The History of Germany - Essay Example

?The Treaty of Versailles set up the stage for the German People in having no choice in accepting the 3rd Reich. INTRODUCTION Hitler as did other Germans on German soil believed that Germany was winning the war when Germany capitulated in November 1918. They saw no sign of an invasion of Germany so in turn believed that Germany had not lost the war. (The British Library ) Small revolutions occurred changing the map of Europe. Imperial governments were replaced by Republic governments. (Karpilovsky, 1996). The Kaiser stepped down and the Weimer Republic was established in 1918. The constitution was drafted in 1919 but never ratified. The constitution was weak. At one period between 1919 and 1933, there were 28 different parties in government. There were only coalition governments. From 1918 to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the government did nothing to improve widespread poverty, massive inflation and unemployment. They remained basically ineffective for 13 years, a point in which Hitler used to gain popularity. Upon signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the social and economic situation of the country became drastically worse. The government lost all credibility setting the stage for the growth of nationalism, anti-Semitism and the rise of the 3rd Reich . The purpose of this paper is to show why the German people had no choice but to accept the 3rd Reich. When a country is in such economic and social turmoil, it sets the stage for a dictator and totalitarian regime. The paper will conclude by showing how a country changes from economic turmoil to WWII. The Treaty of Versailles set the stage and there was no other choice. Towards the end of the war, in January of 1918, President Wilson proposed to the US Congress the "Fourteen Points" and "Four principles". He sent the proposal to the Germans on the 5th of November 1918. (http://www.germanculture.com.ua) The new Weimar Republic was created November 9th 1918 on the premise that the Wilson proposition would be ratified as part of the peace settlement. The armistice was asked for November 11, 1918. Cease fire began by a country who thought they were winning the war at home and had no idea of the losses on the front.().France and Britain wanted retribution. They wanted Germany to be reduced to a insignificant European country.(Duffy 2004 ) .Of Wilson's Fourteen Points, nothing was taken into account other than the creation of the League of Nations. (Fuller 2010) Germany was completely demoralized. Had the proposal been considered, the blame of World War I would have been shared, and reparations would not have fallen completely on one country. The German people had no faith in the new governing powers. The Weimar Republic stayed in power from 1918 to 1933.(Wadell) In 1919, a new constitution was drawn, but it was never ratified. The fallacies of the constitution were later used by Hitler to gain toletarian power when he became Chancellor in 1933. Though it was a democratic constitution, " the president had the right to dismiss the cabinet, dissolve the Reichstag, and veto legislation. The legislative powers of the Reichstag were further weakened by the provision for presidential recourse to popular plebiscite. Article 48, the so-called emergency clause, accorded the president the right to allow the cabinet to govern without the consent of parliament whenever it was deemed essential to maintaining public order". Defining public order was highly subjective. (http://www.germanculture.com.ua)   In 1918, the economic situation was catastrophic. The government had no power to improve the financial situation of its citizens. One is four men lost his life in battle which was equivalent to one third of the civilian population. The advances of mass production of technology required human labor to operate the machines and financial stability to finance the investment in the machines. Had the 14 Points been signed, Germany would have had a chance to recover its losses. (Karpovsky) Germany was forced to sign a treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was compiled in June 1919. Germany was given an ultimatum , they had three weeks to submit their complaints in which few were accepted. They signed the Treaty of Versailles in July 1919.(Clemenceau) With high inflation, depressed economy, high unemployment, rampant poverty and no social system to take care of a war ridden state, the German people were confronted with a political document which just amplified the current situation of the country. The issue in the Treaty regarding Germany will be included as part of this paper. The land losses of colonies borders and countries totaled 28,000square miles, and six million people. Realize that this meant a loss in fertile land, man power and factories, something that was essential to a war forlorn country. The details of the land loss can be referred to in any official documents of the Treaty of Versailles Military agreements were such that Germany was required to build battleships for other countries. No discussion was made