Freud's Contribution to Understanding the Empire

   In discovering something that would presumably be unheard of, Sigmund Freud created a way to help the mental health of women in the late 19th early 20th century. The husbands of these women were gone in the day performing work tasks as well as in the evening for their own entertainment. As they were stuck in the house all day, it not too difficult to assume they went a little crazy. Freud tapped into this enigma of the time and, suddenly, women came desiring his help. He understood that the empire was not perfect; that there was someone suffering behind all of the grand palaces.
   His daughter, Anna Freud, helped with an institution that allowed psychoanalysis in public schools. The need supposedly came when there was a change from the Habsburg monarchy to the Republic of Austria, during the first World War.  The goal was to use psychoanalysis in a balance of freedom and restrictions in an decent format for children. The community once saw the physicality of the Empire;however, now, Freud has shown the mental background of the Empire in all of its flaws.

Morton and Shaw

        The Crown Prince, although it sounds impressive, is but a name for the early 30's Rudolf. He had many titles, Rudolf; however, they did nothing for him. More like he could do nothing with them. Politically, he was much on the side of Liberalism. Not like his father, Franz-Joseph. Franz-Joseph was very conservative minded, and had a completely opposite view from his son's. Their differences may cause conflict in the empire. Though the Crown Prince was optimistic about new liberal policies, at the time of his death, it appeared the people were not as enthusiastic about the new turn of events. Like most media sources, theories started spreading like wild-fire. This eventually came to an end; and when the truth came out about Rudolf's suicide, there had to be someway to allow a true Catholic burial for him. The piece describes the solution most clearly when it states, "Rudolf had not been quite lucid when he placed the revolver against his temple.By the lights of the Catholic Church he was not a suicide. Hence he could be buried, after the Habsburg manner and with Habsburg solemnity, in the crypt of the Capuchin friars, like all of his ancestors before him" (254). This turn of events show cases the mysteriousness that the Empire will hold when its authenticity is being questioned.
            The stories in the Royal Babylon show the fraudulence in the Empire. Many of the leaders that were on display in this book were involved in some sort of inappropriate behavior. Any kind of activity that was seen as sin by the Catholic church, they did. All they had to do was ask for forgiveness and go on their way. For example, Philip D'Oreleans, who had around one-hundred ladies in which he was involved. Even more unusually promiscuous, King George II had regular arrangements to see women. In fact, his wife would make some of these arrangements to be sure that he would get someone uglier than her. His daughter was even aware of this occurrence as the book reads, "...Princess Anne, hoped he take even more mistresses so that "Mama might be a little relieved from the ennui of seeing him in her room"(195). This was the way of life in the Empire. The rulers often engaged in terrible activities or habits. This is not a defense; rather, a note that not just some but most were engaging in these activities.
               In the end, then, we see the overarching corruption of the Empire in both stories. Not only the poor relationship it caused Rudolf and Franz-Joseph to have; but also the coldness of covering up Rudolf's true reasoning for suicide for the sake of the Empire. It is much more easily seen in the Royal Babylon. Every story gives the specifics as to what happened behind the scenes in the Empire. An interesting look inside the lens with more of a disturbing feeling in the end. Unfortunately, this corruptness lives on; in different shapes and forms, the Empire still lives.

Surprises

         Thankfully, these first few days have had many more pleasant experiences than negative. It was not necessarily a surprise, per say; however, it was very pleasant hearing the locals speak. They have such a polite way of saying just about anything, which is refreshing. The overall size of the manor was bigger than I had expected. It makes for more adventure, which I almost always consider positive. As for the negative, I do not believe there has been anything negative regarding the culture or the manor itself (I will note: the horror movie I was forced to watch last night would be considered unpleasant to me; though, I do not think that fits in this blog post).
          Dealing with the culture and differences has been simple so far. I feel as though, since we have not ventured out from Harlaxton that much, we have not dealt with many culturally shocking things. I do feel like I am being more careful as to how I act, only in fear that I may say or do something that is offensive in this culture. At home, everything is familiar so dealing with certain things is just second nature.
           It is my understanding that whatever I have been or will be surprised by shows my ignorance and disconnection from the culture or place. I do not take this in a bad light; rather, something that is a new experience and will eventually be learned throughout the journey of this trip.

