Germany: A New History

Martin Luther

After reading the first two chapters of Hagen Schulze’s book, Germany: A New History, I feel that I have a better understanding of early German history. I find it fascinating to learn how Germany evolved into what we see today. The aspect I found most intriguing though was how religion shaped this part of the world. When the churches were becoming greedy and taking advantage of the citizens, calls for reform rang across the lands. Martin Luther became an important figure in this Reformation. His beliefs and teachings gave people a new way to look at Christianity. He even made the Bible accessible to a much greater population by translating it into the vernacular. Luther challenged the corruption he saw in Catholicism and gave a new hope to the people. 

Of course not everyone believed in the teachings of Lutheranism, but rather believed the only true faith was that of Catholicism. These denominational divisions eventually led to the Thirty Years’ War from 1618 to 1648, which aimed to restore a religious unity to Europe. This bloody war cost millions of lives and ended up just giving the Catholics and Protestants equal representation. 

The Battle of Rocroi, near the end of the Thirty Years' War

This religious turmoil seems to reveal something common across humanity, not just in Germany. I myself am not a very religious person, but I know that religion is important to much of the world. In this case, religion was important in the shaping of Germany and German culture, even though it led to war. Throughout history, differing religious beliefs have been the basis for many wars and other violence. In Europe alone there have been many wars of religion, including the Crusades and the Spanish Reconquista. So why does history keep repeating itself? Why do people keep fighting over religion? 

I believe it is a part of human nature for people to defend their beliefs and retaliate when they feel threatened. With so many ways to look at the world, religion can easily become a touchy subject. It forms a basis in the lives of so many people. The problem is that everyone believes their way of thinking is the right way of thinking. Intolerance of other religions or groups of people throughout time has led people to try to convert others to their belief system, or even entirely eliminate the other party. 

For me, growing up in this particular time and place it seems silly to fight over religion. I don’t see why people can’t just live peacefully together and let different religions coexist. But this is a different time after all. Learning about the religious turmoil of the past helps me to understand how the present day has come to be. Religion may have caused a great deal of conflict over time, but it has brought countries together and delivered us to where we are today. 

Word Count: 470