until 1871, which is really late. Fascism as hipper nationalism.
Halle then proceeds to state that there are things that are messed up, but there are certain protections that the peasants do get and have certain rights. The transition to capitalism it’s the same idea, but there is nothing to protect them. Ben – a Marxist historian. The transition from feudalism to capitalism is large problem that historian continually debate and how bad life was for pheasants. The point is, is that it is just different. You were living in my background in order to earn your keep, but I could kick you out when I wanted to. At a certain point, later in history they kicked all the peasants out because they figured it would be better to raise sheep on the land
Holy roman empire losing power, which meant small lords giving power. The Catholic Church is fundamentally corrupt; they aren’t the only legitimate ruler.
I am not speaking against religion, I'm a religious person myself, nothing is bad, and it’s about a historical moment. This message that you don’t have to depend on the Catholic Church for salvation is very appealing to the yukeers of the world who are giving a lot of their money to the church. Luther becomes very convenient to them. Many powerful lords within the holy roman empire take up lathers doctrines so they can say screw you to the pope and the empire. This didn’t make the pope very happy, he excommunicates Luter in 1519. There are more than the lords that find Luther attractive
Luther says that religion is between you and god. He translates the bible into German for the first time that gets popularity distributed. You don’t need the church; it is between you and good. The peasants also like this idea; all I have to do is believe in god? They screw you lords, I'm going to revolt… and that’s what happened in 1525
1525 – major massive revolts in the Roman Empire – the peasant war. The lords say that we are not happy about this. The lords were protecting Luther at this point; the Holy Roman Empire and the pope would have killed him. Luther was in a pickle, so what he did
He makes it very clear that when he was talking about your independent in hierarchy, he was talking about independent in your should. So lords, it ok that you harass peasants in order to retain order.
Questions, thoughts??
What I want to do (Ben)…
Heidi- is this before the peasant war?
Context boggle – Kleist
Ahemd – he’s a German
Ben – technically not, didn’t exist until 1871
Elisa – very famous writer who lived in the territory now called Germany. Died very young by committing suicide
Rachel – before committing suicide, he shot his lover who had cancer, waned to die together by the roman
Halle- he was Prussian
Prussia was part of what became Germany. Prussia was defeated in World WarI?
Ben – yes and no….
Halle - Kleist lived 1777-1811. All this is in the front of the book
Ben – context research is not hard!! In the late 18th and early 19th century Prussia was the major up star state. The capital of Prussia was Berlin. The other, older dominating state in the empire was Austria. Prussia was eventually the country that unified Germany.
Heidi – his father was a Prussian army captain. His mom died when he was 15 and he entered the army before them.
Ben – he was in the army
Everything in the front cover is off limit!
Gina – in 1807 a spy arrested him.
Ben – what did Hegel think of him? He hated him…. Not a big fan at all
Who got points? Halle wins
Elisa - I think I could be wrong, but he was hated by gertea, which is a big deal because he was a big deal writer at the time
Ben – why didn’t Hegel like Kleist?
Halle- this whole story isn’t about a great man doing great things, it’s about a man that was doing stuff and was killed and didn’t change much in the long wrong
Ben – not a coherent narrative of a man doing great things
Halle- may of thought he had the world spirit with him, but he didn’t
Ben – Kleist stories are very ambitious, isn’t clear and whole how good German enlightening thinkers wanted their stories to be. Kleist isn’t a happy solider. Ambiguity where is political views are.
