Bismarck & Angela…
Can money make you happy?
Far too many things happened
during the recent weeks…
Nelson Mandela died; - RIP
The social democrats voted
for grand coalition in Germany;
The Ukrainian president made
a U-turn and wants to join the Russian economic zone;
The US has the lowest
unemployment rate since the beginning of the crisis;
Ireland exits the EU bailout
program;
A federal judge ruled at last Monday
that the National Security Agency's collection of phone records "almost
certainly" violates the Constitution, setting up a larger legal battle
over long-secret counterterrorism programs. – Good news not only for Ed
Snowden…
But at this moment I would
like to talk about Bismarck and Angela! Did you know, that Angela means Angel?
Otto Eduard Leopold
Von Bismarck was born near Berlin at 1st of April… 1815… 1815 is
a very interesting year…
-
39 German states
unite under Act of Confederation;
-
End of the Congress
of Vienna: New European political situation is set.
-
Battle of Waterloo;
Napoleon defeated;
-
Napoleon surrendered,
later exiled on St Helena;
-
Russia, Prussia &
Austria sign Holy Alliance;
-
2nd Peace of Paris:
France and allies after 2nd defeat and abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte;
-
Russia, Prussia,
Austria & England signs Alliance "for the maintenance of peace in
Europe" same day as Treaty of Paris;
-
City of Kraków (Poland) declared a free
republic state by the Congress of Vienna;
-
Adoption of the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland;
And the small Otto did not even imagine, that he will have
to deal with all this ”mess” created the same year, when he was born…
Otto by the way was a talented student both, in Berlin and
Gottingen... He even managed to enter the Prussian civil service, but he felt
so much bored, that he resigned at 1838…
1847 - he married Johanna von Puttkamer. The woman must have
been a strong personality, as she managed to put him (I mean Otto) in order…
One year later he
fell deep into all the politics, intrigues and tactics of the 1848 revolution… He started his “official” political career in
the Prussian legislature and was appointed by the king to represent Prussia in
the German Confederation;
He also served as an ambassador in Russia and France. He
gained a massive reputation as an ultra conservative royalist… By 1862 he
returned to Prussia and the new king Wilhelm I appointed him as prime minister
(what a bright story right?).
Bismarck had one goal. To unify all the German states in
one. It took him less the 10 years to achieve his goal and raise to the throne
of the German Empire Wilhelm I.
Next goal of Bismarck was to make Germany the major player
in Europe. He also realized, that this can be achieved only if he creates peace
in Europe.
Bismarck resigned at 1890 and he died at 1898. The peace
remained until the First World War. Peace, when there was not a single day in
Europe without war for the last 1000 years!
Among other achievements, Germany
became the first nation in the world to adopt a social, health and retirement
insurance program. Do you hear this???? From an ultra conservative royalist
right?
But please listen the next chapter…
Angela Dorothea Kasner, or how we know
her, Angela Merkel…
She
was born at July 1954.
That was a turbulent year… The colonial
era started to come to an end, the Allied nations stop the occupation of
Germans, Vietnam wins independence and the cold war starts to get more an more
freezing… The post war arrangements come to a relative stand still. Germany
surpass its pre-war economic achievements, thanks to the Marshall Plan, which
ended 2 years before… The West Germans cannot even guess, that they are to
witness 20 years of prosperity…
Here is the list of events… I think it
is useful to read as many things happening to us today, having roots since
then…
-
Queen Elizabeth II opens NZ parliament;
-
Military rule in Egypt; 318 Mohammedan
Brotherhood arrested
-
Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on
"Omnibus" (CBS);
-
Ground breaking begins on Disneyland;
-
President Eisenhower reports detonation of 1st
H-bomb (done in 1952) a number of nuclear tests follows;
-
Snow falls on Gibraltar
-
Eisenhower warns against US intervention in
Vietnam
-
General Zahedi wins election in Persia
-
Syrian army drives out president Adib
el-Shishakli;
-
Abdul Nasser appointed Egyptian premier
-
Michigan rep Ruth Thompson (R) introduces
legislation to ban mailing "obscene, lewd, lascivious or filthy"
phonograph (rock & roll) records;
-
Russia wins title in their 1st international ice
hockey competition;
-
Viet Nam’s General Giap opens campaign on Bien
Phu;
-
USSR offers to join NATO;
-
The West German government refuses to recognize
DDR;
-
President Eisenhower fears
"domino-effect" in Indo-China;
-
Robert Oppenheimer accused of being a communist;
-
Colonel Nasser seizes power & becomes PM of
Egypt;
-
USAF flies French battalion to Vietnam;
-
USSR
joins UNESCO;
-
1st American, civilian pilot, P.R. Holden,
wounded in Indochina;
-
Australia & USSR break diplomatic relations;
-
Bell labs announces 1st solar battery (NYC);
-
Nationwide test of Salk anti-polio vaccine
begins;
-
Military coup by general Alfredo Stroessner in
Paraguay;
-
French surrender after 55-day battle at Dien
Bien Phu;
-
US, Great-Britain & France reject Russian
membership in NATO;
-
Bolshoi-ballet does not appear in Paris;
-
Postmaster General Summerfield approves CIA mail-opening
project;
-
Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist
China;
-
German airline Lufthansa forms;
-
IBM announces vacuum tube "electronic"
brain that could perform 10 million operations an hour;
-
Dutch bishops forbid membership to non-catholic
sporting clubs;
-
Emile Zatopek runs world record 5K (13:57.2)
-
France grants Vietnam independence inside French
Union;
-
UEFA (Union des Associations Européennes de
Football) is formed in Basle, Switzerland.
