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May 2014 independent Magazine for HistoryCaMpus 2014publisHed by youtH press gerMany

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Cover: Maximilian gens | Credit: staatsbibliothek zu berlin, Kartenabteilung

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G eert Mak‘s aunt was six when World War I broke out. “When it

began men were cheering and women were happily waving goodbye, looking forward to seeing their husbands again on Christmas Eve,” she wrote. “Only the kids were silent. There was no homeco-ming. No homecoming for the soldiers and no homecoming for the world as it once was.“

A century has passed since the de-ath of Archduke Franz Ferdinand spar-ked a global war that claimed 16 million lives. But while participants at this year‘s HistoryCampus have been commemora-ting the war, ‘Look Back, Think Forward‘ epitomises an event that has drawn peo-ple from all over the world to Berlin‘s Maxim Gorki Theater. “We don‘t only want to look back, but actively shape our commemoration,“ said Thomas Krü-ger, president of the Federal Agency for Civic Education, as he opened the event on May 7th.

DevelopMent through connections

44 countries were represented at the Hi-storyCampus - some of which owe their very existence to World War I. German chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke at

the event‘s opening, was herself born and raised in East Germany, a nation born of conflict: few could invoke as much per-sonal experience when describing diffe-rences between the Europe of 1914 and today. “Already in 1914 economies were heavily interconnected,“ she said. “The difference from today is that people were blindly backing warfare then.

“Peace does not exist by itself. It must again and again be building, be fo-stered and upheld,“ added Merkel. “One of the great chances of the 21st centu-ry is to cooperate between nations. We are no longer fighting about politics, but have discovered other, more communica-tive ways to solve our problems that we should use.“

get to know history

Chancellor Merkel’s words have been echoed across the HistoryCampus, as participants from different nations come together to share their knowledge of the war. “I want to know what people from different countries think,“ said Nora, a Finnish attendee. Felicity is a Scottish participant who took part in a workshop before the HistoryCampus, comparing stories from her home town of Dundee with Paris, Freiburg and Gdansk. “I want

to look into different areas and remem-ber the war,“ she said. “There is more than we have learned.“

That sort of dialogue can be found everywhere at the HistoryCampus. Young people are deconstructing history, using arts and media, laughing and wor-king during daytime and enjoying drinks together at night. It is a chance to look back and live in a moment Europe would do well never to forget - and to think for-ward as one.

Dear Readers,

At this event young people from all over the world have been exploring World War I, a century after it broke out. Why, though, should anyone get in touch with a terrible event that doesn’t seem relevant today? The answer is simple: dealing with the past helps mould the future. We, the editorial staff at politik-orange, worked on these pages not only to remind you of World War I and its impact, but also to remind you of the past few days, where you have actively taken part in several workshops. At the HistoryCampus you have learnt about some of the war‘s greatest stories and discovered its biggest effects on our modern society, with other young peo-ple who are interested in the past. Those young people come from countries that may be thousands of miles apart and their understanding of politics, peace and democracy may have been shaped very differently. But all are united here by their curiosity, personal stories and thoughts. Through the HistoryCampus everyone can be a part of each other‘s world. We do not wish only to focus on the dark side of the war. We want to learn from that tragic time, broaden our knowledge and inform the future.

Yours, chief editors,

Alina Leimbach and Jussra Zamani

eDitorial

content

»play« Past & present in theatre.page 14

»listen« Can music shape war?page 8

»speak«Foreign minister in discussionpage 6

Jussra Zamani21, BayreuthAlina Leimbach23, London... are looking forward to a social Europe equally strong as eco-nomic Europe.

Life Now aNd TheN europe was TorN To pieces oNe huNdred years ago Through NaTioNaL pride aNd warfare. Today, hisTorycam-pus parTicipaNTs from 44 couNTries have beeN puTTiNg Those pieces TogeTher, To commemoraTe The war, aNd To shape a cooperaTive visioN of The fuTure. by Jussra Zamani & alina leimbaCh

chancellor angela Merkel

opening Debate: Dr lothar DittMer, sherMin langhoff, alMut Möller, geert Mak, prof Dr joachiM rogall, thoMas krüger

photos: M

aximilian g

ens

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lotta schneiDeMesser26, berlin

I was actually born in Hamburg, but right now I’m studying English literature here in Berlin. The story

of how I got here is quiet long: I participated in the German History Competition, organized by the Körber Foundation 12 years ago. Ever since, I‘ve participated in activities by the foundation as well as at “EUSTORY“, which is the European History Network. I am one of their alumni, which is why I got an invitation to apply. So I did and here I am. When I’m not currently at histo-ry workshops or competitions, I’m working on finishing my master’s degree at the Free University of Berlin. In addition, I work as a freelance translator, and as a jour-nalist. I thought I‘d continue working like that, but I just got accepted for a graduate program in England in Oc-tober. So I will improve my knowledge of post-colonial literature, which is the topic I want to focus on the most. I’m really looking forward to it and - who knows - I might be working at a university at some point.

victor liviu19, Timișoara

A friend of mine had seen the Europe14|14 event on the webpage of the Federal Agency of Civic

Education, and thought it might be of interest for me. So he told me about it, I applied and got accepted. The flight to Berlin was really good: we had a small drop-off at Munich airport, but still it was a fast and comfortable journey. In my hometown, Timisoara, in Romania, I am studying international relations and political science. I have quite big plans for the future: after I finish study-ing I would like to join the Romanian foreign ministry. In other words I want to become a diplomat. But of course it’s still a long way: it could take about ten years until I get my doctorate. But I’m working on it!

jack noble 20, bristol

I am 20 years old and a first-year history student at Oxford University, UK. My university sent me an

email and informed me about the event – It looked like a really great and interesting thing. I thought it could be a great opportunity for me, because I wanted to engage with other Europeans about their experiences, and hear about their personal perceptions of the Great War. So that was basically what made me want to come and be a part of it. And it really lived up to my expecta-tions. It has been brilliant the past few days! I hope to be finishing university in 2016. I’m not quite sure yet what I’ll be doing afterwards. I could go on with further studies, but first I’m going to do some international de-velopment work in Nepal this summer. Perhaps that is another route I may take in the future.

