What Would It Take? Essay, Research Paper

What would it take to get you to believe that you had no choice but to follow the most visible leader? Would famine, economic crisis, and losing a war cause this? For Germany following the end of the first great war, the answer is yes. Hitler persuaded many people to his point of view because they were in despair over losing the war. Germany is one of the most nationalistic cultures on the planet. Losing World War I was like a slap in the face to them.

Germany, because of the Treaty of Versailles, owed unfair amounts of money and goods to Great Britain and France. These countries were suffering from a severely collapsed economy after expending so much money on the war. Everything of value was stripped from Germany to repay debts. Once everything was gone, Germany was decimated. Riots broke out, there was looting, and even more suffering.

In 1912, war broke out between the Balkans and Turkey. Initially, Kaiser Wilhelm II chose for Germany to stay out of the conflict. As the conflict began to escalate, and war became an ever increasing likelihood, Britain declared that it would not stay neutral in a war in mainland Europe. Great Britain declared that it would came to France’s aid in case of attack from the Germans. Since Wilhelm had already stated that he would stay neutral in a war, Britain’s resolve to aid France angered him. He claimed that all doubts about Britain’s alleged “friendly” attitude were now dispersed, and that it was time to act against the British oppressors. Wilhelm decided that the sooner Germany entered the war, the better off it would be.

Germany had the largest army in continental Europe, and the second largest navy, after Britain. The Kaiser decided to act while Germany still maintained the tactical advantage. Immediate mobilization of the German forces began. The first attack was against Russia. As German forces began to collect, the Russians realized that they were the target. Russia allied with France , and both, in turn, allied with Britain. These three nations formed the “core” of the Allies during World War I. Wilhelm, in response, allied with Austria, but a small problem arose in Serbia. Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria visited neighboring Serbia despite warnings from the Serbian Government of a terrorist plot to kill him. In July of 1914, the Serbian terrorist group Black Hand assassinated the Arch Duke.

Austria, backed by Germany, issued an “ultimatem” to Serbia. The Serbians agreed to cooperate with Austrian demands, but the Austrians declared war anyway. Both Russia and France warned Austria not to go to war, but are both were ignored. Russia quickly mobilized, and Germany mobilized in response to the Russians. The French and British quickly mobilized as well, and World War I began.

The new technology in modern warfare carried a heavy price in human blood. As a result, between 20 and 25 million people, both soldiers and civilians, died in World War I, making it one of the bloodiest wars in history. European countries were devastated, both economically and with the destruction caused by the war. On top of that, none of the countries had any money. So it was decided that it was time for Germany to pay for it’s arrogance.

Germany was punished severly by the Allies, despite the United States best attempts to the contrary. In the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to pay outrageous sums of money and goods to England and France called reparations. A total sum of $33,000,000,000 was demanded in pay, but Germany didn’t have hard currency just lying around after the war (Jane Plotke). Due to the lack of finances in Germany both Britain and France were allowed to strip Germany of anything of value, including goods. This system had a flaw, however. Germany was as ravaged by the war as the rest of Europe. Germany ran out of goods and finances with which to pay the reparations. On top of it all, Germany was placed on severe restrictions.

Germany’s primary coal mines in the Saar Basin were handed over to France. Numerous other lands were taken from Germany and given away. On top of it all, Germany’s military was limited to 100,000 men. With such a small force, Germany couldn’t possibly hope to defend itself against an invasion. Even Denmark’s army could conquer Germany, it was that pitiful.

Many people blamed Hitler’s rise to power on the rejected Weimar Republic. The Republic was a very weak democracy installed by the Allies, following World War I, to “attempt” to keep order in Germany. It was basically a “puppet” government for the Allies. Herwarth von Bitten announced that, “The worst thing was that nobody wanted to identify with the Weimar Republic.” The Republic was a symbol of disgrace. It was seen to be as weak as those who ran it. “The bourgeois parties failed in that they were incapable of creating a defensive front against either National Socialism or Communism”, “In my opinion, the reason for Hitler’s rise to power is due to the failure of the bourgeois parties”, were other quotes of Herwarth’s (Steinhoff, p. xxxix-xl). The Republic was simply too weak to hold itself together. It would inevitably fail, and the first person to step forward would take control.

Then, out of the blue, a man did step forward. Bernard Schmitt, a German civilian, once said that, “He came to power like a knight to the rescue” (Steinhoff, p113). His name was Adolf Hitler, and he offered exactly what the people wanted. He offered them stability, food, jobs, and most of all revenge. He promised revenge against the unfair treatmen of Germany in the Versailles treaty by the Allies. He managed to convince most Germans that they were superior to other cultures. Germans were the “?bermunsch”, or the overlords.

Many people didn’t agree with Hitler’s methods of creating a better Germany. Even Hitler wasn’t prepared for the mass murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Initially he only intended to get them out of the country, but when he began to conquer more territory, he gained more Jewish people than he knew what to do with. So instead of shipping them out again, he simply exterminated them. Anybody who protested him was arrested and tried for treason. Besides, most people agreed that Hitler was trying to achieve something for the good of Germany, unlike the country’s previous rulers.

Most Germans believed that if it was for Germany, it was all right. “The Ends Justified the Means”, so to speak. Eduard Steinberg, an agent in the German Special Forces, once said, “We were totally convinced we were doing the right thing” (Steinhoff, p111). Few people doubted the word of Chancellor Hitler. “Heil Hitler” had become a standard greeting. It was used much like we use “hello” today. Hitler had become a god in the eyes of the people. The would die for him, and many did. It wasn’t until after his death in 1945 that the Germans realized the stupidity of their ways. It was one dictator who forced them into World War I. Now a second dictator had forced them to fight, and lose yet another war. They would not repeat their mistake again.

The Versailles Treaty both humiliated and angered the Germans. It’s easy to see why they would follow a dictator like Hitler after what the Allies had put them through. Half of their young men were dead. An entire generation was decimated by a war nobody wanted in the first place. Hitler came along and promised reform. He promised stability, and most of all he provided a way for the Germans to take their REVENGE!