whether this was part of war reparations. In addition the army was reduced to 100 000 men and the draft was eliminated meaning a tired and aging arming would not be able to renew its resources. No heavy armament was to be manufactured for the German armed forces. Germany protected her waters but lived in a land surrounded by scorpions. Vital Resources were eliminated when Germany relinquished territory. Without coal there cannot be steel (Saar and Upper Silesia in Poland). Iron ore comes from Alsace- Lorraine. War Reparations were in the equivalence of $385 billion dollars in today's economy. They were only paid off last year but the final payment was supposed to have been paid in 1988. (Clemenceau). War Guilt Clause put 100% of the blame on Germany. The treaty was not initially accepted as it was considered as a "Diktat" of a sign of Guilt. (Duffy). It was dictated to the Germans without giving them any choice. According to Wilson's 14 Points the guilt was to be equally shared. The Weimar government lost more of its already weak credibility for having sold out the country by signing such a traitorous treaty. (Fuller 2010) By not having had them at the negotiating table in Versailles, the defeated become the winners. Politically, it was a matter of time before Germany and Russia would go to war to recover was they had lost. Hitler had gotten to power faster than anyone else in the German government." Stresemann had had wanted to renegotiate the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler has no patience".( http://cominganarchy.com/2005/12/10/geopolitical-temptation-in-europe/) From 1919-1923, the morale of the army was zero. they preferred strikes over defeats. The signing of the Treaty was considered an act of treason by many in the new Republic. Those men who signed the Treaty, were called the "November Criminals".( www.historyhome.co.uk). The economic problems were rising on a daily basis. In 1919, 17 marks were needed to buy one dollar. In 1923, 17 000 marks were needed to buy one dollar. Unemployment was as high as 23% in some areas. The Allies continued enforcing the economic blockades. In 1923, the United States intervened to lend loans to help with the horrible inflation. Germany experienced 5 years of some respite but in 1930 after having more than 7 coalition governments between 1919 and 1930, the Weimar government collapsed. The economic crash of Germany was a result of a multitude of different elements: the economic crash of Wall Street in 1929, the sudden stop of the short term loans, the rise in un employment and the government budget cuts. Unemployment went from 8.5 percent in 1929 to 14 percent in 1930, to 21.9 percent in 1931, and, at its peak, to 29.9 percent in 1932. Budjet cuts were set up to break the German economy so they were able to stop paying reparations. The society was desperate and hungry. Voters were ready for extreme solutions. Most dictators come to power when society finds themselves in such a situation of desperation. (http://www.germanculture.com.ua) Nazi propaganda gave the German people a sense of national pride and a solution to their daily economic problems. Their program appealed to those who had been hurt by the depression and World War I. It treated those who signed the Treaty of Versailles as traitors and as the beginning of all the problems of the country. People were ready to listen. By 1932, the Nazis had the most seats in the Reichstag. In the 1932 elections, Hitler was offered the post of vice chancellor in the new cabinet. He refused. Papen called a new election in January 1933 and Hitler became chancellor of Germany. He became dictator within 2 months by using article 48 of the Constitution. (http://www.germanculture.com.ua) Hitler realized quickly that the faster way to power was through normal channels. He understood that by using the weakness of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi could slowly gain majority of the Reichstag. Little by little through propaganda and excellent public speaking, he combined all the various socialists parties into one. His party line was based on hate, loss, and anti-Semitism . He talked to the uneducated, the unemployed, the laborers and the middle class who had lost everything in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. He had something to give to everyone. Their propaganda showed that the only way for Germany to survive was to have Hitler as their Chancellor. The Germans were is such economic turmoil that either they chose the 3rd Reich or they starved. It was no longer a question of social dignity. They hated the idea of Hitler and his party but they did not have the choice. Hitler put food on the table for many. Those Germans who survived the WWII had no idea what German Nationalism would have entailed. REFERENCES Clemenceau, G. History Learning Site.CO.UK. Hyperinflation and Weimar Germany in http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk: Already having stopped payments in 1922, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr valley which was Germany's must industrial and fertile part of their