Puneh Abdi20, Hamburg

... is looking forward to a world without borders and nations.

TeLL me your sTory parTicipaNTs of europe 14|14 iNTroduce ThemseLves. aLL Three have cLear pLaNs for Their fuTure, aNd see ThemseLves iN differeNT corNers of The worLd. buT The oNe ThiNg ThaT coNNecTs Them aLL is a passioN for hisTory aNd poLiTics. by Puneh abdi

photos: Jana n

olle

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W hen Gérard was 15 years old Belgi-um was invaded by Germany. Soon

after, he was imprisoned and forced to work in neighbouring France. It wasn‘t un-til the age of 17, with World War I (WWI) in full, terrible swing, that he managed to escape. When he finally returned to his village, the war was over. 65 years later, aged 82, Gérard had written his life story, cramming an entire existence into just 400 pages. A quarter of them are dedicated to his experiences during WWI. But his me-moirs remained unread until long after his death, when they were discovered in the attic by his great-grandson Roman Roor-broeck. Roman had never known Gérard.

“I began immediately to realise that all of it really happened - the manuscript just made history become alive,“ he says. “I no longer pictured everything in black and white.“

It was a very special discovery with unforeseen consequences for Roman, 20, a student of history and Russian culture. It was almost a century after Gavrilo Princip

murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand and sparked WWI. Already engaged in history, Roman developed a deeper interest in the topic by reading his great-grandfather‘s diaries. Based on the memoirs, he wrote an essay about daily life during the war. His essay won the EUSTORY Prize, which awards the best historical account by a student or young European.

The prize gave Roman a last drop of motivation to study history. To some people the subject may be grey, dusty and long-gone. For Roman, it is not a matter of the past. For the last two years he has tried not to miss a history event for young aca-demics on the continent. In addition, he is working at the Centre for Democracy and History back home in Belgium.

bringing history to life

“Everyone has his own tale and perspec-tive about World War I,“ says Roman. “By gaining a variety of stories, one is forced to reflect on them: to look for common

grounds but also for the differences.“ In his opinion, the HistoryCampus offers the best way to initiate, uphold and restart historical conversations: “You never leave an event without carrying home more per-spectives in your pocket. It is not only re-warding in regard to historical knowledge, but also for one’s personal development.“

‘Look back, think forward’, the slo-gan of this year‘s event in Berlin, has dual meaning to Roman. He is an interested citizen, but also a prospective historian.

“On one hand analysis of past and present needs to be separated for academia,“ he says. Yet it is the link of past and present that makes the HistoryCampus special to him: “Combining past and present cre-ates a vivid atmosphere.

“History lies years behind us, but as a result of rethinking and discussing, it will never be forgotten,“ adds Roman.

“Bringing history to life is everybody‘s duty for the sake of remembrance.“ For him, thanks to Gérard’s tales, researching history never ends.

Ann-Kathrin Mopils21, Stuttgart... is looking forward to see more people being concer-ned about sustainability.Johannes Kolb18, Saarbrücken...is looking forward to studying in France and un-derstanding the “Erbfeind“.

a hiddeN pasT To some peopLe hisTory is grey, dusTy aNd LoNg-goNe. buT peopLe Like romaN roorbroeck are showiNg ThaT iT caN be broughT To Life iN aN exciTiNg way. poLiTikoraNge spoke To him abouT a Love for hisTory ThaT came from aN uNLikeLy source. by ann-KatHrin Mopils & JoHannes Kolb

photos: Maximilian gensroMan roorbroeck takes part in the workshoP onCe uPon a time... there was great war

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gerMan foreign Minister frank-walter steinMeier

sTeiNmeier, sTiNg & ukraiNe The germaN foreigN miNisTer fraNk-waLTer sTeiNmeier was oNe of The big Names aT The hisTorycampus. his speech was foLLowed by a discussioN wiTh Three parTicipaNTs. by sally esHun

“History will teach us nothing,” said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, quoting

British rock star Sting. But the German foreign minister would go on to con-tradict those words, claiming that one should leave the past behind while ta-king responsibility for it. He stresses that a catastrophe like World War I must never happen again, referring to the cri-tical situation in Ukraine and how peace is not ubiquitous - even in Europe.

Understanding is, according to Steinmeier, “essential for successful fo-reign policy”. By understanding different points of view, it is possible to commu-nicate even with countries that “do not agree with everything you say”. And public discourse is important for poli-cy too, he added, while criticising the role of the media in comprehending the complex situation with Russia and Ukra-ine. Steinmeier regrets the use of terms like “Putin-Versteher” (someone who symphathises with Putin). Those terms are supposedly hindering the work of fo-reign administrations. “It creates tensi-on among the people who are involved in the diplomatic process,” he said.

the challenges of foreign policy

“Foreign policy is a question of percep-tion”, said American politician Henry Kissinger. Steinmeier referred to him, adding that it is difficult to come to an agreement with 200 member states of the UN. “It works, though, if every member takes comprehending serious-ly,” he adds. For successful policy, com-munication and debates are essential. At this point we can learn a lot of the past. Previous conflicts between states show that missing discussion, or even an imbalanced debate, can name violent results.

get in contact

After Mr Steinmeier’s missive there was a discussion with three participants of the HistoryCampus. They did not even have the chance to sit on stage with the German foreign minister, but rather to ask him their most valued questions. Serbian inquisitor Ivana had expe-rienced the Yugoslavian war, including the NATO bombings of 1999, during which she lived in a basement for an

entire summer. During the discussion she told Steinmeier of her situation. The minister alluded to huge strides he claims have been made in former Yugos-lav nations such as Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

Roman Roorbroeck is a Belgian student of history and Russian, who spoke to Mr Steinmeier and the au-dience about his work at HistoryCam-pus, and the amazing story of his gre-at-grandfather, whose diaries Roman discovered in the family attic aged just 17. Now 20 the scholar spoke about the life of his forebear, Gérard, who was just 15 when World War I broke out. Roman described how Gérard fought in the war as a teenager, and told the audience that he couldn’t imagine how it must feel witnessing such a global tragedy at such a young age.

