- 1. Before The Deluge by Otto Friedrich is a profound and intricately woven narrative that captures the essence of a bygone era in Germany, particularly the tumultuous years leading up to World War II. The book delves into the lives of various cultural and artistic figures in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, exploring the vibrant yet precarious nature of life as political tensions rose and societal norms began to shift drastically. Friedrich paints a vivid picture of a city in flux, where intellectualism, artistic creativity, and the hedonistic pleasures of nightclubs coexisted with the ominous undercurrents of fascism and impending conflict. Through rich character studies and detailed historical context, the narrative encapsulates the hopes and fears of a generation caught between the allure of modernity and the shadows of an uncertain future. The author skillfully intertwines personal stories with broader historical events, offering readers a deep understanding of the cultural landscape in which these figures operated, ultimately leading to their tragic fates as the world spiraled into chaos. Before The Deluge serves as both a homage to the spirit of the Weimar Republic and a poignant reminder of how quickly brilliance can be extinguished in the face of overwhelming darkness.
What is the primary historical period covered in Otto Friedrich's 'Before The Deluge'?
A) Victorian London
B) Renaissance Florence
C) 1920s Berlin
D) Post-war Paris
- 2. Which political party's rise is chronicled in 'Before The Deluge'?
A) Weimar Coalition
B) Nazi Party
C) Communist Party
D) Social Democratic Party
- 3. What year does 'Before The Deluge' begin its narrative?
A) 1900
B) 1933
C) 1929
D) 1918
- 4. Which famous scientist appears in Friedrich's account of Weimar Berlin?
A) Werner Heisenberg
B) Albert Einstein
C) Niels Bohr
D) Marie Curie
- 5. What artistic movement flourished in Berlin during the period described?
A) Surrealism
B) Expressionism
C) Cubism
D) Impressionism
- 6. Which notorious figure's early political activities are documented in the book?
A) Benito Mussolini
B) Adolf Hitler
C) Joseph Stalin
D) Winston Churchill
- 7. Which famous filmmaker is discussed in the cultural sections?
A) Sergei Eisenstein
B) Fritz Lang
C) Alfred Hitchcock
D) Charlie Chaplin
- 8. Which political assassination shocked the Weimar Republic?
A) Gustav Stresemann
B) Walther Rathenau
C) Karl Liebknecht
D) Rosa Luxemburg
- 9. What military organization threatened the Weimar government?
A) Freikorps
B) SS
C) Gestapo
D) Red Army
- 10. Which famous theater director shaped Berlin's cultural scene?
A) Konstantin Stanislavski
B) Max Reinhardt
C) Peter Brook
D) Bertolt Brecht
- 11. Which political uprising occurred in 1919 Berlin?
A) Beer Hall Putsch
B) Spartacist uprising
C) July Revolution
D) Kapp Putsch
- 12. What famous street became the center of Berlin nightlife?
A) Friedrichstrasse
B) Potsdamer Platz
C) Kurfürstendamm
D) Unter den Linden
- 13. Which composer's work reflected the era's tensions?
A) Arnold Schoenberg
B) Gustav Mahler
C) Richard Strauss
D) Johann Strauss
- 14. What publication epitomized Berlin's intellectual life?
A) Der Spiegel
B) Frankfurter Zeitung
C) Vossische Zeitung
D) Die Weltbühne
- 15. What was the famous Berlin art school?
A) Academy of Fine Arts
B) Black Mountain College
C) Royal College of Art
D) Bauhaus
- 16. Which American dancer became a Berlin sensation?
A) Josephine Baker
B) Isadora Duncan
C) Katherine Dunham
D) Martha Graham
- 17. Who is the author of 'Before The Deluge'?
A) Thomas Mann
B) Otto Friedrich
C) Erich Maria Remarque
D) Hermann Hesse
- 18. What major historical event marks the beginning of the book?
A) Stock market crash
B) Hitler's appointment as Chancellor
C) End of World War I
D) Versailles Treaty signing
- 19. What was the political system of the Weimar Republic?
A) Democratic republic
B) Monarchy
C) Fascist dictatorship
D) Communist state
- 20. What economic crisis severely impacted Germany in the 1920s?
A) Great Depression
B) Oil crisis
C) Banking collapse
D) Hyperinflation
- 21. What was the name of Berlin's famous cabaret culture?
A) Music hall
B) Burlesque
C) Variété
D) Kabarett
- 22. Which treaty imposed harsh terms on Germany after WWI?
A) Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
B) Treaty of Trianon
C) Treaty of Saint-Germain
D) Treaty of Versailles
- 23. Which group opposed the Weimar Republic from the left?
A) Industrialists
B) Communists
C) Monarchists
D) Nazis
- 24. What was the name of the Nazi paramilitary organization?
A) SA (Sturmabteilung)
B) Wehrmacht
C) Gestapo
D) SS (Schutzstaffel)
- 25. Which famous writer chronicled Berlin's nightlife?
A) Christopher Isherwood
B) James Joyce
C) F. Scott Fitzgerald
D) Ernest Hemingway
- 26. Which political leader served as Weimar's first president?
A) Friedrich Ebert
B) Konrad Adenauer
C) Paul von Hindenburg
D) Gustav Stresemann
- 27. Which famous architect led the Bauhaus?
A) Frank Lloyd Wright
B) Le Corbusier
C) Mies van der Rohe
D) Walter Gropius
- 28. Which group faced increasing persecution as the period progressed?
A) Protestants
B) Jews
C) Catholics
D) Buddhists
- 29. Which controversial playwright is featured in Friedrich's book?
A) Arthur Miller
B) Eugene O'Neill
C) Bertolt Brecht
D) Tennessee Williams
- 30. What famous scientific institute in Berlin is mentioned in the book?
A) Max Planck Institute
B) Humboldt University
C) Berlin Technical University
D) Kaiser Wilhelm Institute
- 31. What was the name of Berlin's famous newspaper discussed in the book?
A) Berliner Tageblatt
B) Die Welt
C) Frankfurter Allgemeine
D) Der Spiegel
- 32. Which sexual liberation advocate appears in Friedrich's narrative?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) Magnus Hirschfeld
C) Alfred Kinsey
D) Carl Jung
- 33. What was the prevailing attitude toward traditional morality in 1920s Berlin?
A) Religious revival
B) Conservative reform
C) Strict adherence
D) Rejection and experimentation
- 34. Which visual artist from the period is featured in Friedrich's account?
A) Claude Monet
B) Pablo Picasso
C) Vincent van Gogh
D) George Grosz
- 35. Which famous actress from the period is mentioned?
A) Audrey Hepburn
B) Greta Garbo
C) Marlene Dietrich
D) Katharine Hepburn
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