territory. The article goes on to explain the ramifications of having to inflate the mark. People burnt furniture to keep warm, restaurants did not print menus as the price of food went up before the food got to the tables. The group that suffered the most was the middle class as they did not have the land nor the wealth to survive. The middle class were the first to turn to the Third Reich for solutions. In 1922, the Nazis were just a few. More sources are needed for "hyperinflation" as this source is weak. Duffy, M. (2004) First World War Site.com. Treaty of Versailles - End of World War 1. Retrieved from http://www.firstworldwar.com The terms of the treaty. I am interested in how Germany was affected and the complaints they had. They were economically ruined. The war reparations were excessive and would require the Germany population to bear the cost of the war as well as the blame. The standard of life has not been take into consideration just their ability to pay through years of labor. The expenses Germany are required to pay exceed the State and private assets. Other conditions of the treaty are discussed in terms of Germany having no possibility of every recovering economically. This is the official document of the Treaty. One can find many sources and commentaries of the results of the Treaty and how it was implemented. Fuller, R. (2010)The Treaty of Versailles. Retrieve from http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/history/2.html This is a simpler presentation of the treaty as well as Wilsons 14 points. Germany was willing to accept the 14 points as the consequences were not as detrimental to the German society. In this presentation, it is clear what the land distribution entails, what are the reparations and what are the economic/industrial limitations. It is clear that the treaty is to cripple Germany both financially and economically MFA Productions. (2000-2007) Germany Under the Nazis. WorldWar2 Database. Retrieved from http://www.worldwar2database.com This is an excellent multi-media database to fill in the gaps. There are other articles as Prelude to the War: Germany, Radio Programs and video clips. Background: Life Before the Holocaust. The British Library Board. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk. This comes from a Holocaust site but there are a few citations mentioning Hitler's acknowledgement of the economic and political situation of Germany. They are worth mentioning as they validate his position of power. Wadel, The 1930s Economic Boycott of Germany - Prelude. Germany Prior to WW2 Retrieved from http://www.read-all-aboutit.org Though it is difficult to acknowledge the international economic boycott of Germany helped bring the Third Reich to power.If one wishes to be objective, it just will not do to speak only about Jewish rights having been violated without mentioning in this context that the whole German nation had been deprived of its rights by the Treaty of Versailles. Unemployment was rampant. Many had lost their property or were economic ruins. "Between 1919 and 1933, poverty, civil war and chaos reigned, with little hope of survival for many.." Wadel. The 1930s Economic Boycott of Germany - Execution. Germany Prior to WW2. Retrieved from http://www.read-all-about-it.org The boycott in the United States was against using German goods. The boycott at an international level was a worldwide attempt to crush Germany's economy keeping the people in perpetual poverty. The article goes into extensive analysis of the transfer agreement in Edwin Black's book The Transfer Agreement-The Untold Story of the Secret Pact Between the Third Reich and Jewish Palestine, wrote: "Meanwhile, Germany's border crisis grew hour by hour. Poland's pro-invasion military hawks found widespread support among a population inflamed by Jewish boycott committees . . . Events were culminating. The destruction of Hitler's tenuous regime - from within and without - loomed as the crisis of the hour in Berlin. German officials and corporate leaders had been dispatched to the cities of Europe and America to try to blunt the attack. Their efforts were unsuccessful. Government clarification, token protective decrees and threats of unrestrained retaliation against German Jews were also unsuccessful". (Black p130) Karpilovsky, S et al. (1996) Effects of WWI. The Great War Effects. Retrieved from http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us A study of the political, social and economic effects of World War I on the different countries of Europe: the change from monarchies to Republics, the mistrust in governments and the terrible inflation whereas the technical advancement of mass production of cars, airplanes and machinery gave the potential for growth, governments has to pay back the debts owed to the US from the contribution to the War. Chirol. (2005) Geopolitical Temptation in Europe Retrieved from http://cominganarchy.com A study of how the borders changed directly after WWI and after the Treaty of Versailles. The consequences of Russia and Germany not being present at the signing of the treaty. Read More