Out the entirety of chapter 2 the most intriguing part that stood out to me the most was the following passage: “Germany, on the other hand, was experiencing the longest peace time era of its whole history, from 1555 (the Peace of Augsburg) until 1618. It ended mainly because over the course of this time ambitious leaders had formed alliances along denominational lines and were only waiting for the right moment to strike,” (Schulze 62). Basically if you recall from the book, Schulze was talking about how during the latter part of the 16^th century much of Europe was broken out into numerous battles and wars, however Germany had a time of piece that lasted for about 63 years.  It may be a small passage from the text, but it was the passage that stuck with me the most. 

One thing that I found strange about this passage is how little time the author actually spent on it. Schulze wrote that this is the longest peace time the whole history of Germany, but he literally gives it a sentence and moves on. What came out of the 63 years of peace that Germany had? Did it further develop Germany as a nation or through works of art and literature; was it Germany’s form of a golden age? How did the peace manage to last for 63 years? These were the questions that ran through my mind when I came across the passage. However, instead of answering these questions and focusing on some events that may have occurred during this time instead of jumping straight back into vivid detail portraying the hard times and battles that followed soon after the piece broke. This passage made me realize how many nations’ histories, whether it is Germany’s or America’s, mainly focuses how it was shaped through wars, political uprisings, or hardships. No history spends time on the positives that helped form a nation.

 For example when I was in American history classes I remember mainly learning about all the wars that America fought in as well as the Depression and the labor strikes in the early 1900s. Sure we mentioned the Roaring 20s, but I remember our wars more than the “golden 20s.” 

http://www.soldierstudies.org/index.php?action=webquest_1

An example of the connection of how nations are usually associated purely on their war that they fought in. For example the Civil War dominates our American history yet not much else is learned from the 1800s. By Schulze skimming over the peace era, he is skimming over 63 years of German history. 

With Schulze leaving out the peace era I feel that I am missing a part of Germany’s history. I want to learn about the history that is not spoken much about, such as the longest peace time. It was still a part of Germany’s history and it was a part that shaped them to be the nation that they are today.

http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/history/bl_30_years_war.htm

The Thirty Years; War that started in 1618; one of the reasons for the end to the longest peace time in German history.  

Word Count: 431