-
Ngo Dinh Diem elected president of Vietnam;
-
1st nuclear power station opens (Obninsk, near
Moscow, Russia);
-
CIA-sponsored rebels overthrow elected
government of Guatemala;
-
West Germany beats Hungary 3-2 for soccer's 5th
World Cup in Bern;
-
B-52A bomber made its maiden flight;
-
Construction begins on Disneyland;
-
Theodor Heuss re-elected president of West
Germany;
-
Armistice for Indo-China signed, Vietnam
separates into North & South;
-
Eisenhower signs Communist Control Act,
outlawing the Communist Party;
-
Espionage & Sabotage Act of 1954 signed;
-
US spy plane shot down above Siberia;
-
USSR performs number of nuclear tests;
-
1st nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus,
commissioned under Commander Eugene P.
-
School integration begins in Wash DC &
Baltimore Md public schools;
-
Ho Chi Minh returns to Hanoi after withdrawal of
the French troops;
-
Egypt & Great Britain sign treaty; British
troops depart;
-
Indonesian troops land in New-Guinea;
-
West Germany joins North Atlantic Treaty
Organization;
-
Britain, England, France & USSR agree to end
occupation of Germany;
-
President Eisenhower pledges United States
support to South Vietnam;
-
Trieste returned to Italy;
Angela, a West German citizen, still will not witness the
prosperity… As daughter of a pastor, her family is placed to a small town 80 km
from Berlin in East Germany. They had the privilege to travel freely between
East and West and to have cars…
Angela had her first “political” role,
as secretary at the East German Young Communist League (FDJ) in the Academy of
Sciences… She was by the way among the best in math and Russian…
In the University of Leipzig Angela
could show first time her organizational and political abilities… She was
participating in a project of building a student club and recreational facility
on her campus. This thought to be nearly an impossible plan at that time in
DDR. (You would not understand, if you would not try to do the same under the
similar conditions. You must trust me… This was a hard job… Just like to keep
alive John Connor in Terminator 3...)
At 1989 Angela was already in the middle of the political events,
and being the deputy spokes person of the last, pre-unification government of
DDR (anyone needs an advice what was the DDR?).
At 1990 she was elected to Bundestag from the district of
Stralsund – Nordvorpommern - Ruegen… And she get re-elected in her district
since then…
Ruegen Ohhh! The most beautiful island in Germany! Will
never forget!
Let’s jump a bit further…. Angela gets the main power within
her political party after Kohl’s scandal… This was in fact a milestone in
German politics – 2000 was the year of general clean up… You know, when they
clean the corrupt guys out!!!! (Sounds surreal in many places in the World, but
this really happened in Germany!!)
At 22nd of November she becomes the first female
chancellor of Germany.
Within the party they call her “Mutti” (mother) and mostly
they compare her to Margaret Thatcher… There are certain similarities indeed,
but so far I would better compare her to Bismarck…
Both, deeply conservative, both extremely good and clever
politicians, both very pragmatic, both not very strong in economics, but booth
look into one single goal, to serve their own nation!
Listen to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! – always vote for someone believes in you!
Angela was accused of collaborating with the Honecker boys.
Any “regime” should learn about the East German and East
European experience... (But not so recently during “Arab Spring” some more guys
learned the same bitter lesson on their own skin)
There are three categories of people (or in other words your
own nationals):
-
One
is protesting and talking day and night nonsense against the system… We have a
sentence – “barking dogs never bite”..
-
One
is keeping passive and silent; these guys can be spotted out soooo easyyy!
-
One
is waving the flag pleasing you at every corner and having a very specific and
very firm private opinion about you; Do not be mistaken – this guys are the
real danger for any kind of “establishment”… And the STASI knew about this…
Just they did not have enough means to spot those guys out… And even they would
found them, they could do nothing against them.. They were the most loyal
members of the DDR political society…
Trust me, they went after Angela – a good old game of catch
me if you can - right????? Angela has a good sense of humor… She learned and earned
it those times...
