The Weimar Constitution

Article 48 of the constitution gives the president the power to suspend civil liberties in times of crisis. This was the legal pretext the Nazis used to turn Germany into a dictatorship, however it was originally invoked by the government before the Nazis took power, they simply continued the "state of emergency." 

This allows the president to exercise his powers for critical emergencies. I would imagine in cases of public safety, they would use these powers to retain or maintain order and stability. This action may suspend civil liberties or rights of persons partially or in its entirety, this becomes necessary in order to restore law and order to the country. I chose this passage as I am familiar with such situations where communities may be under attack or government seeks to capture a particular individual. In order to capture or retaliate against the attackers persons living in the area had restricted movement or curfews issued by the government in the aim to control the situation.

Article 161: “In order to maintain health and the ability to work, in order to protect motherhood and to prevent economic consequences of age, weakness and to protect against the vicissitudes of life the Reich establishes a comprehensive system of insurances, based on the critical contribution of the insured.”

This article is geared at health preservation; when individuals are in good health it enhances their ability to work. A comprehensive health insurance system will protect mothers, the elderly and protect against other infirmities or afflictions one may encounter in their lifetime. This benefit however, is based on the contributions that those requiring insurance will be able to contribute. I chose this article has it addresses an issue with which we are all familiar, the expense of health care. Many struggle to find an affordable health insurance plan for their families to best suit wellness needs. Today we have the Affordable Care Act which is intended in providing all Americans access to affordable, quality health insurance and curve the spending in health care.

Luxemburgs essays

Thus proletarian policy is locked in a dilemma when trying to decide on which side it ought to intervene, which side represents progress and democracy in this war. In these circumstances, and from the perspective of international politics as a whole, victory or defeat, in political as well as economic terms, comes down to a hopeless choice between two kinds of beatings for the European working classes. Therefore, it is nothing but fatal madness when the French socialists imagine that the military defeat of Germany will strike a blow at the head of militarism and imperialism and thereby pave the way for peaceful democracy in the world. Imperialism and its servant, militarism, will calculate their profits from every victory and every defeat in this war – except in one case: if the international proletariat intervenes in a revolutionary way and puts an end to such calculations.

This passage speaks of the day to day struggles of the working class people. It also infers that none of the political parties would revolutionize their (working class / proletariat's) current position.  Whether they vote for socialists or democrats would not ease the difficulty with which they face. They would continually struggle against the ruling class who had dominant political power. If the French socialist were to attempt to defeat the Germans they would end up destroying themselves.

This passage relates to politics today in that you still have these barriers where politics is dominated by the rich or bourgeois and the working class continually struggles for liberation. Social class still play a role today in politics, the working class are the ones who labors to produce economic value for the rich who earns the means of production. Even if the working class chooses to vote for one party over another nothing really changes, political parties only betray them. The working class in some situations today may form strikes against the political forces or the rich to whom they are employed usually to little or no avail. Even though not all politicians are the same the few who tries to make a difference usually are incapable of making any significant changes for the betterment of or bring about change for the working class.

M (1931)

The scene from the movie “M” I chose was the scene when the blind man recognized the whistling of the killer. The man was walking by the blind man’s balloon stand whistling the same tune that he was whistling when he had gone to purchase a balloon with the little girl he had murdered. The balloon was purchased from the blind man because the killer knew he couldn’t describe him to the police. He unknowingly whistles this tune and the blind man although he didn’t see his face distinctly remembers he was with the little girl Elsie who went missing. I believe the importance of this scene is how keen a blind persons remaining  senses can be and even though we believe things may be hidden some way things always comes to light.  As it is said in the Bible“Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.” Mark 4:22

Weimar Republic

Night Ghost- Rudolph Nelson

People don't want to waste time with the beginning,
they'd rather skip straight to the end.
In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,
and get married the next morning.

At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.

Man moecht am liebsten, ja das soll’s geben, das Ende noch vor Beginne leben.

Heut verliebt man sich abends, verlobt sich bei Nacht und vermaehlt in der Frueh sich zufriede und am Mittag da hat man bereits sich verkracht und am Abend ist man wieder geschieden.

I think this song basically reflects what goes on in society with all our lives. We are consumed by all that’s happening around us, we are always in a hurry no one takes the time to “stop and smell the roses anymore”.  I chose this song because I see this everyday especially in the city we pass each other without taking a second glance. We all hurry about our business to keep up with the fast pace times we live in.

Chuck out of men-Freidrich Hollaender

Hula girls and housemaids and wives in Maribou
hear all our voices thunder in protest
Anything that men do women can do too
and more that that we women do it best

überall will das Weib auf den Thron.
Vin Hawai-Neger bis zur Berliner Range
braust ein Ruf wie Donnerhall daher:
Was die Männer können, können wir schon lange
und vielleicht ’ne ganze Ecke mehr.

These verses were in protest against the limitations placed on women by men in those societies. Culturally it was accepted that a woman’s place was in the home and seen as second or beneath men.

I chose this particular part of the song as it expresses the feminist view of equality among men and women. If you were a housemaid or hula girls you needed to protest again these limitations and become a career woman much like the men because, women had the ability not only to be equal to men but to outdo them.

Paragraph 175

This is basically condemning homosexuality, it is divided into different categories and one may have been imprisoned anywhere from 3 months to 10 yrs. Sodomy  fell in 4 categories (1) If a male forces another male to commit sexual acts with him. (2) A male abusing the relationship of service or employment compels the other to have sex with him. (3) Male over 21 seduces a younger male to engage in sexual acts. (4) Male’s who openly engages in sexual activities with other males. Additionally, if one commits sexual acts against animals would not only be imprisoned but loses civil rights. This relates to the lecture in that it revealed the hidden side of the society back then. Men were engaging in these sadomasochistic acts which needed to be punished. Nietzsche believed men were driven by pleasure so paragraph 175 was a way to expose ones homosexual pleasures and make them punishable by law.