Europe Transformed Critique - Essay Example

Norman excessively sojourns to elucidate the events that indicate that the period cannot be equated to a period of international tranquillity. For instance, during the period, individuals, anarchists, and other groups attempted many assassinations. Many of the assassinators were successful enough to disturb the military forces and police of many European countries. Significant incidents include the 1881 murder of Alexander II, the russian tsar, and the June 1914 homicide of Franz Ferdinand which triggered WWI. Notably, the later attack was one of the four years of attacks against the lives of Habsburg officials before 1914. A clear analysis of the period reveals that Ferdinand’s assassination was a less aberrant attack and more typical of the times, and challenges the argument of those who perceive the years before the war as relatively tranquil. Several other occurrences during the period indicate that the period was quite abnormal than one might think. These events include the assassination of protuberant figures including Australia’s empress (1898), the president of the French Republic (1894), the king of Italy (1900) and the 1901 killing of the American president.

Additionally, the outrageous fact that terrorists in those days killed millions of people by driving explosive-laden vehicles into buildings indicates technical restrictions (Stone, 196). However, these were not anomalous events during the period considering the many activities that had transpired and disrupted peace in Europe. Although the first three-quarters of the 19th century was quite tumultuous, the evidence presented by Norman comprehensively convinces readers that terming the period 1878-1919 as a turning point in Europe based on the tranquil that was experienced is merely a misrepresentation of facts. The internal commotions and raucousness experienced were so much.

German naval tactics reveal misappropriation and misallocation. Considering that it had greatly been weakened by the Britain naval in the years before WWI, the navy could be better organized and resources allocated effectively if Germany’s dream of winning the war were to materialize. Instead, from 1895-1914, billions were irresponsibly used for surface fleets, scoffing funding for inventions such as submarines, while only twenty-five of its submarines were in good condition by August 1914. Additionally, it fatally weakened its army (on land) by allocating naval production a great percentage of resources, neglecting other important aspects (Stone, 157). Germany was striving to be a great power both by sea and land, not knowing that it could not afford the extortionate costs associated with such a move. Moreover, Kaiser erroneously failed in coordinating the leadership to effectively handle the war and assure Germans a win.