“... We shall maintain our position is that we realize that without power, without a strong army and a strong navy, there shall be no welfare for us.” (Document C). Germany used their sense of nationalism to strive as a country, and wanted to act as the active aggressor to reap the most benefits. “Do not intend to be the bondsmen of humanity... In the coming century, the German nation will be either the hammer or the anvil.”
As continued countries began to plummet the choice of new territory became not just a want but a need. Including Germany. A the German social democratic party congress came up with a resolution in 1900, (doc 5) They issued the benefactors of the new colonies explainning that it would become a place of opportunities to innovate and to invest. Finically this would become very beneficial for Germany as they would be able to create new markets and gain capitalist exploitation.
Germany has been struggling a lot after WWI. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party started blaming and
Berman argues that the central problem of Germany that accommodated the actions of the Nazi Party involved the weak political institutions of the state such as political parties (402). Without strong political parties to respond to the demands of German citizens as whole, the German society in both the Wilhelmine and Weimar eras lacked trust and common interests. Berman argues that associationism can only benefit democratic societies when the state has adequate political institutions that are able to channel the demands of the various groups (427). Therefore, although Berman is not necessarily against civil society, she argues that strong and legitimate political institutions must serve as preconditions in order for democracy to
As a defeated country in WW1, the economic sanctions imposed on Germany created tensions within the country. At the same time, this tense situation provided an environment for an extreme force, namely the Nazis, to take power. The text of the Treaty of Versailles in Doc 3 alludes to the historical context of the harsh penalty meted out to Germany after WW1, which prevented Germany from using its colonies to aid in its post-war reconstruction. This creates geographical tensions and domestic resentment, given that the nation was dictated by outside powers. At the same time, from the historical context of Doc 6, The Dawes Plan granted Germany a substantial loan to help it stabilize its economy and pay its reparations to the Allied powers, yet it additionally forced Germany to make ongoing payments to the Allies, which had a considerable negative impact on the country’s economy and caused social and political unrest.
As illustrated in Document L, Germany depicted Jews as the root of their problems. The multiple failures of democratic governments angered citizens into a revolt for new change in political aspects of the country. In essence, it allowed them to put the blame on others in an attempt to resolve the internal issues within Germany. Correspoinsidly in Document G, the rise of fascism directly influenced political parties in the German democracy as the number of Nazi members of the Reichstag began from twelve in 1928 and rose to 230 by 1933. Similarly, Russia needed a new way of life and leadership following the Russian Revolution in 1917.
However the institutional progress allowed the Empire to function independently without a highly centralized infrastructure. The German historian and philosopher Samuel von Pufendorf once referred to the Empire as a ‘monstrosity’ [121] and he came to such a conclusion considering all the wars the Empire fought and the impacts it had on the human lives. Finally when it collapsed, what was left behind was its heritage and ideologies, which still continue to exist in German politics in present days.
Germany has been a nation that had been divided for many centuries, the Germanic tribes had avoided being taken over by the Roman Empire, they had been the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, then after the Holy Roman Empire fall, it became a handful of individual kingdoms and states, with Persia and Austria being the biggest contenders to make a unified Germany. Germany in the early 1860’s was divided mostly because of failed politics and religious divides. One man was the most important driving force behind these Germanic kingdoms becoming the superpower that is Germany. Otto von Bismarck, the Minister President of Prussia and a friend to Persian king, Wilhelm I. Prussia had tried for years to unify the nations, but it wasn’t until Bismarck came along that this began to become a reality.
Timothy Carlin 10/24/15 His 101 This book took place during World War 1 in Germany. Paul Bäumer talks about how bad the war was.
What the Nazis referred to as the ‘national socialist revolution’ was the elimination of political opposition and Hitler using what was good in the German past, while rejecting what he saw as bad. (Evans) During this era of Nazi dominance within Germany, Hitler tried to spark a cultural revolution by means of purging parts of its past to emphasize Nazi ideology and virtues through the destruction of literature deemed unsatisfactory or unacceptable. The goal of this revolution was to preserve German socialism within German culture by gaining support from the German people, which in turn created a total culture that strengthened the Nazi regime. In addition, an article from the Modern Humanities Research Association remarks, “... the German Enlightenment, is referred to more than once in condemnation of any attempt to destroy the spirit of opposition through the destruction of a book…”
Germanness during the Third Reich, was defined by its “social outsiders”; equating Hitler’s notion of threat against Germany’s way of life. Often, anyone that posed a dangerous opposition to the ideal German citizen of the Aryan race with attributes of “hard work, cleanliness, and sobriety” (Gellately pg. 56, befell hardship. These groups of “social outsiders”, the Jews or those “who could not follow dominate social values” (Gellately pg. 56), shaped Hitler’s dream of cultural unity. The “perfect” German identity, constructed through a meaning of what it was not; included “othered” groups of related contrasting religious affiliations, unnatural sexual orientations, and competing political views.
The seeds of German Nationalism were sown throughout the world war I battles. Once the war was over, and Germany was separated from Prussia as punishment for the war, nationalism began to take root and grow. Therefore, I have changed my proposal to reflect the following. German nationalism, which was sown during world war I and continued to grow following the war resulted in consequences which effected its military, economic structure, and political decision making.
The Third Reich, referring to Hitler’s reign and Germany being under Nazi rule between the years 1933-1945, is often referred to as a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a system of government in which all power is centralized and does not allow any rival authorities, and the state controls every corner of individual lives with absolute power. Nazi Germany has been referred to as an excellent example of this type of government. This essay will analyse five aspects of Nazi Germany to determine whether it truly exhibited the totalitarian style of government.
The French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon caused the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, the “overarching constitutional structure,” in which Germany had existed for centuries. Napoleonic France fostered the divide between Prussia, Austria, and the “Third Germany” and both Prussia and the Third Germany states were subject to Napoleon’s reforms. These events also resulted in the emergence and growth of German nationalism with an anti-French focus among those who sought to resist French domination. This would eventually result in the unification of Germany in 1871 (Williamson, 14-15; 20). 2) What/where was the “Third Germany?”
Before 1933, the rise of Nazism authority centralized incrementally then suddenly. After the end of WWI Germany had a new form of government that began as a republican democratic constitution known as the Weimar Republic. This type of government later was known for being the prelude to the rise of Nazism. The Weimar Republic quickly became known for being the "new government with old players and culture" (Palmer, 9/18/17). As the Weimar Republic arose, there was a lack of change happening.
