Do Germans Care About History? | Easy German 646

Janusz imagine we could travel back in time—whom would you most like to meet I think there are so many people I'd love to meet But in the end maybe Socrates after all Best place to be is right here in Berlin right in the Prater Garten A few beers with Socrates—that would be the best part We're asking people today whether they're interested in history Let's get started Are you interested in history Yes moderately I suppose What did you learn about history in school Or what did you enjoy about it That history tends to repeat itself Do you like history Yes a little Which parts of history What about history fascinates her so much Maybe ancient Greece the gods Are you interested in history at all Yes definitely Which parts of the story interest you the most Above all I really enjoy the story of the Weimar Republic in Berlin I'm currently reading a novel the Rath novels set in Berlin during the Weimar Republic featuring a police commissioner Are you interested in history Yes And which areas or periods interest you the most The Middle Ages What do you find fascinating about the Middle Ages The actual progression over time How much has actually evolved in that span Various spheres of power that have continually shifted and so on Do you like history Yes What did you enjoy most about history class in school What I’ve learned about the history of the country where I grew up The Thirty Years' War Yes it's not exactly a pleasant story but it's important Yes exactly absolutely And you Likewise I'd go along with that I'm definitely not a fan of so many facts and figures right now But of course I think it's important to engage with it Are you interested in history Yes I'd say it depends on the story But yes generally speaking I'd say yes Do you want me to ask you too Why not right Yes Are you interested in history Yes somewhat Which periods or historical stories do you like best The Romans The Romans—there's never enough of them Yes Beautiful I'd say for me I live here in Berlin I find Berlin's history over the last century to be quite fascinating And that you can still see the traces of it today I found it really fascinating when we talked about the GDR And seen what Berlin truly is the rich history behind it And that it's particularly significant that this city was simply divided And yes I also find it very important that we discussed Nazism That's something that still I'd say weighs on us Justifiably so Are you interested in history Yes I'm interested in history And actually I recently watched a German series called The Germans Yes I know that one too Really fascinating Yes I thought that since I live in Germany and also teach the German language I might need to cover a few gaps as well Also I already know the most important events in German history But how the whole thing started this series explained perfectly to me Every evening my husband and I watched his series and it was incredibly exciting Are you interested in history Yes And what time period do you find so fascinating You're from France Are you perhaps interested in the French Revolution I studied art history and specialized in the Middle Ages So I have a deep passion for the Middle Ages Which era interests you the most Oh I couldn't possibly say The Beatles I really enjoy watching documentaries on Arte ranging from ancient Egypt to the present day Yes I like everything What stories do you like best or find most interesting Oh I'm someone drawn to the natural sciences Physics really interests me The evolution of physics itself strikes me as incredibly fascinating and it's still unfolding She will continue to evolve because we keep realizing we've stumbled into awkward situations somewhere along the way and that things might actually be a bit different too Also I find the story of the more recent past especially fascinating Also in principle the time of Nazi Germany because I find it so important to look back on and to see what happened there so it never happens again Are you interested in history Of course I am Are you interested in music history too Naturally Who is significant to you in music history That's too broad a question—it goes beyond the scope I don't know how long your video should be I want to hear it privately Also at the moment I was just in London and that's where I met Joe Meek He was a producer who had already worked with tapes on numerous projects long before the Beatles The Beatles were famously known for working extensively with tapes and conducting numerous experiments in the Abbey Road Studios and in the same city another such place already existed He essentially anticipated psychedelic music as early as the 1960s I highly recommend Joe Meek Are you also interested in history and would you like to discuss it in German But you still need a bit more vocabulary so we have a great tip for you—namely the Easy German Conversation Membership As a Conversation member you can practice and improve your German with us the Easy German team and other learners five days a week We prepare fresh topics for you every day and sometimes you can even have philosophical discussions with Janusz I'm already looking forward to it The Easy German membership offers even more You get interactive exercises and vocabulary support for every video Give it a try yourself All the details are below in the infobox Who historical figure would you like to meet if you had the chance Which historical figure would I meet Napoleon Yes of course Fatih Sultan Mehmed Naturally Ah yes A bit with his harem you know He can bring the harem along No harem is