Germany: The Great Depression

The Great Depression, which initiated in 1929, was the complete eruption of economic life in Europe and the Americas since the great and successful outbreak of industrialization and urbanization. When studying the topic of the Great Depression, what comes to mind at first is the affect on the United States, a most powerful country at the time whose stock market crashed, there was great bank failure and they formed a stable American Economic Policy with Europe. The collapse of the stock market on Wall Street on October 29, 1929 had an immediate financial impact worldwide, especially on Germany. The result of this domino effect meant that there was less production, therefore less workers – this was a struggling and vulnerable time for Germany since they were still trying to compensate for WW1 and were receiving loans from America, who also suffered from the Economic Depression. Even without the devastating hit of the Great Depression, the factor of money owed for World War 1 would have most likely caused it's own Depression in Germany. With the sudden change in global economy, inflation arose making money seem worthless, and so disturbances and protests against the government proceeded in an attempt to boost the business situation, but what followed was extreme nationalism and the rise of the Nazi party.
With Germany's insecure governmental control, this gave a much more effortless acceptance of Nazism and the rise of Hitler. Although previously the Nazi party was growing slowly, it was a methodical and structured organization which was ready for anything. The extremity of the Great Depression was what caused Germany's political schism, and the Communist party of 1920 began to expand. Communism seemed to be exemplary at the time, because Germany was suffering from severe unemployment and poorness – there was high reduction in both consumption and production, and effective deprivation and loss of trade between other countries. Social classes as adequate as the Middle Class were impacted as their lives were driven into poverty and distress. Whilst Communism seemed to be an appropriate fallback, it was not Germany's primary choice, since Hitler's “reign” modified nationalism into a fascist dictatorship which manipulated the vital means of socialist terms. The population of Germany was inspired by Hitler's speeches and persuasive discussions, hence turning their backs on their corrupted government and siding with a new and different reason for the crash of the market which they thought would be fixed with their support.
The Weimar Republic was being revoked by the popular Nazi party, which was the largest party in 1932 at the Reichstag elections. At the following Reichstag elections, 4 months later in November, the Nazi party had dipped to filling 196 as opposed to their previous 230 seats, but they were still the largest party seating. As many times as Hitler requested to be nominated as chancellor, Hindenburg greatly avoided the opportunity, because as previously mentioned it was not Germany's primary vote to appoint Hitler into leading the nationalist and communist Nazi party which was still expanding. The German population was desperate, they were willing to undergo any change which would eventually improve their standards of living in society, and with the inconsistency of the government, Adolf Hitler motivated the public and rose to his now called dictatorship. The Weimar Republic was easily diminished by the beliefs of this one man alone due to the lack of faith and anger of the German people, especially after the signing of the Locarno Treaty which was the first major financial hit upon Germany. The overall disorganization and unreliability of Germany's political and governmental situation allowed Hitler's persuasiveness to mesmerize the public into believing that the hopeless condition of the country would be sufficiently improved.
The consequences of the Great Depression spread from the United States, to Europe and to the already suffering Germany. Anger and disloyalty was stirred up when the public protested and demanded for food and proper reparations of the circumstances at the time, including the immense rise of unemployment, and decrease of production. The radical changes which were established were the violent maneuvers used by the powerful Nazi and Nationalistic parties, both mainly due to the powerful rise of one man, Adolf Hitler who primarily blamed the unfortunate occurrence of the economic failure on one race. The downturn of Germany's economy became a valuable excuse for Nazism to advertise itself as a marvelous solution and ready “society”. Although communist strategies were beginning to succeed, they were replaced by socialist and fascist authorities, which sabotaged any improvement which were being made in the country. With all examples and reasonings mentioned, it is almost pristinely obvious that the unreasonable blame placed upon a certain community of Germany, and the techniques used to solve the mighty complication merely caused a much more remembered and painful event in history, the second World War.

Evaluate the successes and failures of The Paris Peace Conference in creating a stable European community in post World War One era.