The event’s third speaker, Jan, a student of political science in Dundee, Scotland, described how he had cre-ated a survey about WWI. Each spea-ker brought the topic of the war to life through their hugely different expe-riences. All three were fascinating and engaged in the debate with Mr Steinmei-er. It was regretful, however, that no real discussion took place. For there were many more questions left unanswered.

photo: Maximilian gens

Sally Eshun17 Jahre, Hamburg

... is looking foward to an European future instead of European hostility.

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fruchtfleisch what Do you hope to gain froM the historycaMpus?

lucas kröger, 21 gerMany

i hoPe to gain many new ContaCts and niCe memories.

“MeMories“

arevik hayrapetyan, 20arMenia

i wish to imProve my understanding oF ww i with other

PartiCiPants, and gain a new PersPeCtive.

“new perspective”

stefana Macovei, 18,roMania

i want to do something extraordinary. i hoPe to gain a lot oF exPerienCe From the workshoP.

“experience”

Pho

tos:

Jan

a n

olle

How can a war that happened a century ago still have an impact on our lives today, and continue to do so in the future? We always hear about a ‚lost generation‘, and destroyed landscapes across Europe. But what of the more lasting effects of the 20th century‘s first global conflict? At “Everyday Life and War” participants have been examining impacts of the war on several aspects of life, including culture; family life; the life of a soldier; and women. Diaries of those alive at that time have been explored - and the number of connections between then and now have been startling.

gaining inDepenDence

Compare a map of Europe today with one from 1914, and you‘ll immediately be able to see the effects of World War I (WWI) on our modern borders. Poland, for example, regained its independence after the conflict. Other countries, such as Ukraine and Slovakia, became sove-reign states for the first time. Jasmin Slovačkova, a 22-year-old Slovak, de-scribes the impact WW1 had on her home nation, which became a part of Czechoslovakia after the breakup of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire. “We were still under the Czechs but it was the first step to our country gaining its full inde-pendence,“ she says. “Not all people are happy with the situation now but they all still want a separate Slovakia, though perhaps with closer ties to Czech Repu-blic.“

shifting borDers anD wwi

Greece, however, was plunged into fur-ther conflict following WWI. The archi-pelago country gained territory after the war, but within a year was fighting its neighbour Turkey in a bloody conflict that lasted until 1922. “This was a very difficult time in our history as we lost ter-ritory and there were a lot of refugees,“ says Foteini Pateinari, 24, from Greece.

“It was a national catastrophe.“ The Ottoman Empire, which lost

the war, was heavily partitioned, and its borders pared almost to those of modern Turkey. “Turkey lost territory...but also gained independence in 1923,“ says Eda Yilar, a 19-year-old German of Turkish descent. “Germany also saw a change of fortunes as they were rich and had a lot of military strength before WWI. In

fact (German Emperor) Wilhelm II had the second-biggest ship in Europe, after Britain. After WWI there was a great deal of poverty and people had no food. Maybe the close links between the two countries led to the Gastarbeiter (the mass immigration of foreign workers) in Germany later on, most of whom came from Turkey.“

pushing MeDicine forwarD

So many aspects of the war have been overlooked in the hundred years since it began. One such is the development of prosthetics, or artificial limbs, the re-search of which soared due to the un-precedented violence of the planet’s first mechanised conflict. Prosthetics had been around since the earliest days of an-cient Egypt. But the war‘s huge number of victims required limbs that could be built more quickly, and more effective.

The medical profession also develo-ped elsewhere. The horror of WWI had a terrible effect on the bodies of those who fought in it, but it also destroyed their minds. Shell shock, an intense reaction to the trauma of aerial bombardment, could cause all sorts of things, from terri-

ble nightmares to blindness. By the war‘s conclusion in 1918 over 80,000 soldiers had been treated for the condition in Britain alone. Specialist hospitals were erected, and the resulting developments in mental healthcare paved the way for giant leaps in the psychiatric field. Today the benefits of those advances can be felt worldwide.

Dissecting the impact of World War I is a complex process. Only once you get past the effects it had on its own genera-tion, can you begin to unravel the myriad influences felt in today‘s society - from shifting borders to medicine, and much more besides.

oNe huNdred years aNd sTiLL reLevaNT worLd war i affecTed moderN socieTy more ThaN you mighT ThiNk, from borders To mediciNe. aNd iTs impacTs are sTiLL beiNg feLT Today. by Katie WilliaMs

Katie Williams21, Northampton

... is looking forward to see everyone having a greater mutual under-standing.

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deaTh waLTz arTiLLery Noise, haNd greNades whisTLiNg aNd The horrifyiNg siLeNce of poisoN gas. war does NoT oNLy have maNy faces, buT aLso a LoT of souNds. by KatHarina greWe

P utting the music of a century into one show, curator Björn Döring tried to

do the impossible alongside several artists from across Europe. The result is a sound that mixes contemporary music with elements from various decades between 1914 and 2014. As a whole, the project is an attempt to put the horrors of four years of attrition and fighting into music. In doing so, it uses a repertoire ranging from the mechanical sounds of the first gramophones in the early 20th century, to Motörhead and modern electro. The-re even are unexpected links between contemporary and more classical music:

“Arnold Schönberg‘s compositions of the 1920s, for instance, inspired minimal techno and its repetitive patterns,” ex-plains Döring.

