My work on the CDU party

David M Colbert

September 19, 2012

My work on the CDU-party

                Hello all, for this week’s blog I bring to you information on the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU for short. The CDU is a prominent political group in Germany that was birthed after the fall of the Nazi regime in 1945 (1). Essentially, it sought to fill the void left behind after the war and lead the country to a more suitable sense of stability. Members from other various parties who shared similar ideals melded together to form a political party with strong Christian values as a means for ensuring that a Nazi party would never come power in the country again (1).  As can be guessed, this group gained favorability quickly and rose to prominence in the German political scene with its initial Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

                Today the party still commands a vibrant presence in Germany holding a majority of seats in the Bundestag and second to the SPD in regional parliaments (1). In turn, the current Chairperson and Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is a very strong presence in EU/worldly affairs and, accordingly, voted 4^th most powerful person in the world by FORBES(2).

                Furthermore, in my studies on this group I explored the realm of their purported stance on various issues. For example, the group is greatly focused on the aspect of education. They feel that knowledge is one of the key components to have a civilization thrive.  Along with this educational aspect, they feel that schooling should teach values and virtues held by religious institutions, teaching spirituality to ultimately yield growth (3).

                As can be guessed, the CDU highly values Christian doctrine and holds stances that obviously reflect this association. In the arena of abortion (something close to home) they feel that it should not be allowed and the alternative be treasured (3).

                A last aspect of their political stances is that of the monetary delineation. When it comes to the Euro and the Eurozone the CDU holds the union in unabashed reverence. The CDU stands by the notion that the union should be strengthened amidst waves of economic troubles. They feel that bailouts are a good thing and that Europe should seek to become more aligned in the area of federal regulation. Ultimately, they feel that a more unified Europe is a one step closer to that ideal utopia (3).

Group Interactions

Sadly, group interactions were very limited seeing as only 3 of the 9 members came to work to get the project done.   Nonetheless, the 3 that came together worked past the adversity and completed the assignment without hesitation.

Thoughts about the party

                All in all, this party seems very reminiscent to that of the right-winged groups we have here. It seems as though they have the heart of Germany in mind wanting to enlighten their citizens through education and build a cohesive community with strong morality.

 

Sources:

Last accessed Sept. 18, 2012

1)      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_(Germany)

2)      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel

3)      http://www.cdu.de/doc/pdfc/111124-Europa-Kurzfassung.pdf

 

CDU presentation

Click to view Saxony power-point

Saxony

David Colbert

Joseph Albers

Kayla Rardin

September 5, 2012

Saxony, or Freistaat Sachsen for those of the German tongue, is one of the 16 Länder (states) that make up the whole of Germany.  It is the tenth-largest German state bordering its western German counterparts Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg. The population of the state is 4,130,133, as of April 2012, and has been decreasing slowly over the past 6 months. The state further divides into 3 Direktionsbezirke (districts) Chemnitz, Dresden, and Leipzig then further divided into 10 “counties“. The largest cities are Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz with populations ranging from 240,00 to 533,000 vs. Minnesota’s cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, with Populations of 380,000 and 288,000 respectively .

Historical

            Before 1871, Saxony had its independence but had lost some of its northern lands to Prussia due to the Austro-Prussian War (June 14-august 23 1866). Kingdom of Saxony was forced to join the North German Confederation in 1867. In 1871, the kingdom of Saxony became a part of the newly formed German Empire. After Germany's defeat in the World War 1, the monarchy of the German Empire was overthrown. Saxony became a part of the Weimar Republic and was renamed the Free State of Saxony. Saxony maintained its name and borders from 1918 to 1945 in which Germany was defeated in World War 2. After WW2, the USSR set up the communist satellite nation of the German Democratic Republic and Saxony a part of it.  The communist government dissolved the state in 1952, in which it divided up Saxony into the Bezirke of Leipzig, Dresden and Karl-Marx-Stadt. During the German reunification of 1990, the Free State was reconstituted with slightly altered borders.