The Paris Peace Conference, subsequent to the WW1 era was held in 1919 in order to form restrictions upon the defeated countries of the Central Power; these of which included Germany, The Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, Austria, Hungary and Russia and these countries are those which the treaty illuminate their focus upon. The actions taken during the treaties caused countries to develop borders, and create new countries which effectively altered the geographical status of the maps during the time. Whilst Germany's economy, political background and society were being quickly demolished, the allied countries which were dependent on eachother were protected from further attack. Clearly both failures and successes arose from the peace convention, affecting countries and their populations in different ways, but also morphing Europe into it's daily position.

It is believable and debatable whether Austria-Hungary generated the global chaos of WW1, however the Treaty of Versailles still placed the blame upon Germany, since as a country they were declining. The conference was run by the “Great Powers' being France led by George Clemenceau, Britain and their Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the United States, led by General Woodrow Wilson, a strong supporter of self-determination in a country. Smaller treaties which derived from the Treaty of Versailles claimed that the country which stirred up the war to form it's birth were responsible for recompensation towards damages; must reduce it's territory and military as well as end alliances which countries, especially those of the Great Powers, may be threatened by. The decisions which were made at the time either assisted the situation, or assisted it to deteriorate.

The first treaty which became associated first after deciding about the German Empire was The Treaty of Saint-Germain, which affected Austria and created their new Republic. However, they were still obliged to maintain their German-speak territories in Hapsburg, but still avoid any possibly unification with Germany. Yet, over time, Austria had to distribute land so countries such as Italy and caused Austria to shrink as a state, where German was the only recognizable language. Once a powerful country, it was now slowly degenerating – their military was weak, their economy was restricted and their allied army between Austria-Hungary was allocated to Allied Powers. By deriving a country of their military, their economy is almost immediately affected, causing a chain reaction.

One other impacting treaty was the Treaty of Trianon, held in June of 1920. It mainly concerned Hungary after their separation with their former allies, Austria, which was apparently a compulsory act since as a bonded country they were a large threat. Since during war time Austria-Hungary were sided with Germany, they also had to pay in compensation for damages caused, specifically to Italy. As a country, Hungary's Empire had then lost all their rights to self-determination, leading to the country so be divided and Hungary lost 72% of their original territory. With their decreased borders and loss of ports, there was much less produce occurring in the country, which eventually led to a great dip in money, known as the recession. As well as loss in economy, their military was reduced to 35, 000 which affected the populations pride toward their country. The greatest lost that came from this treaty was the claim that affected their society's citizens – if they were outside Hungarian borders, they would effectively lose their citizenship in Hungary.

The Treaty of Sevres, much similar to that of Trianon in the sense of limitations placed, addressed the Ottoman Empire and was held on the 20^th of August in 1920. The Empire was deconstructed, and territories were given and shared amongst Allies. A new independent state was formed, known as The New Republic of Turkey, which limited their army as they were removed from Europe and much of their land was lost. The Ottoman Empire was broken down because it posed a large threat so other suffering countries, including France who were in favor of their protection.

As an attempt to better the conditions throughout Europe and Nations, the Paris Peace Conference was held but the results, however, were indifferent to what would have been originally expected by the Great Powers, who evidently had control over the conference and the actions taken. Countries and their nations were extremely antagonized due to their lost lands and borders, and for some the fact that they had to pay vast amounts in order to reconstruct the havoc which may have demolished the countries which they have attacked. Although one of the main powers which a majority of countries were longing to be sided with, the United States, were extremely pro self-determination, many countries were losing their human rights, driving citizens to leave, change their nationalities and eventually side with the Nazi party during the second World War. Some restraints which originated from the treaties were cruel, but the main advantage of this substantial treaty was the logical restrictions placed upon the militaries which certainly yet temporarily prevented war or disputes from occurring which was surely required in Europe at the time.

What factors led to Germany's loss in WW1?

It can be further debated how, why and if Germany really did lose the war, but according to the political, economic and military factors studied, it is fair proof of Germany's poor decision making which led to their final defeat. Germany's ineffective aim for victory in the war was due to their lack of structure and organization, which hence instantly increased the probability of their chance of failure.