Goals

            It seems it would be apparent that upon applying for this trip, we should already know what our goals are. Though we know what our goals are, others do not. When I applied for this study abroad adventure, I was taking a European History course at UC Clermont. My professor, Dr. Krome, made the class so interesting that when Avery told me about the trip, I was more than intrigued. I wanted to know even more about the culture in Europe than I ever had before.
            So, on to the goals. I would like to, of course, learn more about the Empire and how it function(s)(ed). During my European course, my professor would mention bits and pieces of the empire and what went along with it; however, because it was a general course, he never went into full detail. It will be interesting, and already has been interesting, to learn about the specifics that went into leading an empire, how it has changed, and how it effects those around it. The second goal happens on the exterior portion of the trip. Culture. I have already had a small taste of this, but I am sure that there is more to come. In the United States, we often do not hear about other places unless there is an event related to us. From having friends that were from different cultures, it has made me curious about the actual places they are from. To be totally immersed in an unfamiliar world--although attractive--has its challenges I am sure. This is a challenge I am willing to accept.
               The goals may be achieved in many ways. There are only a few ways that I personally can come up with. As for the course, it is important to pay attention in class, during tours, museums, readings, etc. If we do not pay any attention to all of these activities, there is no way we will walk away with a rich experience. It could be difficult sometimes to keep up, but it will be important to do so, if you or I want to gain an extra sensibility about the history in Europe. For the culture aspect, I already am immersed in it since I am staying here for a month. How can I learn more, though? A person can be here, but if they are in their room all day and night, how will they learn the culture? Well, it never hurts to ask questions. Back in the States, I always loved when foreigners would ask about my country or culture. Another way is to simply be observant. Sometimes this may be hard to intake everything if we move at a fast pace. Just try to listen, observe and ask questions. That is how I plan to achieve my goals.

The Empire

               The empire is the basis on which we will be learning about in our German Culture course; so, it is most appropriate that it is defined.
               The empire is the compilation of states and/or areas which are run by a higher authority. This authority is, in most cases, referred to as an Emperor or Empress. In most government systems, there is a need for a person or persons that control (for lack of a better word) the needs and overall betterment of the community. Sometimes, in old empires, it is more about the betterment of the ruler rather than the people.

The Importance of Proper Dress and Conduct

           The departure of our trip to Europe is near; and so, commence the final details and preparations of travel. Due to the differences in European culture, we as a group need to be wary of our clothing choices. For both men and women this quote from fashion designer Tom Ford applies, "Dressing well is a form of good manners". Now, to dress well does not necessarily mean that you need a suit and tie or a formal gown with pumps.  It is a possibility; however, that too would stand out. What we require as a group is a perfect balance of sophisticated yet casual. You would be surprised at how nice a plainly colored t-shirt can look if you hold yourself in the right way or pair it with something unexpectedly complimentary. Because of the size of our group, there is no way we can escape from the fact that we are going to look like tourists. When the locals look over at our group, let's not give them anything bad to say about us. Meaning, we should not wear any clothing boasting American patriotism, or anything that might appear offensive towards that specific area. Modesty also plays a role in what is appropriate while traveling. Women should not wear anything too low or too high. Any shirt should not be too low cut, shorts or skirt should not be too short/high, and any dress should not be both low and high. Hopefully, the same should not concern the men. Pants and shirts should not be screaming for mercy (too tight). this applies to both men and women.
            The conduct (or behavior) should reflect what you're wearing: respectful. Try to keep the volume of your voice medium to low, we don't want the Queen to hear us in her sound proof rooms! Unless of course, you are in desperate need of help. We should behave kindly to each-other. Quarrels or loud obnoxious laughing may cause a negative view from locals. In addition to being respectful to the people who live there, we also need to keep in mind the other travelers. We should be overly curious about our surroundings, therefore shenanigans will not occur.

Course Knowledge

        When looking at this course, German Culture History, I realize I have learned about the Hapsburgs and the Windsors. The Hohenzollerns; however, I have never heard of before (or at least remember). I am excited to learn about this Empire. I took a European History course last semester and heard "Hapsburg" a lot. Their empire grew like a wild fire. Through offspring and different marriages to other dynasties, the Hapsburg Empire totally surrounded France. This may be incorrect: it is understanding that the Hapsburg Empire was also a part of the Holy Roman Empire. This meant that the ruler of the Hapsburg Empire was also considered "Holy Roman Emperor". I may be wrong, though. This is a very sad description of their empire, for it is much more complex and very interesting from what I remember. I'm excited to learn the details of the Hapsburgs.
  As for the Windsors, I absolutely love the British Royal family history. I do not know everything about it, but I am very fascinated by it.  The time the Windsors were/are in rule would be considered the "House of Windsor". It has not always been the House of Windsor, however. Prior to this is was the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This was changed in the early 1900s due to a germanophobia of sorts during the First World War. The Windsor Monarchy is still alive today, with its ruler Queen Elizabeth II.
    Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of the Hohenzollern Empire. I cannot wait to learn about it! European history is so interesting to me because it has influenced most of what we do today. It's fun to know where something originates and how it started. I really look forward to this summer semester course!