Dawes Plan and Totalitarianism: Historical Perspectives

Dawes Plan

It is an attempt to solve the reparation issue of Germany after the World War I. The new German government stopped the resistance and tended to approach a new way to settle the reparations question under the Treaty of Versailles. Spielvogel noted that the Dawes Plans established by international commission “reduced reparations and stabilized Germany’ s payments on the basis of its ability to pay” (799). In order to reduce its burden and promote its recovery, this plan also provided a two hundred million dollars loan for Germany. It should be studied today because this plan allows the Germany to pay for the reparations. The loans offered by the United States starting the heavy American investment in the Europe, which brought about the flourish of Europe in the 1920s.

Totalitarianism

It is a term first applied by Benito Mussolini that was used to describe the new Fascist state. It refers that the government allows no freedom and attempts to control the every aspect of individual’s life under its authority. Spielvoge indicated that the western leaders called the Soviet control of both the Eastern European states and the Soviet Union as “totalitarian” (805). The totalitarianism has extended the power of the central state in the past to a

Spielvoge indicated the number of Nazi Party has increased dramatically from 289,000 members in 1930 to 800,000 by 1932 (812). Hitler, the leader of Nazis Party, promised to get rid of the class differences and political infighting. It had a powerful control over the Germany for a time. However, the individual and organizational conflict was constant among the Nazis. It should be studied today because the Nazis has a great impact on every aspect of German life, including culture, religion, education, etc. And the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany marked the beginning of the World War