Germany's main interest was attacking the opposing country head-on, they wanted to attack with all means necessary and as fast as they could. The first mistaken plan which was taken into action was the von Schleiffen Plan, which meant that Germany would pass through Belgium, a neutral country, in order to make their way to France and attack by surprise. The Germans however did not think of the possible consequences, such as the fact of news spreading of the invasion of Belgium which would eventually reach France, and Germany did not consider that Belgium may have been treated as an alliance which would have made them an easier path way into attacking France. Without having alternative act for failed plans as such, Germany proceeded with the von Schleiffen plan and disturbed a country which was not involved in the war. In a successful attempt to humiliate Germany, Britain exploited Germany's fault and portrayed the Germans as a monstrous, vile society. This was made into a campaign known as “Poor Little Belgium” which lessened the image of the Germans and caused more British troops to join the war. Britain was able to create a witty campaign which benefited their country, whereas Germany used falsified information as their propaganda, claiming that the British acted cowardly, which led German soldiers to believe that Britain had a weak colonized army and so the soldiers entered the war unprepared and staggered when facing the enemy. This is a psychological opposition of both countries, showing Britain being a step ahead of Germany, who are unprepared.

After losing the possible ally of Belgium, Germany should have considered the U.S on neutral terms with each other so that no more countries may enter the war and turn against Germany. American nationalism rooted from Germany's two grand mistakes with the U.S. Britain was allied with the United States, and when Germany sunk the Lusitania (Germany attacked any British and French ships) which was a British ship which belonged to Queen Elizabeth 1, Britain enrolled more American soldiers to increase their chances of success. However, the U.S. Entered the war two years after said event, and used the Lusitania as reasoning. Germany was aware of the fact the Lusitania was disguised, it was a passenger ship but contained arms and weapons which were exported to Britain to support the military; Germany was angered by any countries which aided Britain or France. The second error which angered the United States was the Zimmerman telegram. In 1917, the time of Mexico's civil war when Mexico itself had no structured form of government, Germany sent a telegram to Mexico in hope for an alliance. Germany sought Mexico's support in the war, and as re compensation, Germany would retrieve the land that the U.S took from Mexico and give it back to the original country. Another reason why Germany asked for Mexico's reinforcement is because they would be financially supported by another country, and Germany's economy was low. In Germany's desperation for support, the “adherence” with Japan was also mentioned, showing that Germany needed endorsements. Mexico was unable to provide Germany with any of the requests as the country was undergoing political disputes, nevertheless the telegram angered the Americans, causing them to side with Britain and finally enter the war. In Germany's venture to increase their alliances beyond the span of Austria-Hungary and Serbia, they were unsuccessful and merely brought on more enemies such as the U.S leading to Germany's loss of faith.

In an effort to support their country, Germany was becoming increasingly unstable and so was it's nation. In 1917 the “Turnip Winter” arose – this was the rise in communism. Germany had no coast line and was unable to import resources to support her country which led to the starvation of society, which is when society began to question their government. When German soldiers were not being supplied with weapons, and were informed of the corruption of their society they were no longer willing to fight for their country. Germany's main allies, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire were untrustworthy as both countries were facing similar dilemmas and were unable to support each other. Britain, on the other hand, enforced the Defense of the Real Act which ensure that their country would be provided with necessities such as food and other resources, and the soldiers would be provided with adequate weaponry which encouraged them to maintain their contributions and fight in the war. Britain was organized and sustained a mature structure for their country. While Germany was struggling to obtain foreign backers, France, Britain and the U.S were able to elect a leader, Foch, in a sensible manner which would conduct the army's structure without any fall-outs and disagreements which would lead to disputes. The foreign alliances had increased their power and imposed a greater threat toward Germany, effectively reducing chances of German victory.

