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HI 224
Response Papers – General Instructions
1. Try to set the assigned reading into its historical context. What does the text tell us
about German history in this period? How might it be biased? Try to relate it to larger
issues covered in class and in the online textbook.
2. Write well. Check "Guidelines" on my home page (http://www.colby.edu/
personal/rmscheck/), particularly part "B." Paper copies of the "Guidelines" are
available upon request. The German Umlaute (ä, ö, ü) are easy to produce on Apple
computers (type option-u and then the letter a, o, or u - same for capital letters).
Alternatively, you can add an “e” to the vowel to the same effect: ae, oe, ue.
3. For deadlines and submitting papers by e-mail, please check the syllabus.
Questions on Lerman, Bismarck
Write an essay on Bismarck (considering his importance, his motivations, political
strategies, limitations, etc.) based on the biography by Lerman. You may want to think
about the following points:
1. Bismarck was widely revered in Germany after his death in 1898. To what do you
think did this admiration refer? How far-reaching was his popularity? Who might
have been immune to it?
2. In what ways would it be fair to call Bismarck a “man of contradictions”?
3. Why does Bismarck matter so much? Which were his outstanding qualities and
achievements? His weaknesses?
4. Did Bismarck prevent the democratization of Germany?
5. Is it just to blame him for Hitler and the Third Reich?
Questions on Clark, Kaiser Wilhelm II
1. Clark, a British historian of Germany, writes about a subject that is very emotional
for many British citizens partly because of Wilhelm II’s half-British origins and
partly because the devastating legacy of World War II. How does Clark describe
German policy in this crucial period? Is he fair to Germany and to Wilhelm?
2. How responsible was Wilhelm II for the policies of his government? Where did
he seek influence? How successfully did he intervene? How did his chancellors
react to his interventions?
3. Future monarchs are often “groomed” for their rule. How did Wilhelm’s up
bringing, education, and youth prepare him to be emperor?
4. How did young Wilhelm II understand his role as emperor (as opposed to
Wilhelm I)?
5. Which substantial issues divided Bismarck and Wilhelm II in 1890? How does
Clark view the split between the two?
6. How successful was Wilhelm II’s attempt to rule by 1895 according to Clark?
7. How did the Eulenburg scandal affect Wilhelm’s posture and behavior as a ruler?
8. How does Clark interpret the Daily Telegraph scandal? Who was responsible?
9. How important was Wilhelm’s role in the causation of World War I?
10. What role did Wilhelm II play during the Great War?
Questions on Jünger, Storm of Steel (In Stahlgewittern), 1920
1. How did Jünger experience the war? What conclusions does he seem to draw
from his war experience?
2. What coping mechanisms did the soldiers use in the trenches? How did they stay
“normal” in the midst of the most extreme experiences?
3. For those of you familiar with Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front:
How does Jünger’s account differ from Remarque’s? Did they have different
experiences or did they interpret the same experiences in different ways?
4. What does Jünger’s account tell us about World War I? What do you find most
striking and interesting? Where does it challenge your understanding of the war?
Questions on Otto Friedrich, Before the Deluge
Specific paper assignment:
The book by Friedrich presents a lively and rich account of an extremely active and
productive cultural period in the midst of an at times rather chaotic political context. One
possibility for the paper is to examine the cross-sections of culture and politics in
Weimar-era Berlin. How did culture influence politics and vice versa?
A special angle would be the connection of extremely vibrant culture and unstable
politics. Was the insecurity of the political situation conducive to creativity in culture?
You may also choose your own focus and discuss what appears as startling in the book.
Whatever you do, please do not simply focus on one single episode, chapter, or
individual. The assignment is to aim at an interpretation of Weimar Berlin, not
exclusively of, for example, the inflation or modern architecture.
Whatever your focus will be, please make sure to refer not only to the first few chapters
of the book.
HI 224
Questions on Bessel (ed.), Life in the Third Reich
This thin volume unites some pathbreaking articles by scholars of the Third Reich. It
sheds light on various aspects of society and politics under the Nazis. Choose your focus
carefully and make sure that you do not only refer to a single article in the book. Here are
some suggestions:
1. Did the Nazis want to control every sphere of the Germans’ lives? If yes, did they
succeed?
2. How strong does popular support for the Nazi regime and for its policies appear to
have been? Were all Nazi policies popular? What did people like about Nazism?
3. How strong was Hitler’s power in the Third Reich, and how strong was his
personal influence? Is the Third Reich thinkable without Hitler?
4. The Nazi regime and Nazi ideology contained many contradictions and paradoxes.
Which ones? Explain!
Questions on Schlabrendorff, They Almost Killed Hitler
This memoir offers a close look at some of the circles that conspired to kill Hitler during
World War II. Again, you can choose your own focus according to the same
recommendations as outlined above. Some possible avenues of analysis are:
1. Why did officers decide to murder their supreme commander? That is, after all, a
rather rare thing, especially in a life-and-death war such as World War II. What
motivated many of these military men, some of whom had supported Hitler and
his war effort in the earlier years of the war? What turned them into resisters?
2. What did the conspirators against Hitler want to put into the place of the Nazi
system? Which policies did they want to change? How clear were their
conceptions of a post-Nazi future?
3. How do you judge the methods of the conspiracy? How did they plan to
assassinate the dictator and take power? Why was it so important to them to kill
Hitler?
4. Why did all the attempts at Hitler’s life fail? What conclusions do you think Hitler
himself drew from his repeated survival?