The concept performance “Waltzing 1914” is one part of this project. Combi-ning singing, a DJ/lighting performance and acting, it covers four years of war. The performance’s pianist, 48-year-old Moritz Eggert, explains the title: “In a way, that particular war was a death waltz, with the troops slowly circulating each other.” The tunes reflect an initial excitement at the outbreak of war, but also take the li-stener on a journey through the following years of terror, when machine-gun fire soundtracked patriotic folk songs.

the Darkest MoMents of huManity

It is often said that music is the key to the soul. Today, Eggert and his colleagues are using it to take their audience on a journey to the darkest moments of hu-manity, overcoming all language barriers with their composition. Exploring histo-ry through music, or art, gives people the chance to create an immediate connec-tion with history, and to understand it on an emotional level.

Döring and his team do not want to teach their audience just one version of events. Rather, their performance raises questions and lets listeners interpret hi-story on their own. Whether art can ever fully grasp the horrors of war is questi-onable, but it can certainly help us un-derstand the spirit of a certain moment in time.

war changeD Music - can Music change war?

Music can be used during war as part of a propaganda machine, and to promo-te any political goal: marching tunes to motivate troops; ballads to mourn los-ses; heroic songs glorifying past battles.

“Love of country, together with a pride

in its institutions…smoulders in the bre-ast of all mankind,” said historian W.L. Hubbard. “This latent spark when fan-ned into a blaze of fervor finds vent in

… song, which in turn inspires to action. Such is the birth of patriotic music.” War surely changes music, but can music in-fluence war? “I wish it could”, Döring says, “but I doubt it can.” Alongside a long history of anti-war protest songs, there is an equally long tradition of poli-ticians ignoring it.

But even if music may not end wars, it can mark their faces: In the December of 1914, for example, German and Bri-tish soldiers met on Christmas Eve and sang Christmas carols together. A little later, the first Afro-American brigade of the US army introduced some lighter tunes to Europe with songs like “When the Kaiser does the Goose-Step to Good Old American Rag”. Rag and jazz songs like this did not only motivate soldiers to walk faster, but also served as a source of entertainment. They also contributed to the popularisation of jazz music in Eu-rope during the 1920s.

The belief that music can change the outcome of wars may be naïve, but it certainly influences a country‘s culture, which can, in turn, shape its attitude to-wards war and violence. Or, as the Ger-

man writer Hans Siemsen put it in 1921: “Had the Kaiser been dancing jazz – none of this would have happened.”

photo: Maximilian gens

concept perforMance waltzing 1914 at MaxiM gorki theatre

Katharina Grewe21 Jahre, Passau

...hopes to see (summer)light at the end of the tunnel.

photo: Maximilian gens

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L oud voices dominated the atmo-sphere of “Peace Renegotiated”.

Everyone was convinced of their ideas and opinions, and wanted to persuade the others to agree. But it was not that easy. Just like it wasn‘t easy 95 years ago. Countries like France, the United Kingdom, Italy and the USA contempla-ted Germany‘s future in Versailles, and it wasn‘t looking too good for a Teutonic future. In 1919 Germany lost 70,000 km² of land to its neighbours. In addition, the Allies held Germany fully responsible for the outbreak of World War I.

tiMe travel to 1919

The aim of the simulation was to take historical responsibility by putting 30 participants in the shoes of others. Each acted as a delegate and represented diffe-rent countries - but never his or her own. Alongside the Treaty of Versailles, they also played out the negotiations of Saint-Germain and Trianon.

“Everyone has a different opini-on about a certain topic. So it‘s hard to come to a compromise,” admitted one participant, who played Stéphen Pichon, the foreign minister of France between 1917 and 1920. The ‚delegates‘ argued about everything from reparation costs to the decimation of the German military.

“The decisions about the disarmament and the responsibility for civil damages were quite easy,” added ‚Pinchon‘.

A consensus on the distribution of reparation costs among the allies and territorial questions, on the other hand, were tougher. „France and Italy were es-pecially hard to negotiate with,“ added the participant who was playing Arthur Balfour, the foreign minister of Great Bri-tain. For three days the group had autho-rity to decide the destiny of Germany, with one added gift: hindsight. They are aware of the past and therefore have a different view on the matter.

1914 anD 2014 – siMilarities are visible

“It is hard to listen to one another becau-se everyone has to say something”, ad-mitted one 22-year-old participant. But in the end there was a result. The Ger-man military was allowed only to keep 150,000 soldiers. Heavy arms and chemi-cal weapons were forbidden. Territories like Alsace-Lorraine, Saarland and the Rheinland went to France. The groups also decided that Silesia, Poznač, West Prussia and Danzig (Gdačsk) should be-long to Poland. Only the region of East Prussia, which today comprises much of the Baltic region, was ceded to Germany.

In fact, the HistoryCampus negotiations came to similar results as those of 1919. As an Italian representative told politik-orange, it was the “best possible com-promise”. The young people between 19 and 26 brought creativity, fantasy and diplomatic competence with them. It en-sured an exciting discussion.

Sally Eshun17 Jahre, Hamburg

... is looking foward to an European future instead of an European hostility.

peace iN europe – reNegoTiaTed The parTicipaNTs of The workshop “peace reNegoTiaTed” faced a big chaLLeNge: revive The peace NegoTiaTioNs of 1919. iT is hard To be oN The same page - especiaLLy wheN No oNe is ready To compromise. by sally esHun

photo: Jana nolleparticipants negotiating at a peace treaty

W ednesday evening in front of the Gorki Theatre, at the heart of Berlin:

A mixture of different languages fills the forecourt. Young people aged between 18 and 25 years old, from all corners of the globe, have arrived in the German capital to participate in HistoryCampus. The Fe-deral Agency of Civic Education invited them, in cooperation with the Körber Foun-dation and the Robert Bosch Foundation, to find an answer to the question: “The First World War – What does it mean to me?”

In 22 workshops that range from analysing and digitalising, to enacting and commemorating history, participants dis-cuss, research, shoot films and act, on the

topic of World War I. Although the official motto of the Campus is “Look back, think forward”, the focus often falls on the past. Most of these young people have no per-sonal relationship to the war, so it can be challenging for them to grasp the impact it still has today.

