The German History the End of the 19th Century till the 20th Century - Assignment Example

Final Exam What is the importance of primary sources to the study of German History? The primary sources provide authentic information about the history. The pre war scenario and the aftermath of the war are present with a detailed account that can help in constructing an argument and it can be supported with proofs that are available as the primary sources. So in order to have a vivid and thorough understanding of the events that led to the wars and the consequences of the wars it is important to consult these sources (Farrell, 2014). 2) What were some of the environmental concerns in Germany at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in Germany? Germany in the late 19th century was under the imperial rule. On 15th June 1988 Wilhelm II ascended the throne. Germany did not go through much change and with each passing day the social and economic conflicts were raising environmental concerns. The middle classes were striving hard to come in to politics and women were trying to gain equality in financial, economic and educational spheres. The working class due to suppression declared to establish reformed political and social conditions that can allow them to participate in the progress of the nation and get acknowledged. In 1905 Wilhelm’s support for Morocco actuated the Morocco crisis that earned the anger of France and Britain making Germany weak. World War 1 led to a great destruction and Germany was considered to have played a major role in initiating war (D’Anieri, 2011, p126). With all these issues Wilhelm was dethroned and Freidrich Elbert came in power as the President of Germany and established Weimar Republic. 3) What mechanisms of the Weimar Constitution allowed Hitler to rise to power? The Weimar Constitution that was formed after signing the Treaty of Versialles established the first parliamentary democracy in Germany. Treaty of Versailles and some factors of Weimar constitution led Hitler to rise to power. The constitution was bound by the Treaty of Versialles and refrained from violating the clauses. This led to the insecurity and other economic and social issues. Germany was not allowed to keep troops for its safety and due to the sense of frustration the right wing began to have a permanent hold over the Reichstag. The hyperinflation and unemployment intensified the situation that allowed Hitler to rise to power (McElligott, 2011, p2). 4) What are some possible reasons why women supported the Nazi Party in elections in the 1930s in Germany? Before the formation of Weimar, women were not given the right to vote and they strived hard to come at par with men. No party of a substantial position acknowledged the efforts of women or their worthy existence. The important role of women was acknowledged by the Nazi party. Hitler stressed on the fact that Germany need best people to participate in the progress of the country and to fight against the enemy and for this he needed mothers to play their role in raising the best children who can serve the nation. It was Hitler’s mesmerizing speeches and words of recognition that led women believe in him. Due to this encouragement and importance given by Hitler, he earned a great support by women in the elections of 1930 (Tierney, 1999, p587). 5) What was the role of eugenics in the social policies of Nazi Germany? The role of eugenics was to preserve the Aryan race in its purest form without any defect. As Johnson (2011) explains that the inferior race was separated from the superior race and this was determined by the tests. Hitler believed that the war has taken away the courage of the nation and he needs to rebuild the old confidence and trust. So efforts were made to revive the qualities of the Aryan gene. The people were bound to get themselves examined under the law before getting married. The sole purpose of this was to increase the population of the pure Aryan race in Germany so that it can fight back. The newly married couples were given loans to improve the standard of living. Hitler considered this to be an effective way to increase the population of Germany. 6) What was the Wannsee Protocol and why is it important? Wanensee Protocol was the meeting held on 20th January, 1942 in the Berlin suburb among the senior officials of Nazi Germany. It was a secret meeting held in January to discuss an organized way of deporting Jews. It was named as the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”. Many intellectuals were present in the meeting who were aware of the fact that final solution does not mean the deportation of the Jews but the massive killing of this race. It is significant in the history because this meeting led the Nazi to the brutal and massive killing of the Jews (Lehrer, 2000, p80). 7) What is cumulative radicalization and how is it relevant to understanding Nazi Germany? Cumulative radicalization is the mutual decision of the German State and Party Bureaucracy to enable the implementation of the policies of Hitler as his perceived wishes. This led the Nazi policies to reach an extreme and people became violent in order to fight against the enemy. The cumulative radicalization gives a vivid idea about the aims of Hitler’s policies which was the extension of the social Darwinism. There were no institutional constraints and due to the collective decay of the government, genocide and other atrocities became common. Hitler’s policies are an emblem of inhumane acts and brutality that focused on the killings of Jews to get a pure Aryan race. 8) What was the Marshall Plan? The Europe Recovery Program known as the Marshall Plan was the aid given by America to help rebuild the European economies. America gave $13 billion to help the countries to gain economic stability that was taken away as a result of World War II. The goals of the United States was to remove the trade barriers that worked as an obstacle to earn revenue for the countries, to rebuild the areas that were severely affected by the war, to revolutionize the industry, and to eradicate communism completely. With the aid of America the war affected areas were rebuilt and to undo the damage done by the war was seen as the first priority of the nation (Eichengreen & Uzan, 1992). 