Economic

Saxony, Germany coined the nickname Silicon Saxony due to its large association of nearly 300 companies in the electronics and microsystems industry, including science and consulting organizations. Many of the companies develop and produce computer calculation and memory chips or new materials and electronics. The developed and produced small semiconductors chips are used in all kinds of cars, mobile phones, TV sets and so on. Saxony has one of the largest economies in eastern Germany and one of the few in which “new economy” sectors such as microelectronics have experienced considerable growth. The major manufacturing sectors in Saxony include electronics, being one of the largest, machinery, pharmaceuticals, auto and auto parts production, food processing, publishing, and textiles.  “Autoland Saxony” is home to 4 different car manufacturers; BMW, NEOPLAN, Porsche, and Volkswagen. The GDP (gross domestic product) in Saxony is 95,100 million euros and the GDP per gainfully employed person is 44,494 euros.

Cultural

            Throughout our excavation of Saxony’s cultural mine we dug up some interesting bits of knowledge.  First and foremost,  i believe, we should identify the children of Saxony. Many people of great significance were born or full time residents of the  state. For example, the mathematician and philosopher who contributed  a significant deal to modernday calculus was born in Leipzig; of course who I’m speaking  of is none other than Gottfried Leibniz. 

             Saxony did more than produce  one legendary mind. As we traverse the various arenas of human interest we eventually come to the realm of art.  Saxony housed and birthed great musical  composers and performers whose timeless tunes perpuate to this very day. Some examples of the greats of Saxony are none other than  J.S. Bach (choirmaster of Leipzig) , Wagner, and Schumann.  Attending along side these musical artists are those of the literary field—these being Kurt Vonnegut writer of Slaughterhouse-Five  and Karl May who wrote titles such as the Winnetou series.

            Interesting places to view in Saxony are most assuredly not limited; however, for our purposes, I’ll look at a couple that caught my interest.  First is the Nikolaikirche or St. Nicholas Church. It is one of the most famous buildings in Leipzig mainly because of the peaceful demonstrations that took place prior to the bringing down of the wall. Today it attracts people from all over to view this reconstructed church and reflect on time long passed. A second location of note is the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault). The vault is a museum located in the Dresden Castle that houses a collection of various German treasures; a good spot to visit if you’re in Dresden to absorb some interesting historical treasures such as the ‘Moor with Emerald Cluster’.

But significant people and places are not all that makes Saxony unique. Saxony is home to various fair and festivals, however, there are some that exude cultural significance. One of  these is the Dresdner Stadtfest. This arguably is Dresden’s largest party, it is filled with various merriments such as food and drink all wrapped together by a surplus of Saxony’s residents. Among those lavish portions of food you may be lucky enough to find a German treat called the Liegnitzer Bombe. This morsel  is reminescent of a choclate pastry ranging in sizes to that of a cupcake up to a full-blown cake. It consists as put by one local observer, “… of a very rich dark gingerbread dough with honey, marzipan, almonds, raisins, cherries, orange juice, orangeat [orange peel], hidden under a coat of dark chocolate icing”.

            Last but not least, to conclude with a couple interesting piece of culture. You know when you’re trying to cross the street right? That little man in the light that signals you to walk may be seen all over the US imploring citizens to cross safely. However, and to my surprise, the little man that beckons in Saxony is quite different. These figures are referred to as ampelmännchen in Saxony and bear different characters to the ones we are used to.  For example, some portray a girl with dress and hair, or may display a man with a hat and the occasional bike. As well, these figures hold more meaning to the citizens of Saxony then they do for us. Before the reunification, these characters were displayed. After the war and rebuilding of Germany however, they were changed. This created unrest among the people who eventually fought and won having them changed back to these humble symbols.  

            All in all, Saxony is a culture rich and prominent force in Germany that has brought the world brilliant minds. If one wanted to get a true taste of the German world Saxony is definitely the place to be.

           

Sources: Accessed Sept. 3, 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_states_by_GDP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony,_Germany

http://www.silicon-saxony.de/en/Saxony_at_a_Glance/143085.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526083/Saxony

http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/german-states.html#sax

http://www.statistik.sachsen.de/download/010_GB-Bev/Bev_Gemeinde.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony

http://www.who2.com/bio/gottfried-leibniz

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/places.php?type=2&id=128

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/places.php?type=2&id=133

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/people/music.php?id=123

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/people/music.php?id=95

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Church,_Leipzig

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnes_Gew%C3%B6lbe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Frauenkirche

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Dresden-67870/Local_Customs-Dresden-TG-C-1.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Goerlitz-60279/Local_Customs-Goerlitz-TG-C-1.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Dresden-67870/Local_Customs-Dresden-TG-C-1.html