Why Germany moved it's capital from Bonn to Berlin Research Paper

Why Germany moved it's capital from Bonn to Berlin - Research Paper Example Bonn was seen as the city that epitomized West German economic success and political moderation but Bonn supporters defended it based on this success during the parliamentary debate separating it from Nazi which they believed haunted Berlin and they argued that Bonn was good for upholding the country’s democracy. Moreover, the debate cut across party lines, that is, some social democrats and Christian democrats supporting Berlin and others backing Bonn and this parliamentary division reflected people’s mixed feelings about where to locate their government and set on the newly united Germany. However, some leaders suggested that the debate was not a fight between two cities but a decision about the future of the society for everyone’s good. Most parliamentarians backed the move to Berlin since it symbolizes Germany’s unification. This essay explores what made Germany to move its capital from Bonn to Berlin. German lawmakers engaged in a very heated debate t o make a decision whether the capital of the newly reunified country to remain in Bonn or be relocated back to its historic eastern location in Berlin (Cowell). Bonn has served as the capital of West Germany until the reunification of Germany when Berlin was chosen to be the new capital and the move to Berlin has been lengthy and costly but this move had been delayed by construction problems, plan charges and bureaucratic immobilization. Even though the parliament voted to support the move from the West German capital of Bonn to the old German capital of Berlin, most politicians perceived this as a future happening. Bonn supporters argued that a move to Berlin which is under monarchy, chaotic Weimar Republic, and the Nazis would only ruin the country contrary to Berlin backers who claimed that Bonn represented a small town thus a small minded Germany but Berlin was actually the country’s spiritual and cultural heart. More so, this relocation was meant to enhance unity in the country, that is, the unity of people from Berlin and the rest of the east depended on this move. However, everyone was worried about the cost which was high and this was reflected in the parliament’s decision to make a move after a long time. Improving Berlin’s infrastructure required a lot of money. Accordingly, some have argued that the â€Å"enormous cost of moving all government ministries to Berlin would never assume Bonn’s role as the sole seat of government† (Quint 107). One major reason why German moved its capital from Bonn to Berlin was to ensure a change from a smaller to a larger city (Slack and Rupak 105). Unlike Bonn which was quiet and small in size, Berlin was â€Å"a brash and busy metropolis† and it ranks as a great city recognized worldwide (Holz). Bonn had no symbol of being a capital because being small in size, it cannot contain dominant section like other middle or large sized German cities do especially Berlin (Slack and Ru pak 105). This actually made Germany to move its capital to a larger city, Berlin. In addition, Berlin is situated at the heart of the east making it to the best choice as the country’s capital and seat of government. Furthermore, the unification treaty acknowledged Berlin as capital leaving the decision on the seat of government to the future German legislature (Quint 107). Berlin supporters argued that relocating to Berlin would be very important in providing both political and economic support but others opposed this claiming that moving all government offices to Berlin would only add more financial burden (Quint 107). Accordingly, eastern representatives argued that the shift to Berlin is crucial to enhance â€Å"economic recovery in the former GDR and bolstering a psychological sense of parity and equality for of

On Orientalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Orientalism - Essay Example Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism is divided into six sections and each of them is summarized below: The Repertory of Orientalism: According to Edward Said there exists an organized form of writing that permeate ‘a kind of repertory of images’ where the East has been depicted as â€Å"a kind of mysterious place full of secrets and monsters† (Said). Historians very often used to refer to â€Å"the Marvels of the East†. These representations have nothing to do with the actual reality. Thus, said argues that one can never find realistic representations of the Orient whether it is in painting, literature, music or in any other art forms. Similarly, the descriptions of the Arabs by experts in books spread the same images whether they are written in the nineteenth or twentieth century. Thus, it can be observed that there is a misconception that the Arabs and the people in the Middle East do not develop like the Westerners. These writings thus portray â€Å"a kind of image of the timeless Orient, as if the Orient, unlike the West, doesnt develop, it stays the s ame† (Said). One can clearly observe that these representations of the orient contradict themselves with history and can be understood as the mere creation of Europeans. Orientalism & Empire: For Said, Orientalism is constructed within ‘the history of imperial conquest’ and for him Napoleons conquest of Egypt in 1798 has paved the way for a ‘new kind of imperial and colonial conquest, that inaugurates the project of Orientalism† (Said). It can be seen that the imperialists who conquered colonies in the East recorded a so-called history of those nations designed for the Europeans rather for the native colonists. On the other hand, one cannot find a Western history that is pioneered or written by the orients. American Orientalism: Said here purports that the American experience of the Orient