The majority of European countries where marked by signs of WW1's intrusion, but no country faced a defeat such as Germany (and her allies). Although Germany was able to succeed in a number of battles, they were never guaranteed success in the war. Due to Germany's disorganization concerning their political and economic structure, their military eventually fell through when society formed their “cultural revolution” and supported communism. Despite Germany's flaws, their rivals had a higher chance of thriving in victory because they were supportive of each other and proved themselves of being well organized in all factors that Germany was not. Had the Germans constructed back-up motives and had regulated and made their tactics efficient, it is probable that the out coming underachiever of the war would have been different.

WWI: Imperialism

There were four major contents which contributed to the outcome of World War 1, apart from nationalism, alliances and militarism, imperialism was the most outstanding. It is seen as the most vital factor of WW1 because through it's strengths and weakness, it effectively leaded to the other 3 causes, which resulted in the war.

Imperialism was formed during the creation of industries and scientific discoveries, and was made an issue before global rivalries had occurred. Imperialism, historically is defined as the policy of forcefully extending a nation’s authority by territorial gain possible with the use of establishing economic and political superiority over other nations. At the start of industrialization, imperialism began to take it's affect, abruptly becoming more and more obvious in European countries such as Britain, France and Germany. As scientific knowledge grew, so did the lust for foreign lands which led to the tension in European countries, hence afterwards leading to WW1. Europe later on focused their economic growth in Africa, where Germany and Britain were the two competitive countries looking to own land in both Africa. There were many feudal battles based upon their arguments, and since they could not be resolved, the war was yet to come. A contributing factor to this particular dispute is also militarism, which clarifies that imperialism was not the only cause of the war, but simply the root.

While two successful military countries were arguing over ground, Nationalism was being established in Europe - citizens were striving to success their country's monarchy and were eager to support the Royal family. After the creation of nationalism, welcomes another imperialistic event: the assassination of Austr0-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand. A Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip was the assassinator of the heir. Austria-Hungary, who were evidently a stronger country than Serbia, thus created the Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum, meaning that Serbia now had to live under Austro-Hungarian rule. At the time this was being decided, Austria-Hungary was unaware of the joint alliance between Serbia and Russia. This consequently caused a chain reaction between European countries, meaning that Russia then became involved in the Austro-Hungarian problem with Serbia, and then Austria-Hungary, feeling weak, included their ally, Germany which claimed that the only solution would be war. Militarism is also involved in this example of imperialism, since the armies of four countries were involved.

An additional event of imperialism was in 1903 the Berlin-Baghdad railway was at the point of being built, easily connecting Berlin to Baghdad where Germany had wanted territory and control of ports in order to establish better trade routes. With such manipulations over Baghdad, Germany would've been the peak of the trading powers, therefore angering Britain. Germany was constantly angering both Britain and Russia, who had control over some trade ports in Baghdad.

Subsequently, imperialism was the birth of all conflicts and tensions found between European countries which led to the final outcome of World War 1, which would not be ceased because imperialism itself seemed to be unstoppable. Countries were at competition with each other and refused to let go of land, territories, and trade. Alternative episodes occurred which created more density while countries were attempting to protect their nation and economy. There is enough factual proof to support one's opinion of imperialism being the greater cause, because the 3 factors were associated after imperialism existed.

Germany Chapter 1

PART I

Kaiser Wilhelm - was the last King of Prussia after his brother Frederick Wilhelm had passed away. He attempted to strengthen the Prussian army when France and Austria had turned to war due to the unification of Italy and so appointed Bismarck to a form of relative superiority in order to pass a bill of the army's expenses through the approval of Parliament.

Zollverein - a German organization formed to balance out currency and the system of weights and measures soon morphed into the Prussian Customs Union in order to enable internal trade in the Confederation and to expand Prussia's industry. Eventually there was a total of 25 states consisting of a population of 26 million people who joined the union, yet Austria was excluded. The Union became known as the Zollverein in the middle of the 19th century and sealed economic unity with political unification of the states to soon follow.

Crimean War - Between the years of 1854 and `856 was when Austria was left standing alone after the failure of offering support to Russia, Britain and shortly after, France. Bismarck, being a superior in Prussia, felt obligated in a way to take advantage of the now incapable Germany, therefore persuading them to give in to Prussian rule - this then created the North German Confederation.

