Menu
What's it about: East Germany
When was it made: 1970 Who made it: BBC Why should you watch it: Provides a snapshot of the GDR and Western views of it at the height of the Cold War. This was the first time cameras from the outside were allowed in and it's just fascinating to see how the country was viewed at the time. East Germany is pitched as an example of Communism working: one of the highest GDP's in europe, best in the Soviet Bloc etc. Just fifteen years before the economy is barely hanging on. It's fairly honest and objective - they note nearly being thrown out several times for filming things they shouldn't, acknowledge the positives but set all these against the lack of freedom. They're even allowed to film a parade with Walter Ulbricht speaking. You'll cringe watching some of the Young Maidens yawning and hope it didn't cost them a place at university or something. But most notable is the painting of a young-looking Erich Honecker, just a year before he boots out his mentor. And in a micro sense, it's also interesting to see the difference in how documentaries were filmed then vs. now. This is pitched for people already interested, there's not a lot of effort to make it accessible. A bit like the country itself ;). Check it out here, free on iPlayer
0 Comments
In 1528, a group of Englishmen stood on a windswept hillside in the middle of nowhere, looking for the pope on an important mission for their king. The region of Umbria being a long way from the grandeur of Rome, they began traipsing up a narrow mountain path, the only way to reach their destination. A refuge for popes dating back hundreds of years, the small town of Orvieto was all but impenetrable. It was also falling apart, the pope having resorted to dwelling in: ‘an old palace of the Bishops of the city, ruinous and decayed; as we came to his privy chamber, we passed three chambers, all naked and unhanged, the roofs fallen down… And as for the Pope’s bedchamber, all the apparel in it was not worth twenty nobles…’ In such a setting, the group sent to negotiate the divorce of Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon came upon Pope Clement VII. Finding his Holiness not faring much better than the city. On the run and forced into hiding, a wild, unkempt beard clung to his face. With the pope in such a state, getting an annulment should've been easy. So why didn't it happen? NO MONEY, MO' PROBLEMS For a start, the papacy under Clement was at its weakest since returning to Italy a century earlier. Beginning when in 1494 the scheming Ludovico Sforza of Milan suggested the King of France might wish to examine his claim on the Kingdom of Naples, Milan's greatest enemy. Beginning near-constant fighting within Italy between europe's superpowers France and Spain, which was only to conclude in 1529. Four-decades-worth of papal occupants becoming very much ‘Piggy’ in a game controlled by superior players. Including Leo X (1513-21). The son of Lorenzo de’ Medici was not much for pugilism. He preferred to spend his time and money on other pursuits. And spend he did. Dropping a few hundred-thousand ducats on his coronation alone. In an era when a top flight lawyer could expect to earn around 400 annually. Widespread corruption within the Church had been acknowledged at the Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17). Leo dissolved it, threatening excommunication to those who spoke of reform - an ongoing battle between pope and council soon to be reflected in wider opposition. Meanwhile, Leo continued his lavish spending. Nearly bankrupt, new loans were only agreed at an extravagant 40% interest rate. The pope happily agreed. There were always appointments to be sold - also known as simony. And if this failed there were indulgences. Not an invention of Leo’s, these reached preposterous levels under his control. One could now purchase indulgences for sins not yet committed. Or for dead relatives. The higher the price, the shorter the time in purgatory: ‘As the coin in the basin rings, the soul to Heaven springs!’ When the Protestant Reformation came in October 1517, chief among Martin Luther’s complaints was the idea that anyone but God could forgive such sins. Leo responded with a 41-count condemnation of Luther. Which Luther gave such credence as to publicly burn. In turn, he was excommunicated and the religious opposition was set. (Strangely enough, Henry was granted the title Fidei Defensor[1] - Defender of the Faith - in 1521 for his passionate and spirited defence of the Papacy against Luther.) When Leo’s pontificate came to an end, the Holy See’s debts were rumoured to be some 800,000 ducats. Giving his successors little choice but to continue the practice of indulgences, strengthening the Protestants' cause in so-doing. It was now that Giulio de’ Medici becoming Pope Clement VII. He had his cousin to thank for both mounting opposition and a mountain of debt. All of which should've helped Henry's case, but didn't. As we shall see. [1] This inscription can still be seen on British pound coins today Pope Leo X (son of Lorenzo de' Medici) with his cousin the future Clement VII (son of Giuliano de' Medici) to his right while still a cardinal. Clement never knew his father due to his murder in 1478 at the ultimate behest of another pope during the famous Pazzi Plot. By Raphael - gallerix.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101192876 Carnival When you think of carnivals, you probably think of dodgems, ferris wheels, cotton candy and other junk food. However, the term itself is rather more literal. Derivating... (Yeah I know it's not a word!) ... from the Italian carne vale or carnevale, it referred to the period before lent when people would wear masks, get drunk and promiscuity went undefeated. More importantly, it directly preceded the time prior to which meat was forbidden, hence carne(meat) vale(farewell).
So, next time you're about to eat meat and feel like talking to it, you can say 'carnevale'. Or, if you really enjoy being weird, prior to your next carnival visit, you can ask if anyone is going to the 'goodbye meat'. You might call me a bit of a skeptic.
Unless there's clear proof of something, I tend to think it's still open to argument. I want to be totally convinced. The idea that there are many things we can never know for certain drives me nuts. I like trying to figure it all out. |
AuthorMA in History. Love trying to figure out what really happened. Into the late 1930s and the build up to war atm but always intrigued by 1400s Italy, the USSR and well, everything. ArchivesCategories |