Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles marked the end of World War I in 1919 and began what could be considered the worst time period of Germany. The Treaty of Versailles, which was imposed by Allied forces, created a time of turmoil and economic distress for the Germans. It forced demilitarization, demanded steep reparations that were impossible to repay, and created political instability throughout the country.

            After the Treaty of Versailles, the entire mood of the Germans was in the doldrums. The sense of nationalism was basically zero. “The government experienced sixteen different governments, on the average a new one every eight and a half months (p. 207, Hagan).” With the lack of political stability that Germany faced during this time, there is not wonder that a radical leader, like Hitler, came to power. The political stability faced by Germans made it extremely difficult for any sort of economic policies to come into act. With the exuberate amount reparations needed to be paid, it was crucial that well thought out, intelligent policies were put into act during this time. France began to figure out that Germany could not and would not pay back these reparations, and decided to take it forcibly. France based troops at the largest coalmine in Germany but this plan backfired when the Germans formed a labor strike. This labor strike ended up being more of a burden on the Germans than the French because now coal had to be imported to Germany. The expensive taxes on the imported coal eventually lead to an “enormous deficit that could only be made up by printing more money (p. 210, Hagan.)”  As a result, hyperinflation eventually began, sending the country and its economy into a downward spiral. With hyperinflation happening, the worth of money was essentially zero if you did not trade it in for goods. Germany basically regressed into the barter system. The distrust in the government was at an all time high. The worth of their currency was abysmal, there hasn’t been a powerful political party in act in fourteen years, and there has been no government-backed military was in power for over a decade. 

Finally the Dawes Act of 1923, lessened the reparations and other sanctions of the Treaty of Versailles, and a time of peace occurred in Germany for ten years. After basically nothing was done about the government during that decade, the people felt like a change was needed. The Germans who read Hitler’s Mein Kampf became extremely optimistic of the future because of his political views. Hitler’s radical ideologies about an authoritarian government, strong military views, and an economy based on the production of war vehicle and weapons were exactly what many Germans were looking for after such as long period of a weak democratic government.

The Treaty of Versailles, obviously unknown at this point in history, perfectly set up Hitler and his Nazi regime. This being said, I believe that the Treaty of Versailles is one of the major documents in German history that radically shifted and changed the thoughts of Germans at this time. Without the large reparations and demilitarization that came from this Treaty, there would have never been the period of political confusion instability and that eventually created this distaste in democracy that the Germans had at this time period. Although the Nazi regime was a terrible time for Germany during this time period, it is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential times in not only German history but also World history. The Treaty of Versailles was initially created to prevent another World War from occurring, but eventually caused WWII. This is why the Treaty of Versailles is the most interesting and influential topic in these chapters. 

German History

            After the Holy Roman Empire Collapsed, there was much unrest and, chaos in Europe. Many countries had previous ties and trade laws via the Empire and when the Empire collapsed, there was political, religious, and economic hostility and confusion.

German nationalism picked up during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century when there was a railroad boom. The railroad helped unify the German’s economy by making their prices competitive with other European prices. The railroad in “Germany” comprised of only 3.7 miles to begin with, uncompetitive compared to Austria, France and Britain, but soon the Germans would build and create a railroad that was second to none. This extraordinary railroad system stimulated the economy because there was a need for workers to build the railroads, make the locomotives, maintain the locomotives, and many other jobs. This increase in production throughout Germany in the early nineteenth century laid the framework for an industrial-based economy. The entire economy was booming, new banks were popping up, entrepreneurs did not fear revolution, and unemployment levels were down and wages were steady.

            This time in German history could be thought of as a time where “National Identity” was created for the Germans. The interconnected and competitive economy put trust into the Nation and the people wanted a sovereign government.

There are similarities to the boom of our American railroad system and the German railroad system. The American railroad system connected far away regions and economies that could once not be connected. Far West regions with many natural resources were now able to do business with the East and combine to profit and strengthen the economy the same way that it did in Germany.

Germany was comprised of many smaller, individual regions and kingdoms, which had different ideals and cultures. This posed as a huge challenge for uniting Germany into one state. The idea of unifying these kingdoms was an idea that was strengthening but finding a way to lead and convince these regions could be haphazard. Not only did these kingdoms have beliefs in different religions and morals, but they also did not speak the same language. Germany needed a witty and intelligent leader to solve this dilemma and Otto von Bismark was the man for it.

Bismark was the Chancellor of Prussia, the most powerful kingdom in Germany, he wanted the other kingdoms to absorb into Prussia and become one large state. He did not care about the collaboration of cultures, but rather the cooperation of kingdoms for territorial purposes for increased military power. His way of thinking could have benefited or completely ruined the State. The common beliefs, or goals, eventually led to Germany becoming a Nation.

The way that Germany came into existence and the way America came into existence are very similar. When the settlers came to America they were not unified at all. They did not have the same religious backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, or the same language. They did not agree on politics and did not have the same currency. The colony of Virginia was the most powerful, just as Prussia was the most powerful in Germany, and many of the most powerful leaders were from Virginia, just as Prussia. All differences aside, colonies in Germany and America came together because they had one common goal. This goal was to be free and declare an independent nation.