A wide range of additional activi-ties aim to bridge this gap. Guided tours through Berlin show that history is still vi-sible - even if we do not notice it at first. A more artistic perspective is provided by the Israeli violist Avri Levitan, whose shows explain, via first-hand examples, how clas-sical music was abused for propaganda purposes during the war.

Despite the participants’ enthusiasm, the Palais quiets down when they dis-appear into their workshops. If you take a look in the rooms, you will find people sitting in front of PCs, creating sculp-tures or acting in role-plays. “I really appreciate that everyone is so involved and tries to make the most of this gre-at opportunity,” says Ida Ydo, 21, from Denmark.

German student Lena Pöschel is especially impressed by the atmosphere among the participants. “Everyone co-mes to Berlin with completely different backgrounds, but people are always friendly and respectful in dealing with

each other,” she says. Hopefully this in-spiring atmosphere can be remembered when everyone returns home on Sunday.

aLL roads Lead To berLiN wiTh 381 parTicipaNTs from 44 couNTries aLL over The worLd, There is quiTe a muLTicuLTuraL aTmosphere oN The hisTorycampus. by CHristina lerCH

Christina Lerch19, Ulm

... is looking foward to an interconnected European Union with dissolving borders and differences.

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I hope that supra-national cooperation both between nations and the EU and other countries will be intensified.

Quynh-Anh Nguyen-Xuan21, Germany

I hope for harmony between cultural identities of every area but I also hope that it does not become a single united states of europe.

Bran Algoed24, Belgium

I don‘t believe in borders or countries, I believe in cul-ture. Everyone should work together without needing the EU to make that happen.

Ana Catalá31, Spain

I hope countries will share more to try to change the inequality I also hope that the negative opinions about immigration in France will be reduced.

Louisa Chas17, France

differeNT aNgLes of europe

how do you imagiNe a posiTive visioN of eu-rope reLaTiNg To your couNTry? auThors alina leiMbaCH & Katie WilliaMs asked severaL peopLe oN The hisTorycampus from seve-raL couNTries. oN The map you see each couNTry ThaT is represeNTed by The 381 parTicipaNTs. pHotos by Jana nolle

australia 1 Canada 1egypt 6 israel 1uzbeKistan 1

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It would be nice if developed countries would help develo-ping countries more. That there is at least a minimum standard of living everywhere in Europe.

Inas Gacanin17, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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I wish Europe to become a place where every culture is considered equally im-portant and each country’s history is recognised.

Rasa Gostautaite20, Lithuania

Peace. And less pressure from Russia.

Vadyn Tiroshko20, Ukraine

I would like to see the European Union being more accepted in Hungary. People should communi-cate and negotiate with each other instead of taking things personally.

Ester Vámos23, Hungary

It would be nice if developed countries would help develo-ping countries more. That there is at least a minimum standard of living everywhere in Europe.

Inas Gacanin17, Bosnia and Herzegovina

It would be nice to unite whilst keeping traditions and national uniqueness upright.

Zofia Sokolowicz20, Poland

Peace, and understan-ding and more social justice. And young people that fight for it.

Feteini Pateinari24, Greece

More integration, more understanding between people and more collaboration.

Joron PostoloskiElena Glaboska24, 23, Macedonia

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A bead of sweat appears on the young soldier’s forehead. His wea-

pon is ready in his hands. Drenched with rain, he stands behind the crumbling wall of a house. On the other side, the enemy is waiting with his own weapon and the will to take the life of his op-ponent. The young soldier knows what awaits him.

Scenarios such as this come to mind when people think about videoga-mes that deal with wars, especially with World War I. But does it really have to be such a bloody, cruel and deadly scene?

“The heroes in many World War I games are presented as a collection of madmen. This is because most produ-cers only have one intention: to sell their games”, explains Christian Huberts, 31, who is organising the workshop “Gaming the Great War” at the HistoryCampus. In this workshop, fourteen participants try to develop alternatives to existing games.

“Until now, the producers have seldomly thought about being historically accura-te. Our workshop is not only about un-derstanding individual historical facts, but also about having fun with history and representing it in new ways,” odds Mr. Huberts.

Different gaMes saMe enthusiasM

At the back of the room, two desks with laptops are put together and a group is working on their project: They are creating a map showing the trenches of World War I. In these trenches, the player assumes the role of a soldier and needs to survive and stay sane. This task is impeded by quests, which can influ-ence the player’s level both negatively and positively: Getting caught in an explosion, for example, will make your sanity go down and sending postcards back home can push it back up. “You have to keep your level of sanity”, says Clemens Weinbrenner, 23, who is one of the creators of this game. “The atmos-phere also plays an important role: The-re is less light, fewer sound effects and a wobbly screen. You cannot win, only cope with this game. That is our message concerning wars.”

All in all, three groups are working on different games with various back-grounds – a completely different example from Clemens’ approach is a new versi-on of the well-known game “Angry Birds” that includes World War I weapons.

With the help of a software called “Unity Tool”, the participants are able to cre-ate detailed and realistic characters and landscapes, from overgrown woods to a mountainous and rocky terrain. Once you enter the workshop room, you can feel the intensity and enthusiasm and get a real sense of the teamwork invol-ved. “Yes, that is exactly what a sky should look like!”, somebody shouts in excitement. His group built a character and made him walk through green grass-lands and golden fields, but until now, the colour of the sky had not been con-vincing enough.

new way of reMeMberance

Trial and experimentation are the basis of this workshop: You can explore dif-ferent possibilities and piece for piece, tree for tree, finally create a detailed work of art. But the historical circum-stances and facts are not forgotten. In Clemens Weinbrenner’s opinion, the software simply gives participants the

chance to deal with World War I in a new way, despite the limited time they have in Berlin. The workshop gives participants an active role and conveys the emotions and impressions of people fighting and living during World War I – it is simultaneously telling a story and explaining history.