Otto von Bismarck - Prussian ambassador (by the word of King Wilhelm) in both Russia and Paris. Bismarck's actions were what led to the final unification of Germany.

The Seven Weeks War - Bismarck is able to manipulate Austria in away that his provocations lead up to war, in which Austria is defeated after seven weeks. Austria had to then accept Prussia's overcome in Germany and agreed to the North German Confederation.

Schleswig and Holstein - These were two territories (duchies, meaning under dukes/dukedom) under Danish sovereign. Holstein being part of the German Confederation consisted mainly of Germans whereas Schleswig, not part of the Confederation, consisted a mixture of both Germans and Danes.

Franco-Prussian War - Bismarck's foreshadowing of the war in 1870 went as planned. Although it was the French under the lead of Napoleon who had declared the war, Germany was able to dominate them in order for the French to forcefully sign the Treaty of Frankfurt, giving the Germans French territories.

The Ems Telegram - a telegram from the King addressed to Bismarck, detailing the meeting with the French ambassador. Bismarck cunningly edited words from the telegram to give a false and worse impression of the French; he had the new telegram published and gained moral suppoer from Southern states.

Alsace and Lorraine - During the Franco-Prussian war, the French territories of Alsace and Lorraine were the new additions to Germany. The French swore and were determined to retrieve their lost lands.

PART II

1. With the rapid expansion of population and nationalism in Europe, people were now defined by their social class. Although old inventions were still in use, throughout the years Europe was becoming slightly more modernized and less agricultural. There were new inventions blooming such as the steam engines (enabling people to travel to cities faster), railways and electricity.

2. The tensions that disrupted the passivity in Europe were mainly due to nationalism and ethnicity, although there were hints of political and economical feuds.

3. The Zollverein was mainly successful because it was able to maintain political independence to the many states that seeked to join; this eventually aided with the unification of Germany's states. Since the bond in the economic unity was solid, they found no regret in enabling political unity. This seemingly intact organization however excluded the powerful state of Austria, a known rival of Germany.

4. Bismarck could ultimately be blamed for the war since it was his intention to trick Wilhelm. As in other similar cases the usual outcome of an angry leader is war, and the Prussian army was able to trample the French, forcing them into signing the Treaty of Frankfurt giving the territories of Alsace and Lorraine to the Germans. The French became the new known enemies to Germany.

5. Bismarck's leadership, despite his intentions, without Bismarck as a leader there would be no united Germany.

Economy, since the rapid growth of the industry and the form of the Zollverein, the economy of the German Confederation escalated at a faster rate. Prussia was the main European power at the time because the economic growth was the foundation of both Prussia's political and military strengths.

Nationalism, Bismarck

Military buildup, military buildup led to successful wars which aided and brought together the states of Germany.

Provocation of other countries, Bismarck is seen provoking two different countries; if he had not subtly pushed Austria into war with Prussia, there would have been disagreements in the created on the North German Confederation, meaning that many countries such as Saxony would've been excluded from any possible advantages.

6. (Chapter 1 essay)

Throughout unobvious evidence it is understandable that despite Bismarck's intentions, good or bad, Germany would've been unified eventually. Examining Source 16 it is clear that even Meinecke was unsure of Bismarck's actions; in his work he says "...makes it impossible to pass over in silence the query whether the germs of the later evil [i.e. Hitler] were not really implanted in Bismarck's work from the outset..." and by saying this he supports the theory and questionable argument on whether or not Hitler being involved was indeed part of his initial plan.

On another note, Source 24 states otherwise about Bismarck. The united German Nation although powerful became increasingly weakened after Bismarck's rule. Eyck believes this was so because Bismarck had cruel intentions, this is stated from a quote in his source "...It is therefore no mere chance that his work did not last..." it does not seem to be a coincidence of the downfall. Reading these four sources which are relatively indifferent to eachother, readers can see that Germany could have in fact been united without the actions or intentions of Bismarck, but with him leading he did infact assist in the unity of the states.