Germany as a country has not been around for a long time, relative to other countries, but the history leading up to its creation as Nation has so many different factors involved. If the German Railroad did not boom in the early 19^th century and hold together the economy, who knows, Germany might still be a smorgasbord of separate kingdoms.

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Reluctant Revolutionary

Reluctant Revolutionary was narrated by Liam Neisen and talked about Martin Luther's contribution to the Protestant Revolution. Martin Luther nailed ninety five theses to the Catholic Church during the 16th century. After people saw theses it started an enormous controversy during this time period. People that were affiliated with the Catholic Church were extremely offended by the act of Luther and began to talk about how they were going to react to his doings. 

The ninety five theses that Luther wrote stated what he thought was wrong with the acts and rules of the Catholic church. Most of the problems that he had with the Catholic Church dealt with the fact that Catholics could pay money to the Church to be forgiven for the indulgences they previously took part in. According to the Catholic Church, you were able to indulge in sins, when you went to church you could pray to God, talk to the priest, and pay money in order to be forgiven by God. Martin Luther thought this was erroneous that people had to pay money to be forgiven by God. To me, just as Martin Luther thought, it seemed that they were kind of brainwashed into believing that you needed to have and give money in order to be forgiven and if you had money and gave it to the Catholic Church you were going to be forgiven and be able to be let into heaven.

In my eyes, I can look up to and respect any person that can stand up for what he believes in. Individuals such as Martin Luther are the people that have changed the world the most dramatically. Martin Luther was able to be an opposing force against the one of the most powerful empires at the time, the Roman Catholic Church, by just writing what he believed in and a piece of paper and nailing it to a wall. This act gave thousands, if not millions, of people the hope and option to believe in something other than the "All Powerful Catholic Church." 

On the other hand, even thought that I have the utmost respect for Martin Luther and how he stood up for he thought, I believe that Martin Luther was the main cause for the separation of the German speaking population. These ninety five theses ultimately caused much direst and despair between many individuals that were caught in the middle of this conflict but overall this does not change the fact that he began different thinking in the world of religious thought. 

After reading the first two chapters of Hagen Schulze’s Germany A New History the persons that intrigued the most were Martin Luther and Frederick the Wise. Luther, who started one of the most controversial reforms, the Protestant Reformation, in history by nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Catholic church. I can connect the Protestant Reformation during the sixteenth century to a time in American history when America declared independence from Great Britain. I came up with this connection by comparing the people who started these reforms. Thomas Jefferson and gang, who convened together to fight against Great Britain are similar to what Martin Luther and Frederick the Wise did to fight for what they thought.

Martin Luther was better known than Frederick the Wise. Little do people know, Frederick the Wise protected Martin Luther in many ways. Because Frederick was a prince, he influenced many nobles to part ways with the Catholic Church and start questioning the antics of the Catholics. Frederick the Wise can be compared to a modern day Vice President of the United States. I find this comparison because Vice Presidents help to influence and persuade citizens to vote for the President and Frederick did the same for Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

On top of the Protestant Reformation, the other very important event that was stated in this book was the Thirty Years War. The Thirty Years was a conglomerate of wars sparked by different religious views. This war can be compared to the war that has been ongoing for decades between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting over land and religion just as the Thirty Years War was fought between the Protestants and Catholics.

In my eyes the Martin Luther, Frederick the Wise, the Protestant Reformation and the Thirty Years were the most important people and events that were mentioned during the first two chapters of this book.

   

                                                                Martin Luther

Frederick the Wise

                                              Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

Why Germany Interests Me

There are various reasons why I want to visit, learn, and explore Germany. The strong economy, rich culture and history, and the beautiful architecture are just a few of the many reasons that I want to travel to Germany.  

To begin, since I am a Business major, the strong economy of Germany is very interesting. Germany is also the economic "anchor" in the struggling European Union. I would like to learn about the leading industries in Germany and why/how those industries are staying strong in a time of such economic turmoil for other countries in the European Union. Chancellor Angela Merkel is an individual that intrigues me greatly. Chancellor Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world in the most powerful country in Europe. I can understand how a woman in the United States, such as Hilary Clinton, would be elected as President but am curious to how a woman was elected in to such a high position in a country like Germany. This may sound ignorant but since I am uninformed about Germany and its stance on women leaders, this seems odd to me. Regardless of the gender of the Chancellor, how she leads the such a powerful economy is very interesting in my eyes.

The rich culture and history of Germany is another area of Germany that I do not have much knowledge of and something that I wanted to explore for some years now. To me it seems that the Germans have a very strong love for their country. Whether it be rooting for their soccer team in the World Cup, talking about German history, or praising the cuisine and beer, the Germans love their country deeply. I do not know if this traces back to the hard times in the past or their extensive and plentiful history but gaining more knowledge on the culture is something that I would like to do. My curiosity maybe caused by the fact that I have some German in my blood.

Finally, I believe that the castles and old architecture in Germany is fascinating. The fact that the Germans could build immense castles to withstand the harsh German winters for hundreds of years without modern technology is an amazing feat. The beautiful landscapes of the German countryside with large beautiful structures is a site that is amazing in pictures and will be breathtaking in person. 

This trip to Germany will be a very memorable one. Learning about the culture and then getting the chance to explore and visit Germany in person is going to be something very special 

Germany

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