“With our game, we want to chan-ge the prejudice that videogames about wars always glorify violence. Games can help to understand other people´s mentality and their actions – and inspi-re people to reflect on their perspectives on World War I,” Christian Huberts ex-plains. “The workshop is a chance to create a new way of remembrance with which you can engage directly.”

On one side of the room, right next to the windows, stands a large flip chart with a mind map on it. Looking at the keywords, ideas and inspirations jotted down on the white paper, you can see the meticulous preparation and feel the passion of the participants that went into the games. War may not be

a game, but the workshop “Gaming the Great War” shows that it is possible to use games as a means to explain and understand it.

Antonio Basilicata 18, Bremen

... is looking foward to a more open and united Europe with an exciting future.

you caNNoT wiN, oNLy cope videogames deaLiNg wiTh wars are ofTeN recogNized as vioLeNT aNd iNaccuraTe. aT The hisTorycampus, some parTicipaNTs show ThaT you caN coNNecT games aNd war iN a differeNT way. by antonio basiliCata

photo: Maximilian genscleMens weinbrenner while he is testing his own gaMe

13 //

fruchtfleisch what has been your best experience?

hana Duvacic anD sara sepic17, bosnia anD herzegovina

the huge variety oF Points oF views ConCerning world war i in the

workshoP “wwi?- i like?!“.

“variety“

hannah hilligarDt19, uk

meeting so many young PeoPle From diFFerent Countries who

are eager to think and talk about world war i.

“Meeting“

sherMin langhoff44, gerMany

the vivid atmosPhere when 400 PeoPle From 40 Countries entered

the theatre.

“atMosphere“

W ords are powerful: they have the ability to hurt or to heal, to inspi-

re love or hate and to create alliances or lead to the outbreak of war. Looking into the period leading up to and during World War 1 it is interesting to explore the role language played in the terrible events which took place. You might ex-pect that this would unearth some sim-ple mistranslations which increased ten-sions between the powers. The reality is far more intriguing.

one worD, one Meaning?

The participants of the workshop ‘Ex-ploring the Power of Concepts in War and Peace – 1914/2014’ have been loo-king closely at the subject of language. The words they are dealing with are all in English - and yet surprisingly, during the workshop, many different interpre-tations arose from the simplest of terms.

At the most basic level it isn’t lan-guage itself which influences the actions and reactions of people, but their per-ception of what the word means. Parti-

cipants have explored more intangible concepts such as ‚nation‘, ‚Europe‘ and ‚patriotism‘, and have been discussing the various interpretations of these words and the consequences this could have had in 1914 as the world stood on the brink of catastrophe.

honour – personal or national?

Take, for example, ‚honour‘. It can be taken on a personal level or a national one, something which is often heavily linked with a person’s culture. When coming up with synonyms for ‚honour‘, suggestions range from ‘integrity’ and ‘honesty’ to ‚dignity‘ and ‚glory‘. And while those might seem pretty similar, the phrases ‚to be honoured‘ and ‚to be honourable‘ mean two very different things. The first is linked with the opi-nion of others and is more likely to be used on a national scale, the other with ethics and is a more personal concept. These different interpretations can lead to very different reactions. And they

show how emotionally and ideologi-cally-charged phrases can be misunder-stood, or abused.

Different interpretations

Participants were quickly engrossed in the semantically-labyrinthine subject. Kerasia Sklavounou, 24, from Greece, spoke about the word ‚Europe‘: “Alt-hough it is not a word which can be mistranslated, as can happen with other words, there is still margin for different interpretations.“ Does “Europe” refer to a political space? A geographical area? Or something else entirely? Depending on where you are from, your opinion on this matter will be different.

Sulkhan Chargeishvili, a 20-year-old Georgian, pointed out that, “diffe-rences in perception and misunderstan-dings could lead to conflict as people interpret the same word in either a posi-tive or negative way.“ Maybe if those in power in 1914 had clarified the meaning of their words, things might have turned out differently, we’ll never know. What

we can say with some certainty is that abstract concepts are complicated. When talking about these more intangible ideas we are using the same words. But are we really on the same page?

war of The words LaNguage is a powerfuL TooL buT why couLd words be parT of The rouTe To disasTer aNd war? oNe hisTory campus workshop has beeN LookiNg iNTo The way words caN be misuNdersTood or iNTerpreTed differeNTLy. by Katie WilliaMs

Katie Williams21, Northampton

... is looking forward to see everyone having a greater mutual under-standing.

\\ 14

photo: ute langkaferl

about

Aleksandar Radenković, born in 1979 in Novi Sad, Serbia, is a German actor. He has been a member of the Maxim Gorki Theater ensemble since 2013, following work in Leipzig, Hamburg and Düsseldorf. After a decade of ac-ting, this season’s shows at the gorki are the first to force Radenković to confront his Balkan origins.

15 //

accorDing to a 2013 survey 65% of serbs see gavrilo princip, the sare-jevo assassin whose actions lit the touch-paper of war, as a hero. only 7% consiDer hiM a terrorist. what‘s your take on that?

Actually, I didn‘t know much about World War I before I took part in the play “The Night of Gavrilo Princip”. I only knew that there was a guy who shot another guy, and then World War I started. For the play I read a lot of books about the war. My preparation for the per-formance took me deeper into the historical context of Princip’s life and the life of his friends. They were born in poor villages, and in a country that was suppressed over hundreds of years. I don‘t think we should make the mistake of looking at the assassin from our present perspective. Regarding the historical context I can un-derstand Princip’s idealistic approach and his hope to earn freedom for his country. I do not want to defend Gavrilo‘s crime. But considering the time he lived in, I try to have a neutral view of him.

you point out that the play‘s pro-graM siMply calls you an actor anD DisregarDs your nationality. to what extent DiD your birthplace, novi saD (serbia‘s seconD-largest city), influence your perforMance?