Bismarck was deadly afraid of the socialist ideas, so he
created the first steps of a welfare system. Angela is about to rule the second
time in grand coalition with the socialist… Is she so much in love with them?
The answer is no, but she follows the wish of the majority
of her German voters… And they have voted for her to make this (grand) coalition…
Since the Marshall Plan Germany became a major player in
Europe, but in fact since 2005 Germany is the “de facto” and the undisputed
major and main player of Europe. This becomes the most evident after the
economic troubles, from which Germany came out as the strongest nation. The
history repeats itself, a bit over 100 years before Bismarck also managed to
sideline France…
Do you remember the historic dance of Angela with Nicolas?
And what is the story, why the Germans, and why not the
French? Tour the France, World Football cup? Michel Platini or Zindeine Zidane?
No!!!!…. Excuses moi, no, je ne regret rien!!!
Is this because the French are the biggest drinkers of red
wine in the World? And the Germans drink beer? Or because the French sleep the
longest time during their life among all the Europeans after the Greeks? Or
because they make love as frequent as the worlds best lovers, the Italians? Or might be because they spend their longest lunchtime
in the World in famous bistros and restos of France enjoying government
subsidy, which naturally includes red wine on the table?
May be… or may be not…
Up to you to find it out... But I have one more story for
you.. I admire the Paris METRO… Really I do so… I have spent on it a lot of
time.. First I have had to figure it out, how I could travel free of charge… I
was nearly 20 at that time… I was living those days on an empty baguette with
some french-fries… I loved it all… I love Paris and France!
So, when I came to Berlin, than I have found U-Bahn and
S-Bahn… they looked different – they were not like the French metro… Going up
and down… U-Bahn went under and S-Bahn went on the top…
I have learned one thing I could never learn in my life…
This was the only public transport system, where they told
me WHEN THE TRAIN SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE!!!!!
You understand the difference – anywhere else they tell you,
when it arrives. But in here you could see if it is ahead or behind the
schedule… And most of the time it was IN TIME… You could adjust your watch
after DB arrival times… Amazing right?
And this was the other story, what I loved in Germany. These
crazy guys were obsessed with their clocks – lots of clocks – and they all
moved properly… I was amazed of this… I really was…
Let me tell you secretly - I am a totally disorganized guy –
I HATE THOSE GERMANSJ))
And I do admire them a lot at the same time…
So we are coming back to our topic – for what reason we talk
about Otto, Angela, Nicolas and all this stupid history? Is this having any
connection to our topic?
Uhhh… The Marshall Plan was designed NOT to rebuild
anything… It was designed to put back in shape the whole Europe - and this was the first step to the till now
“troubled” EU and it was to introduce anything, which is new and innovative!
Not only to Germany, but for the whole Europe..
Strange, but it was even offered to USSR, the main ally of
USA! Yepp. The Marshall Plan!
Money spent? Not muchJ))
about 150 billion USD in today’s dollar terms..
Do we love for this the USA????
No, Neun, Nicht, Niet, Khong, Ohh Noooo! Or can I say this
in any other language?
You know what was happening?
USA never thinks for a single second to pay you a penny for
free…
No way… Forget it…
They have just “sssshit” into their Pampers (or Huggies???),
that Europe is going to collapse and the big USSR shall take over their beloved
Ireland and Europe and create an extended Albanian state under the rule of
Enver Hoxha or in the best scenario with the famous Latino, Franco macho French
lover Superman, Nicolai Ceausescu and his charming wife Helena… But if we put apart
this bad jokes, than we realize, that the after war Europe was effectively
falling under the hands of the left wing parties and the people started to be
more and more inpatient after the general euphoria over the end of the war…
Why would Europe collapse? Well, for the first two years of
peace the idea was to punish the Germans. They have dismantled and shipped out a
lot of factories, equipment, practically the Allies took whatever interested
them. But it turned out, that by punishing the Germans they punish the whole
Europe. Germans were linked so closely to other economies, that there was no
way for “separate punishment”…
So can we say, that one of the best national strategies is
to become un-replaceable for others? Can we say, that integration with other
economies is a win strategy? Is this important to check who depends on whom?
And I let you wonder about this till next few days, as this
post start to become too long for a short reading…
And before you jump for your holiday shopping, I would
recommend you to read few articles…
It turns out, that those very upset Greeks are still
spending more in the middle of their crisis, than the Germans…. Interesting
right? Did you think for a second who’s’ money the Greek spend?
And it is even more interesting, that 26% of Greeks feel
suffering in their country… And by this they are one of the leading nations in
suffering… And what about Germans? There you have 6% of the guys suffering. At the end of the day the Germans spend
less for their holiday joy, but feel much more happy, than the Greeks...
So can money make you happy?
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