Advent Calendars

History Today have created an advent calendar which will include daily entries on the most significant historical moments of the year. There is also an interesting article on advent calendars themselves. Apparently the tradition dates back to Germany in the 19th Century, when people counted down the days to Christmas by drawing lines of chalk on their doors. The first printed calendar, with 24 different windows to open, probably appeared in the early 1900s, also in Germany, but chocolates didn't turn up until the 1950s!

PS: Here is an online calendar (about Christmas traditions and fascinating facts) that you may enjoy - although it is really pitched for primary school students...

Let them eat Schwarzwälderkirschtorte

This is a great fun steal from Socialist Unity. The German trade union IG Metal is responsible for this site where you click on a cake and throw it at leading German Politicos. 

You even get points for each successful hit (see left).

Click here and enjoy!

For some strange, strange reason I feel that I must send this link to Dave and Alex (and Stroppy, David, Robert and Monty...).

German Reunification

Sunday 3 October was an important day in Germany for 2 reasons. It was the 20th anniversary of reunification, which was marked by an official ceremony in Bremen and other events across the country. However it also is the day that Germany will make its final reparations payment for its debts from the 1st World War, 92 years after the War ended. The reason it has taken so long is that Germany was allowed to wait until it was unified before it needed to pay the final interest charges, a process that was spread out over 20 years. The anniversary has sparked plenty of articles, including this analysis of Germany's changing role in Europe, and this article from Der Spiegel about the behind-the-scenes negotiations between Germany and France 20 years ago. It also contains a useful "road to reunification" timeline.

More on the wall

Here is a Berlin Wall quiz, courtesy of German magazine "Der Spiegel". There is also an interesting interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Harald Jäger, the first border guard to allow East Germans to cross into the west. He explains why he made that decision, revealing the chaos and confusion of the East German government that evening.

Der Spiegel also takes a closer look at the significance of 9 November in German history, which also marks 1918 German Revolution which brought down the Kaiser, Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, and Kristallnacht in 1938.

PS: 9 November was also the date of the execution Robert Blum, one of the leaders of the 1848 Revolution in Germany, and was the date of the foundation of the SS in 1925. It is therefore referred to in Germany as the "Day of Fate" (Schicksalstag)

PPS: Here's Pravda's take on the anniversary. Apparently the fall of the wall triggered "the largest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century"...

Fall of the Wall

The Berlin Wall was breached on 9 November 1989. The celebrations that followed effectively marked the end of the Cold War, leading to the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the unification of Germany. It was an exceptionally dramatic and exciting time to live through and it seems difficult to believe for many people that 20 years have passed since then.

There is lots of information about to mark this anniversary. The BBC has created an archive of material about the history of the wall. Jeremy Vine has made a radio programme which includes interviews with Germans who tried to escape over and under the wall. The Times has created an archive of its reports on the Wall's history, and also includes reports about modern Germans' attitudes to the wall in both east and west.

Secret Kremlin records reveal Thatcher's real intentions

As we gear up for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, secret Kremlin notes of meetings between Thatcher and Gorbachev have been released here. They reveal Thatcher's real feelings on the subject of the reunification of Germany and how she pressed Gorbachev to change course. Does this change or cement your view of Thatcher?! What do you think it says about what politicians say in public and what they do in private?
Watch out for the HP Society's events on this issue in November...