Gustaf Kossinna (1858-1931) Mapping the Nazis Empire

Gustaf Kossinna (1858-1931, sometimes spelled Gustav) was a German archaeologist and ethnohistorian who is widely perceived as having been a tool of the archaeology groupie and Nazi Heinrich Himmler, although Kossinna died during Hitlers rise to power. But thats not the whole story. Educated as a philologist and linguist at the University of Berlin, Kossinna was a late convert to prehistory and an ardent supporter and promoter of the Kulturkreise movement—the explicit definition of cultural history for a given area. He was also a proponent for Nordische Gedanke (Nordic Thought), which could be crudely summarized as real Germans are descended from the pure, original Nordic race and culture, a chosen race who must fulfill their historical destiny; no one else should be allowed in. Becoming an Archaeologist According to a recent (2002) biography by Heinz Grà ¼nert, Kossinna was interested in ancient Germans throughout his career, although he started out as a philologist and historian. His principal teacher was Karl Mullenhoff, a professor of German philology specializing in Germanic Prehistory at the University of Berlin. In 1894 at the age of 36, Kossinna made the decision to switch to prehistoric archaeology, introducing himself to the field by giving a lecture on the history of archaeology at a conference in Kassel in 1895, which actually didnt go very well. Kossinna believed that there were only four legitimate fields of study in archaeology: the  history of the Germanic tribes, the  origin of the Germanic peoples and the mythical Indo-Germanic homeland, archaeological verification of the philological division into east and west Germanic groups, and distinguishing between ​Germanic and Celtic tribes. By the start of the Nazi regime, that narrowing of the field had become a reality. Ethnicity and Archaeology Wedded to the Kulturkreis theory, which identified geographical regions with specific ethnic groups on the basis of material culture, Kossinnas philosophical bent lent theoretical support to the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany. Kossinna built an unarguably immense knowledge of archaeological material, in part by painstakingly documenting prehistoric artifacts in museums in several European countries. His most famous work was 1921s German Prehistory: A Pre-Eminently National Discipline. His most infamous work was a pamphlet published at the end of World War I, right after the new state of Poland was carved out of the German Ostmark. In it, Kossinna argued that Pomeranian face-urns found in Polish sites around the Vistula river were a Germanic ethnic tradition, and so Poland rightfully belonged to Germany. The Cinderella Effect Some scholars attribute the willingness of scholars like Kossinna to abandon all other archaeologies under the Nazi regime except for German prehistory to the Cinderella effect. Before the war, prehistoric archaeology suffered in comparison to classical studies: there was a general lack of funds, inadequate museum space, and an absence of academic chairs dedicated to German prehistory. During the Third Reich, high governmental officials in the Nazi party offered their gratifying attention, but also eight new chairs in German prehistory, unprecedented funding opportunities, and new institutes and museums. In addition, the Nazis funded open-air museums dedicated to German studies, produced archaeological film series, and actively recruited amateur organizations using a call to patriotism. But thats not what drove Kossinna: he died before all of that came true. Kossinna began reading, writing, and speaking about Germanic racist nationalist theories in the 1890s, and he became an avid supporter of racist nationalism at the end of World War I. By the late 1920s, Kossinna made a  connection with Alfred Rosenberg, who would become minister of culture in the Nazi Government. The upshot