Comparing political systems
Scott has some comments on my musings about the elections in the US and how elections work in Germany. He’s right – voters don’t always get who they voted for in Germany as well.
Thanks, Scott!
November 9
November 9 is an important date in German history. In 1989, the wall came down on November 9. But there’s much more to the date than that:
- November 9, 1848: Execution of Robert Blum, a member of the German National Assembly, despite his parliamentary immunity. This has been said to be the beginning of the end for the German revolution of 1848/9.
- November 9, 1918: Proclamation of the Weimar Republic.
- November 9, 1923: Hitler’s attempt to take over the government fails.
- November 9, 1938: Kristallnacht
- November 9, 1989: The GDR opens its borders; the Berlin Wall comes down.
I tried to find some pages with information on these dates on the web, but most are in German…
In English:
November 9 in German History, with links to sites about the Kristallnacht
Auf deutsch:
- Historisches Institut der RWTH Aachen: Der 9. November in der deutschen Geschichte
- Rüdiger Löster: Der 9. November in der deutschen Geschichte
Today, on November 9, 2000: Deutsche Welle News:
“Tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a demonstration against far-right extremism in Berlin later today (Th). Calls to participate in the rally on the 62nd anniversary of the Nazis’ “Kristallnacht”, when thousands of Jewish businesses were destroyed, were made by all parties represented in the German parliament, as well as trade unions, employers and initiatives. The country’s political leaders will also be present. President Johannes Rau and the Leader of Germany’s Jewish community, Paul Spiegel, are due to make speeches. “
The Schockwellenreiter and others are going to participate. I would go as well, but Berlin is too far away…