I have been an actor for ten years now. For the first nine-and-a-half, my nationality did not play any role. For me, it was always a private issue. But half a year ago I became a member of the Gorki ensemble. My first project here was “Common Ground”, which dealt with Balkan history. Now I am doing “The Night of Gavrilo Princip”. Those plays forced me to deal with my own identity: I had to work with it onstage. For me that is a difficult task. I am convinced that an actor onstage should not give a political statement. But suddenly you feel that you have got some responsibility and that eve-ry word you say affects the audience. Your performance automatically becomes a political statement. And often people ask me for my feelings about it – just like you (laughs). It is very interesting but also confusing being pushed into such a role, and to be forced to establish a position on this topic.

we‘ll push you further then: chri-stopher clark‘s latest book about worlD war i, “the sleepwalkers”, has stirreD a lot of controversy in

serbia. what‘s your opinion on the Discussion about serbian victiMs anD heroes?

I read the book during my holidays on the beach in Thailand as a preparation for my next performance at the Gorki. I read the first chapter, which deals with Serbia. Clark describes the state as a violent nation with imperial ambitions. Of course, reading this made me very angry. I think what Clark wrote about Serbia was true of all countries in Europe in the 1910s: The Germans had their Schlieffen Plan (a plan for victory on two fronts), the Russians had plans to swallow the Balkan states, and so on. What I have learned from my studies about the war is that everyone knows his or her patch of history. It is im-possible to tell The Whole Story. You always choose some pieces of the narrative and make up your own version of history.

how woulD you Describe yourself in three worDs?

Emotional, self-controlled, angry.

you MentioneD neither nationality nor religion. is the concept of na-tional iDentity still up to Date?

For me, yes. Definitely. Of course you can say that we are all connected and it‘s great that we live in a united Europe. But what I feel is the loss of a cer-tain tradition. I like belonging to a group of people. When it comes to sayings like “being part of a na-tion” or even “being proud to be part of a nation”, there‘s always a negative connotation. It‘s always connected to some blind and small-minded idea. But for me, being part of a nation means belonging. We are all Europeans, all humans. But it‘s nice to know the cultural differences and to learn from that.

to what Degree Does the gerMan theatre scene portray the Diversi-ty of gerMany?

I try to put it like this: If you watch the majority of the audience in all the theatres, it‘s pretty much the same as the people standing onstage. So I think it should be our goal to get more multicultural in the theatre and make it more important. If the people onstage will change, their story will automatically change. If you talk about yourself and your expe-riences, suddenly new people come to the theatre.

art is not often only about enter-taining but also an eDucation. what is theatre‘s role in looking back - as well as thinking forwarD?

I don‘t think theatre should teach. When I think about teaching, I think about school. Theatre should ask que-stions, disturb, provoke emotions and be funny. Maybe it‘s a utopia, the original idea of theatre. I would like to believe in, and to fight for, a society in which we still need theatre. But I‘m not sure if we do, with all the media.

we‘ve askeD participants what school faileD to teach theM about the war. what DiDn‘t you learn?

I think I had a good history teacher, but nonetheless I lost my interest in it. I remember that we talked about the great powers but not so much about the Ottomans or the Balkan region. That‘s all I remember.

it is saiD that history is life‘s tea-cher. what have 100 years taught us, anD what insights can we take into the future?

Last night I watched a documentary about the Second World War. There was footage of thousands cheering for Hitler. Like the beginning of WWI, it‘s the enthusiasm that makes me wonder. When talking about history and wars, I am always asking myself: are we really so safe today? We live in a democratic country, but we only have to look at Ukraine to see that nothing is safe; no border is safe. Everything can change in a day. So if there‘s something we ought to learn it‘s never to forget these things are still possible. Never to take peace for granted.

»are we really safe toDay?«

aLeksaNdar radenkoviĆ serbia-borN germaN actor aleksandar radenkoviĆ spoke to politikorange abouT serbia, worLd war i aNd The roLe of arTs. by Jana KugotH & KatHarina greWe

Jana Kugoth25, Berlin

Katharina Grewe21, Passau

see themselves being the first human beings on Mars.

\\ 16

worLd war oNe iN The media iN The pasT decades The greaT war, overshadowed by The Third reich, was rareLy covered by germaN media. a huNdred years LaTer, The debaTe abouT worLd war i has riseN agaiN iN books aNd oN screeNs smaLL aNd Large. by sopHie Hubbe & ann-KatHrin Mopils

T here have been many German re-leases about the Great War in the

last few years. In the following you will discover some examples of academic books and popular films that handle with World War I (WWI).

The main question on WWI dis-cussed in historiographical circles deals with the reasons for war, and who was responsible for its eruption. There is a general sense that not one nation is solely culpable. But despite that, Ger-many gets accused the most. Gerhard Hirschfeld, professor of modern and contemporary history at the University of Stuttgart, believes that, for the Prus-sian-German conservative elite, only a European war could help realise their colonial plans and designs on global political prestige. It was that interaction of politics and prestige that directly led to the breakdown of peace on the con-tinent. Though most historians these days refute such evidence, Hirschfeld throws his weight behind Teutonic, bla-me in the context of regional politics at the time.

Cambridge historian Christopher Clark‘s “The Sleepwalkers” opened another intriguing debate: how Europe went to war in 1914. In the book Clark

recants the outbreak of WWI by intro-ducing new sources that emphasise the responsibility of Serbia and the Balkans. He stresses the aggressive ideology of the young Serbian kingdom, which clamoured for an expansion of its state into a ‚Greater Serbia‘. Clark also un-derscores a multi-polar, fragile world of contradictory ideals that were created in the reign of various leaders. Clark points out how European rulers behaved like sleepwalkers: stumbling through crises believing a European war was the only solution. These theories, unsurprisin-gly, shook Serbia, where many hold Clark responsible for a revival of their country’s war guilt.

DocuMentaries anD fea-ture filMs

In the 2008 film “The Red Baron”, Matthias Schweighöfer plays the role of young Manfred von Richthofen, a talen-ted and celebrated pilot of the Imperial German Air Service (the ‚Luftstreitkräf-te‘). Paying no attention to the deadly risks of war, air combat for Manfred is simply a sport: a way of gaining respect. He is named the Red Baron thanks to his bright red flying machine.