9) What is the relevance of Krautrock to the study of German history after the 2nd World War? Krautrock was a new form of music that originated in the late 1960’s in Germany. It was a new style of music that completely deviated from the conventional form of music like the traditional blues and rock and roll. These genres had no influence on Krautrock. With this new form of music electronic music and ambient music evolved. Post-punk, new age music and alternative rock became popular. The music became popular among the masses and it had much louder beats and the chaotic style as compared to the previous one. This completely defines the chaotic style of the post war people. The war completely shattered the older beliefs and norms just like this form of music that completely shattered the previous form of music. 10) What was one of the reasons for the development of a national police force in West Germany in the 1970s? The conflicts between the West and East Germany led to the cold war between these two parts of the same country (Wilke, 2014, p2). Any sort of illegal activity in an attempt to cross the parts was considered offensive and doers were considered either smugglers or espionage agents. So in order to secure the region and the property and lives of the individuals, the state developed the national police force. Initially the police force had less number of officials but with the passage of time and need, the people began to apply and the borders were secured. Discuss the reasons for the fall of the Weimar Republic The post war scenario and the obstacles that humans felt in their way to get peace led to their desperate attempts to end war that completely devastated them. The end of war marked the end of brutality and atrocities but with this closure came the condition that was the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was held responsible for initiating the war and the inclusion of the war guilt clause in the treaty considered Germany to pay for all the reparations. To dethrone Wilhelm and to end the imperial rule efforts were made and finally in 1919 the nation was relieved and Weimar Republic was formed. There are many reasons and the reality is multi faceted and there can be no one reason responsible for the failure of the Weimar Republic. Many political, economic, social and religious issues are responsible for the fall of the Weimar Republic. The harsh terms of the treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany led to the chaos and conflicts in the nation. The Germans opposed to the terms of the treaty and the severity of these terms actuated many other issues and conflicts. The treaty bound the Germans from keeping the army troops and the expenses of reparations were laid on Germany. The vulnerable state that was trying to attain economic stability, found it impossible to pay for reparations as it will further make the sustainability difficult. In these tribulations, the state borrowed money from America to pay back. The Germans considered it unfair to blame them for the damage and they found it frustrating but to their utter disappointment they were unable to raise their voice against the Treaty and they were bound to follow it. The political system and the Weimar constitution are also considered as one of the major reasons for the failure. The pre war conditions led to the accumulation of hatred towards the people in power. The new republic formed its system on the values of democracy, supervision and the protection of the rights of the individuals. But with its formation the state failed to practice such norms and powers were given to the president and his words were considered as the last and irrevocable words. With this the collapse of the political system was evident due to the agitation of the masses. The political system failed to provide people the freedom in every aspect that was their basic right. Gradually Weimar began to lose its control and people began to find some other power that can give them better political and social opportunities. With the Great Depression the state suffered a great loss. The republic had newly gained a little stability in economic sphere and had managed to eradicate the shortcomings. But with the setback in the economy the countries went through a devastating change and America began to demand for the return of the loan from Germany. This was a major reason for the fall of Weimar Republic. Has it gotten a little time, it would have been able to come at par with other countries. But the setback in the economy forced them to return the loan that resulted in hyperinflation and unemployment. The people failed to find a way to fulfill their staple needs and this resulted in suicides and frustration. The high rate of unemployment and hyperinflation completely weakened the roots of the Weimar Republic and it became difficult for it to survive. The class system was also the cause of lack of unity among the masses that caused the roots of the republic become weak. The rigid class system was not eradicated completely and the working class was looked down upon with disdain and contempt. Women were not allowed to participate at a political level and this led them to feel inferior. They were not considered worthy enough to have their stance in the political or social issues. So they became least interested and were filled with hatred for the republic. The existence of people belonging to different religions led to the tussle between the masses. The Catholics and Protestants had their own groups and practices and Protestants who enjoyed the superiority were deprived of it. The Jews were considered alien to the country and along with other religious issues the Weimar republic began to lose its aim with which it came in to power. So it can be concluded that there is no one reason for the failure of the Weimar Republic. The reasons for the formation of the republic were to provide a better outlet to the people to practice freedom. With the poor political system, the unresolved religious issues and the economic troubles, the Weimar found it difficult to survive. All these reasons led to the fall of the republic. References D’Anieri, P. (2011). International politics: Power and purpose in global affairs. Cengage Learning. Eichengreen, B., & Uzan, M. (1992). The Marshall Plan. Economic Policy, 14, 14-75. Farrell, K. (2014). Primary and Secondary Sources in the Study of History | Encased in Steel. Retrieved June 17, 2015. Johnson, S. (2011). Social Eugenics Practices With Children in Hitler’s Nazi Germany and the Role of Social Work: Lessons for Current Practice. Retrieved June 13, 2015. Lehrer, S. (2000). Wannsee House and the Holocaust. McFarland. McElligott, A. (2011). Rethinking the Weimar Republic: Authority and authoritarianism 1916 - 1936. London: Bloomsbury USA Academic. Tierney, H. (1999). G - P. London: Aldwych Press. Wilke, M. (2014). The path to the Berlin Wall: Critical stages in the history of divided Germany. New York, NY : Berghahn Books. Read More