of Kossinnas work was a blossoming of emphasis on the prehistory of the Germanic peoples. Any archaeologist who did not study the prehistory of the Germanic people was derided; by the 1930s, the main society devoted to Roman provincial archaeology in Germany was considered anti-German, and its members came under attack. Archaeologists who did not conform to the Nazi idea of proper archaeology saw their careers ruined, and many were ejected from the country. It could have been worse: Mussolini killed hundreds of archaeologists who didnt obey his dictates about what to study. The Nazi Ideology Kossinna equated ceramic traditions and ethnicity  since he believed that pottery was most often the result of indigenous cultural developments rather than trade. Using the tenets of settlement archaeology—Kossinna was a pioneer in such studies—he drew maps showing the supposed cultural boundaries of the Nordic/Germanic culture, which extended over nearly all Europe, based on textual and toponymic evidence. In this manner, Kossinna was instrumental in creating the ethno-topography which became the Nazi map of Europe. There was no uniformity among the high priests of Nazism, however: Hitler mocked Himmler for focusing on the mud huts of the Germanic people; and while party prehistorians like Reinerth distorted the facts, the SS destroyed sites like Biskupin in Poland. As Hitler put it, all we prove by that is that we were still throwing stone hatchets and crouching around open fires when Greece and Rome had already reached the highest stage of culture. Political Systems and Archaeology As archaeologist Bettina Arnold has pointed out, political systems are expedient when it comes to their support of research that presents the past to the public: their interest is usually in a usable past. She adds that abuse of the past for political purposes in the present is not restricted to obviously totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany. To that I would add: political systems are expedient when it comes to their support of any science: their interest is usually in a science that says what the politicians want to hear and not when it doesnt do that. Sources Arnold, Bettina. â€Å"The Past as Propaganda: Totalitarian Archaeology in Nazi Germany.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 64, no. 244, 1990, pp. 464–478.Arnold, Bettina. The power of the past: Nationalism and archaeology in 20th century Germany. Archaeologia Polona, vol. 35-36, 1998, pp. 237-253.Arnold, Bettina. Arierdà ¤mmerung’: race and archaeology in Nazi Germany. World Archaeology, vol. 38, no. 1, 2006, pp. 8-31.Boudou, Evert. 2005. Kossinna meets the Nordic Archaeologists. Current Swedish Archaeology, vol. 13, 2005, pp. 121-139.Cornell, P., Borelius, U., Kresa, D., and Backlund, T. Kossinna, the Nordische Gedanke, and Swedish Archaeology. Current Swedish Archaeology vol. 15-16, 2007-2008, pp. 37-59.Curta, Florin. Some remarks on ethnicity in medieval archaeology. Early Medieval Europe vol. 15, no. 2, 2007, pp. 159-185.Fehr, Hubert. Review of Gustaf Kossinna (1858–1931), Vom Germanisten zum Prà ¤historiker, Ein Wissenschaftler im Kaiserreich und in der Weimarer Republik, by Heinz Grà ¼nert. Bulletin of the History of Archaeology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2002, pp. 27-30.Mees, B. Và ¶lkische Altnordistik: The Politics of Nordic Studies in the German-Speaking Countries, 1926-45. Old Norse Myths, Literature and Society: 11th International Saga Conference 2–7 July 2000, University of Sydney: Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Sydney. Sydney. 2000. pp. 316-326.Rebay-Salisbury, K.C. Thoughts in Circles: Kulturkreislehre as a Hidden Paradigm in Past and Present Archaeological Interpretations. Roberts, B.W., and Vander Linden, M., editors. Investigating Archaeological Cultures: Material Culture, Variability, and Transmission. New York, NY: Springer New York. 2011, pp. 41-59.