It is only after Manfred falls in love with Kate, a military nurse, that he realises war‘s dreadful perils. Following a serious accident he begins to hate the war, and struggles with his obligations to the Luft-streitkräfte. Nevertheless, he sallies out to fly again - with terrible results.

World War I was the first war in which aerial combat took centre stage. The movie itself, directed by Nikolai Müllerschön, was shot in English and German - with the same cast appearing in both versions. Despite several histori-cal inaccuracies, and no shortage of con-troversial opinions about the film, it illu-minates the war from a completely new perspective and it is well worth a watch.

The BBC series “Downton Abbey” begins with the sinking of the RMS Tita-nic in 1912, and covers a glut of impor-tant historical events leading up to World War I - including a change in the British social hierarchy. The aristocratic Craw-ley family and their servants, who live in the show‘s eponymous Yorkshire coun-try estate, take top billing. By the first season‘s finale the Great War has broken out, and the second season comprises central events of war such as 1916‘s bru-tal Battle of the Somme. Several different perspectives of the war are shown. Some

family members and servants are recrui-ted and wounded; their Irish chauffeur refuses to fight for the British; and the family´s youngest daughter flouts her aristocracy by joining the Voluntary Aid Detachment, which provided medical care on the battlefield. Watching the show, it‘s easy to see how power in Bri-tain was reorganised by the war.

Sophie Hubbe23, Magdeburg

Ann-Kathrin Mopils21, Stuttgart

... are looking forward to see more people being concerned about sustai-nability.

photo: Maximilian gensDifferent ways to appraoch worlD war i

17 //

I n the cold winter of 1916 the people of Freiburg were starving. As a result they slaughtered this number of poor cats and dogs as they were seen as competitors for food. Some of them might even have found their way into the cooking pots of hungry citizens.

865%

“i know how My country of resiDence was affecteD by the war.“

“i woulD like to know More about wwi.“

The increase of the price of bread in warsaw during the war.

t here were only three parishes in scotland which did not lose at least one person to the war: Abernyte, Le-thendy and kinloch.

oNce upoN a Time... There was a greaT war This workshop did some research oN The coNsequeNces of The fighTiNg for the home front in freiburg, dundee, paris and gdaŃsk. it also iNcLuded a survey oN how much peopLe sTiLL kNow abouT The war. The workshop parTicipaNTs fouNd some surprisiNg facTs you pro-babLy did NoT kNow before. by JoHannes Kolb

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\\ 18

how DiD you personally prepare for the historycaMpus?

I have done some research into my own family history: families often do not talk about war because of the trau-matic experiences, but I’ve found out my own grand-father - my mother’s father - was a soldier in World War I. He took a bullet to the lung, which could not be removed with an operation those days. But that did not prevent him from smoking, and with every drag one could hear a little whistle coming out of his lung!

what were your hopes for the hi-storycaMpus? have they been fulfil-leD?

I deeply hope the national narratives of WWI are que-stioned by today‘s curious generation. I’d like to lay the foundation for a pan-European memory - an aim that can only be reached if we share common experiences, discuss and have fun together. During these processes, one can incorporate others‘ perspectives into their own. On the HistoryCampus it didn‘t take long to start this process. The borders of national memories have been crossed.

what is the Most MeMorable en-counter you‘ve haD?

I had a discussion with two people from the Ukraine. They were very happy about being invited to the Histo-ryCampus and being recognised as a part of this debate, while there is terrible violence in their country. Partici-pants here are lively about bringing current history to the workshop.

concerning ukraine, chancellor angela Merkel saiD at the opening cereMony that “we shoulD not use force; rather the force of the law.“ what Do you Make of that state-Ment?

I think this is a very precise and truthful sentence. Europe’s history has its origin in the promise ‘never again war‘. It is a promise of which we must be remin-ded constantly - especially considering the situation in Ukraine. After World War II, Europeans set up laws to prevent war. But even today it is seen as an option in dealing with conflict. That original promise must be preserved.

»founDation for a pan-european MeMory« Thomas krüger, presideNT of The federaL ageNcy for civic educaTioN, shared his persoNaL views oN The hisTory cam-pus 2014 wiTh poLiTikoraNge. by Jana KugotH

Jana Kugoth25, Berlin

is as an optimistic person, looking forward to a new generation emerging – people considering themselves Europeans.

our author jana kugoth is talking to thoMas krüger Photo: Jana sophia nolle

florian burkhardt @floburkhardt 7 may

At the opening of #historycampus at the Maxim Gorki theatre in #berlin. Great to be a.part of it. #e1414

charlotte jahnz @CJahnz 9 may

So there‘s a lot of memorial culture of #wwi in the UK, but is there any in Germany? #e1414

janine noack @janinenoack 7 may

Geert Mak: “whoever kills, kills himself. whoever rules, rules himself.“ #e1414 @HistoryCampus

Martin bayer @wartist_org 9 may

Head of @bundeszentrale krüger quotes harry Patch, the last British surviving soldier who died in 2009: “war is organised murder.“ #e1414

felix r. gießmann @felixg3 8 may

I probably get a stack overflow about history know-ledge in the next days. It‘s going to be productive and funny! #e1414

lucy Moore @CuratorLucy 9 may

staying late at work - keeping an eye on #E1414 for #ww1me opinions!

social MeDia eDitors

More on historycampus14.blogspot.de

19 //

fresh, fruity, self-MaDe - MitMachen@politikorange.De

this issue of politikorange was produced during the historycampus that took place in berlin from 7 to 11 May 2014.

publisher:politikorangeJugendpresse deutschland e.v.Alt-Moabit 89, 10559 Berlin,www.politikorange.de

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skeTches from The workshops

more oN our hisTorycampus-bLog

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Ws10: reMeMber every day

Ws19: CoMMon ground reloaded

Ws4: onCe upon a tiMe... tHere Was a great War