too much I just want one I only have one Anyone Anyone at all I'd love to meet Jane Goodall Who is that Jane Goodall is an environmental and animal rights activist But is she still alive No she is no longer alive She passed away last year Okay So she's been dead for just a year and suddenly hello I want to talk to you Yes Maybe like the Beatles when they first formed and started making music—in Hamburg Yes exactly That's where they played their first gigs Yes something along those lines Maybe more from music yes I think it would be Karl Marx or Franz Kafka There's so much to talk about I'd have loved to see Hildegard von Bingen in person What do you think She was a famous nun from the Middle Ages She described orgasm for the first time Oh wow Naturally in Latin Oh wow That's wonderful Yes and she's written about health—she's a very famous figure she's written about popes and was known as a remarkably independent woman Amazing Yes funny Could you say the names again please Hildegard of Bingen I think Charlie Chaplin would be fascinating Yes absolutely He made the film The Great Dictator and in it there's that speech at the end where he portrays a character who delivers a powerful message about freedom and humanity Hitler pretends to play with the globe in front of Nazi soldiers He plays with the globe Exactly exactly And that big speech I actually have it on Spotify—I listen to it every now and then Once a year or something like that and it's still relevant even more so now And it's just mind-blowing to see how yeah back then before the Second World War the entire film was always spot-on relevant And so to meet someone like that a performer a comedian yet someone who managed to achieve it despite everything a hat so adept at capturing political issues and bringing them to the big stage while reporting on them critically He was Jewish himself Yes yes Imagine you had a fantastic chance to meet any person from history in person Who would you choose to meet Oh that would be difficult So definitely Barbarossa from the Middle Ages Yes Otherwise You'd pull him out of the river Yes exactly I can swim much better than he apparently could Yes and then would Christianity gain those regions or wouldn't it We don't know In case of doubt they would have been lost once more I think Christians have learned a bit more from these wars than from the Crusades—something others still need to learn Yes yes I'd travel to Paris in the 1920s Oh yes that 's totally awesome The music jazz in the 1920s the Weimar Republic—Germany felt free Well one has to admit this Berlin of the 1920s was practically the Bangkok of its time The people were bitterly poor and destitute because Germany was no longer allowed to produce anything in terms of industrial goods Prostitution began to rise And if you were English or like Aisha Wood from the U S you could afford to be completely plenty of people have done it You could have had fun here That's why it' s a bit like well I'd say Paris in the 20s It's better And if they had the fantastic opportunity to travel back in time who would they most like to meet Yes a bit clichéd but then writers like Victor Hugo or Chateaubriand Was Hugo an interesting person too Yes also a politician very socially committed and humanitarian I had also fought against the death penalty for about 100 years before it was finally abolished It is clear that it is important for every individual to understand history and for society as a whole to come to terms with its past—this is a major issue in Germany But why exactly I'd say we must understand history so we can avoid these mistakes in the future As you can see even when one knows the story the same mistakes keep happening over and over That's so disappointing Why is this story important to us personally and to people Well that it's important is clear But why To learn from past mistakes perhaps Why doesn't this ever change Why do wars keep breaking out over and over What's going on It's always about money and power I believe that's a topic that will naturally remain relevant Because there's much to learn from it as history always repeats itself That's interesting Why does it keep repeating Because some structures and mechanisms are simply very similar It's always about power it's always about money I think others believe they're smarter than those before them but in the end they're not We can learn a great deal from it and I believe much of what could teach us a great deal will also be forgotten And humanity keeps stumbling upon questions we've already solved yet somehow forgotten It always comes back to that somewhere And we can learn from this—we just need to pay attention to it You're absolutely right about that You're young and they say if a young man isn't a socialist he's a bad person If you're a socialist in old age you're a fool That's exactly what my father always says Maybe it'll work out after all though I doubt it Yes someday we'll be together The world needs a way out Janusz how would you say history still shapes our everyday lives Very far indeed because there's the story the historical story so to speak But there is also the history of philosophy the history of art the history of music the history of architecture the history of the possible And of course we care about it whether we know it or not It's a huge part of our lives plain and simple Now we want to hear from you Are you interested in history Let us know in the comments below And if you'd like to keep improving your German become a member of Easy German All other details are also listed below in the infobox Until next time Goodbye