This book is written in the first decade of the 19th century. We in 2011 are reading a book in 1810, about the middle of the 16th century. This maybe takes place after the peasant wars. This is not in some ways definite history. I will argue that what he is talking about is in parallel with the peasant wars. Peasant wars- huge uprising and people were slaughtered and the peasants were put back in their place. They wouldn’t attempt a similar revolution until the 19th century
Book -Peasant war in Germany – in order to understand what happened in Germany, need to understand past history
Why I disagree that kolhost didn’t have the world sprit – to have private property rights, civil rights, what he was arguing for, is now common sense
Halle- he was ahead of his time
Ben – if you read Hegel the way fugleman does this was the idea and the world dint catch up until later. The point is that he is fighting with the common sense of people wanting their rights
Mandy – so if this was real life would you have killed us? Bubbles were very intimidating
Ben – this is from 1689 when these things that kolhost was fighting for become slighting less anarcast for the first time a feudal monarch was disposed. William and Mary came in and agreed to abide by constitution rights. For the first time the king became subordinate to rights. Most important history of western culture…. John Locke second treatise on government
“ Though the earth and all inferior….” – we have property rights
“Man being born, as has been proved…requires it” this is kolhost; this is exactly what he does. To have something that is like civil society
Look at passages – not that they think he is wrong; it just doesn’t make sense to them. What is this? We are living on this land because the yunker let us.
Kolhost said 121 middle “despite the insults he has suffered experience had already giving him…as the warden claimed” Shit happens, but no my sense of justice says it is not right
Two keys words… Anachronistic – not to do with anarchy. Outside of time. Can’t wear cowboy boots during the 80s.
Sophie – a chronological order, as time progresses
Mentalite – French for mentality, but means something a little more specific. This is a term created by a group of historians from the Annales school, specifically by Lucien fedora, asked the question why was it that in the 1600s there were no atheist? He reads the work of a French author who was considered to by a religious radical at the time. He is questioning religions, but at that time it was unintelligible to be atheists. It is the bounds of your common sense. You find it when you find knowledge outside itself
To be an atheist made no sense to someone in the 17th century, everything in your life was sufficed with religion; it was impossible to not think with religion at that time
The coolest thing of mentallite of this time is individualism – I am different from you and we are pursing different things. I have my will you have yours, we might be in competition later. Rena decarte gives us a lot of these same ideas.
These are the concepts and the historical contexts that will inform our work for the next 3 weeks.
What do we want to talk about?
Liz – I found this poster. You can stop injustice. With the exercise we did earlier, first time there was a revolt it raised the question if we can ever stop it? Specifically violence, trafficking
Ben – a lot of people who aren’t smiling. Very diverse and in different locations. Claim being made to universality. I am going to stop all injustice. I will create a provisional
143 “ agree man of the empire and the world…to take up the cause”
Like Luther posts things to the doors of the churches and major buildings in town. The idea that an individual person can write a writ is totally anacrhonic is total power to try and stop and change the world.
When you are living as peasants in the Holy Roman Empire… “I can stop injustice” what does that mean. Idea of justice and an idea of you. What about my family? The idea that my interests are so disconnected to the person hat is living next to me. Mobility is totally different. The idea that I can stop someone else makes no sense, like you are speaking gibberish. This global approach that you will stop injustice in the world
Britt – a pro-life group
Ben – that’s amazing! You take one very controversial cause that many people will disagree with it and put on the front that is most appealing. You can change history, makes it global
Liz – reproductive racism, social injustice begins in the womb
Ben – “by virtue of authority.
Sophie – Luther doesn’t have the right just to judge anyone. He is a subject of the law and he sees the laws as universal.
Ben – “he sat down and drew up an dict…. 137
What authority do you have over a noble who has authority over god and the empire?
Halle – he has his whole mob of people. Have the idea that we have exhausted the ways to go about what we see we need in the world. Fist petition, but his wife got killed. Said screw it we are going to go burn things down. Same thing with terrorism – we have exhausted all the terminals and so try and make people listen
He got what he wanted through the legal way – he wouldn’t have gotten it if he didn’t have a mob and burn things down
Ben – few thoughts for Thursday….
No new reading. Unless you didn’t finish, please. We will spend Thursday in the actual text. Think about a few things. Think about the question. To what extent is kolhost right and what does that mean? Do you emphasize with him or not or sometimes? At what times? What happened in the conversation between him and Luther? Everyone pleases come in with something to say about it. How does it end? And what is the significance of that of all the stuff that we talked about today and the differences that we see in the world everyday. Thursday I will ask some of you to respond to this. Rough drafts are also due. Bring black Luther… if you have a moment to read well, but if not we will read a little bit of it on Thursday.
We will edit and talk about rough drafts on Thursday
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