U.s. Involvement During The Korean War - 1590 Words

US Involvement In the Korean War President Truman’s desire to stop communism in the Korean Peninsula resulted in the decision to join the Korean War. The catalyst for the United States’ involvement in the Korean War is mostly due to the fear of the spread of communism, which was caused by North Korea’s encroachment and intimidation of South Korea, as well as the desire to silence the Soviet Union. Other factors attributed to US involvement such as the Truman Doctrine, the Domino Theory, and McCarthyism. The United States has a profound fear of communism and honestly I think most, if not all, countries do as well. â€Å"Communism† according to Wikipedia, â€Å"is a social, political, and economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of the communist society, which is a socioeconomic order structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money, and the state.† In plain term s, it is a form of government in which no one owns anything, it all belongs to the state and everyone is equal no one is above anyone else. Now to some people that must give a euphoric feeling to have everyone equal. Well, the one deadly factor that leads to disasters, anarchy, and deaths is us. The humans. Humans cannot live with everyone being equal. We still have the biological need to make things ours and communism disables the luxury of having private property and owning things in Kaminsky 2 general. Communism itself isn’t aShow MoreRelatedU.s. Involvement During The Korean War913 Words   |  4 PagesU.S. involvement in Korea The reason I am writing my research paper on the Korean War is because I am interested in Korean history also the Korean War had many significances to American history because it was the first physical war to take place during the Cold War. It was also the first war the United Nations entered with many countries coming to add the First Republic of Korea. This war was not about winning but rather it was for stopping the spread of communism. The United States governmentRead MoreSocial Differences Of The Korean War And Vietnam War826 Words   |  4 Pagescause of many wars. These two major wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, not only had serious impact within the country, but also give a prime example of how similar and different between the two. Both wars were commenced similarly from its conflict with expansion of a communist government and the involvement of the United States. Differences came from the involvement of the United Nation and the outcome of both wars. The similarity between the two wars is the the factorRead MoreKorean War : The Cold War1598 Words   |  7 Pageshad already seen two appallingly destructive and costly World wars, just as the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States broke due to their ideological differences after World War II, in the midst of the Cold War was the Korean War. The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, a border between South and North Korea, to attack South Korea. The size of the war quickly grew as it began to involve countries like China, SovietRead MoreUSAs Military Involvement in Korea Essay1148 Words   |  5 PagesUSAs Military Involvement in Korea The USAs military involvement in the Korean War is often seen as Americas desire to defend democracy. This argument is often difficult to refute considering economically there was little to gain from Korea and there was a certain risk of coming into conflict with the USSR. Although there are factors which I will later explore that are indicative of there being another purpose to the Korean War, much of the evidence shows the USAsRead MoreThe United State Relations Between South Korea And United States1250 Words   |  5 PagesFrom the end of World War II, the relation between South Korea and United State has evolved in many aspects with regard to military alliance, economic cooperation, and cultural exchange. Such relationship has lasted almost 70 years, back and forth. In fact, Republic of Korea- United State relations have been extensive since 1950, when the United State helped establish the modern state of South Korea and fought on it United State-sponsored side in the Korea War (1950-1953). During the subsequent fourRead MoreThe Soviet Union s Puppet1377 Words   |  6 Pagesfighting side by side with the Korean people†¦ However many years U.S. imperialism wants to fight, we are ready to fight right up to the moment of complete victory for the Chinese and Korean people,† Mao Zedong said on February 7, 1953. Before 1950, China had very little to do with North Kor ea. North Korea s Communist government was set up by its leader Kim Il Sung, with the help of the Soviet Union, since he was Stalin’s pupil. The Chinese were disinterested in the Korean conflict at first, but theirRead MoreThe Korean War1641 Words   |  7 Pages During the times of the 1950’s the whole world was in a state of unrest, the downfall of Hitler in Europe had left an enormous swath of land that was half occupied by the allies and half occupied by the USSR(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) which were communist. On the other side of the world in the pacific theater Japan had succumbed to the force of the United States and was defeated leaving all their conquered territory up for grabs. A specific region of interest that was given up by JapanRead MoreThe Conflict Between North And South Korea During The Korean War1193 Words   |  5 PagesSouth Korean soldiers were injured by a North Korean landmine, prompting the South for the first time in eleven years to resume anti-North propaganda broadcast via loudspeakers across the border. These conflicts provoked cross-border fire and heated rhetoric, however China and the United States are usually at the ready to ease friction between the North and South. For the past 60 years the flames of the North and South Korean conflict have kept burning ever since the spark of the Korean War. AlthoughRead MoreThe Battle Of The Cold War1493 Words   |  6 Pages A popular military aphorism stated by Earnest Hemmingway was, â€Å"Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.† With the ongoing troubles of the Cold War and rising tension along the 38th Parallel that split the once nation of Korea in two, this statement will become imminent. Through basic principles of leadership exhibited by General Douglass MacArthur to take a chance at a dynamic or what some may leanRead MoreHow the Korean War Impacted Americas Society805 Words   |  3 PagesDid you know that Americans were involved in another country’s civil war? As a part of the Cold War, the Korean War had started when North Korea invaded South Korea. Lasting from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, the countr y of Korea, to this day, has failed to unify. Because the United States underestimated the war, most Americans barely acknowledged it. However, the Korean War changed the way Americans viewed life during the 1950s by opening doors to social advancement, impacting the economy, and

Human Resource Management Multicultural Group

Question: Discuss about theHuman Resource Management for Multicultural Group. Answer: My Experience of Working in a Multicultural Group My experience of working in a multicultural has been outstanding. I being a native of Afghanistan have worked in a Multinational Company in Australia. My group members were from Iraq and Palestine. In the initial days, it was very difficult for me to adjust in that working environment since I previously had no experience of working in a multicultural group. However, as the time passed, I felt comfortable working with them since I found that working in a multicultural cultural team could help me in understanding different cultures of the world. In my opinion, it is necessary to have a concrete awareness regarding the cultural values. This context can be understood in a better way from the Hofstedes cultural dimension theory. It offers a strategy for the significant culturally acceptable approaches with respect to a business organization (Taras, Steel, and Kirkman, 2012). In my opinion, this theory has established the differences between country level and individual-level information d ata analysis (Taras, Steel, and Kirkman, 2012). It demonstrated that in diverse cultures, the individuals are not randomly different from each other. They only differ in some specific ways. In addition, I did learn new things regarding other cultures that enhanced my understanding. In my opinion, this experienced helped me to work in a group effectively (Jayanthi and Rajandran, 2014). I believe it is necessary for all the individuals working in a multicultural group. References Jayanthi, M. and Rajandran, K.V.R., 2014. A study on multicultural team and. Taras, V., Steel, P. and Kirkman, B.L., 2012. Improving national cultural indices using a longitudinal meta-analysis of Hofstede's dimensions.Journal of World Business,47(3), pp.329-341.