Saturday, July 17, 2010
Culpability and Rebuilding.
Europe between wars was a hot mess. German history is something that is very intriguing to me and thus the period directly following the First World War interests me because of the significance it holds in reference to 21st century European history. Coupled with the complete blame placed on the country and the intense street violence and political instability, it amazes me that rebuilding was able to take place and how quickly Germany was able to regain its status and stature prior to WWII. Firstly, Germany was arguably the biggest loser (casualties wise) in the 1ST World War, losing the largest # of people. Like the rest of Europe, Germany’s economy was crippled from the onset. One of the largest blows to Germany after WWI was the Treaty of Versailles. Basically, Germany felt it had been dishonored by the rest of Europe. Germany had to sign an agreement to take complete and utter blame for WWI, and lost land to Poland, France, ext. Ultimately, Germany felt they were “stabbed in the back”, and that much of the blame fell on their citizens. In addition to the culpability, Germany had military limitations placed on them that not only insulted the autonomy of the country but also put Germany at a disadvantage of weakness and vulnerability. Even so, Germany was somehow able to build up the army that would challenge all of Europe in WWII. Germany went through a lot of political transformations @ this time as well. The Weimar was created, a parliamentary democracy, but was of course plagued by problems. The instability of the Weimar rested in one of the biggest issues across Europe at the time; violence. As all this was going on, nationalistic sentiments were giving rise to Fascism. Still, it amazes me that Hitler was able to take control and rebuild a shattered nation as quickly as he did…
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I think the Treaty of Versailles really brings about a new aspect to the complications that arise from warfare. All nations involved (except Germany obviously) wanted blame for the war placed on Germany, and they wanted their astronomical expenses to be paid by Germany. At the time, I'm sure the treaty seemed like a good idea to those involved (yet again, excepting Germany). But in hindsight, we can see that the Treaty of Versailles only further humiliated and frustrated the Germans, almost guaranteeing another war. This brings about the philosophical(?) question of how to treat a nation after a war. Is it better to place upon them the burdens like those in Versailles, or was Lincoln's approach of Reconstruction after the American Civil war a better model?
ReplyDeleteHitler did come at a good time because many Germans were upset with the outcome of WWI. Hitler gave them something new and eventually gave them a way to feel a sense of pride. He also decided that the Jews were to blame and many Germans jumped on board. The arguement that many did it out of fear is still debated. I lived in Germany for three years and many shops were selling souvenirs with the swastika on them, this is illegal in Germany. This made me believe that they really may have not cared.
ReplyDeleteBeau- I think that all these factors that you are listing about post World War I Germany were going to inevitably lead to the rise of a totalitarian dictator, it just happened to be Hitler. The power vacuum caused by the Weimar Republic left the German people clamoring for a leader and they were terribly afraid of Communism, which left Facism as a seemingly good option. It is really amazing though how quickly Germany was able to make itself a massive world power again, and during a period when the rest of the world was economically crippled.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to remember that on the eve of WWI, Germany was seriously challenging British superiority in industrial production with newer, more modern factories. The bulk of of WWI was fought on French or Belgian soil so Germany did not really suffer physical damage (nothing at all like the aerial bombing of WWII). Certainly the conditions of the Versailles Treaty hurt the German economy, as did the drop in agricultural prices in the late 20s but by cutting welfare measures, making tough but necessary economic decision (credited mostly to a Chancellor prior to Hitler) and instituting massive public works/ military build-up programs, the German economy began to recover.
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