In 1919, Germany was still a young country by European standards, united just less than fifty years earlier. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, there were over three hundred Germanic kingdoms in what is today Germany. The kingdoms existed, traded, fought wars with and against one another for over a millennium. Napoleon Bonaparte, during his conquest through Europe reduced the number to a German Confederation of thirty-nine states. Otto von Bismarck united all the German Confederation under Prussian domination through a series of wars. Unification made Germany the most dominant country in Europe and instilled a sense of German unity and pride. As united as the Germans were, the country had a very rich and diverse culture. A culture …show more content…
Many socialist programs began with the rise of the republic. The government took up a position of passive resistance against the occupation of the Ruhr industrial region. Workers in the region went on strike to protest the occupation, and in an effort to pay the reparation debt and the workers, the treasury printed money without financial backing. This irresponsible printing of money caused hyperinflation; a single US dollar bought 4.2 trillion marks, whereas in 1922, a single US dollar bought 3,180 marks. Germans carried suitcases full of money just to buy a pair of shoes or a loaf of bread. Chancellor Gustav Stresemann stopped the craziness by halting the printing of Marks and introduced new, stable Reichsmarks that had gold backing. The old currency was exchanged for the new stable currency and it had an immediate effect. Prices stabilized, and inflation stopped. Stresemann also negotiated a reconciliation with France and for the end of the occupation of the Ruhr in return for a promise of scheduled reparations payments. Stresemann, along with Charles Dawes, an American banker, revised the reparations payments and schedule to a manageable level. The Dawes Plan, backed by American financing, was approved by the Reichstag in August 1924. American dollars began to flow into Germany, ensuring industrial trade between the two countries. The striking workers returned to their jobs, and the German economy started to gain strength. Both Dawes and Stresemann received the Nobel Prize for
Germany, a country hundreds of years in the making, was unified in 1871. After years of being separate states and loose confederations, Germany became a whole, unified nation through Prussian strength in the economy and more importantly strength in the military. The might of the Prussia's military was in its army, which it used in wars to bring together the separate German states into a unified Germany. The Seven Weeks War against Austria was the first example of this. When Prussia won that war, the Northern German Confederation was formed with Prussia at the head and Austria not included, thus creating the first unified Germany, even if not completely, and changing war and politics of Europe forever.
In 1914, Europe was diving into two separate powers. One was Triple Entente composed of France, Russia and Britain. Other one was Triple Alliance, consists of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. (Pope 2) Each of the countries was connected with different treaties. The caused of European countries’ unstable political situation and threat of war was present. By arranging alliances with other governments, most countries found ways to protect themselves from assault. While Germany was becoming the center of the struggle, Europe made a spider web of tangled alliance that led most countries into two opposing powers. (Hamilton 16) In the late nineteenth century, the most surprising event in Europe was the birth of united state of Germany. Under the leadership of the Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, system of alliances was established to achieve peace in Europe. By 1890, Bismarck succeeded in having every major power into his alliance system...
But Bismarck never actually attached himself to the National Liberal aims, and instead he ‘mainly sought to safeguard the position of the federal states, above all Prussia, and ensure their rights were protected’, so therefore it can be seen that he had planned unification from the outset, thus Bismarck playing a very important role in the unification of Germany. Furthermore his ‘domestic policies were driven by his determination to consolidate the new national state’, once again showing his large impact on the unification of Germany. However it is undeniable that the national liberal movement did play a large and important role in the unification of Germany and the most obvious and clear example of this is that ‘the National Liberals were the most powerful political party in Germany by the end of the unification process’ showing their political power. However, without Bismarck it could be argued that they would not have been able to get their views across but also Bismarck sought unification through war to secure the Germany he supposedly wanted. This is seen as Bismarck knew that ‘an agreement with Austria to divide Germany was always unlikely and that ultimately force would have to decide the issue’, this clearly linking into the Wars of Unification that followed which in the end secured the unification of Germany
In this essay I will consider to what extent the German economy has been central to change regarding the development of Germany over the whole period, 1890-1991. I will consider the German economy under the Kaiser in accordance with World War 1, during Hyperinflation under the Weimar Republic in 1923, in Nazi Germany under Hitler and in East and West Germany leading to the building of the Berlin Wall. It appears that the German economy to a large degree has been exceedingly central to change in the country over this entire period. It is evident though that the economy itself has not solely been the derivation of precise events over the course of the period. There have been other ideas and proceedings that must be taken into consideration and I aim to assess the prominence of these notions in opposition to the German economy. These include the radical ideas of the Kaiser and Hitler leading to the occurrence of World War 1 and 2, the ‘Stab in the back’ theory strengthening support for radical parties and anti-fascist ideals prompting the construction of the Berlin Wall.
The decade from 1880-1890 was an interesting time for America, giving rise to great advancement in architecture, inventions and businesses. For instance, such now famous companies as Sears Roebuck Company, DeBeers and Johnson & Johnson opened in this time (Timeline). Also, the Brooklyn Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the world was set up in 1883 (Museum). This decade saw another milestone for architecture, the skyscraper. The first skyscraper, built in Chicago out of an all-iron frame, was completed in 1885.
Two of the most important events in European History are the unifications of Italy and Germany. Both were unified around the same time, and in ways that were both similar and different. The leaders of the two countries were the reason they were unified differently. Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, with the help of Guiseppe Garibaldi, brought about the unification of Italy. Otto von Bismarck is credited with finally uniting Germany. Cavour of Italy and Bismarck of Germany used more similar methods than different methods to unify their countries. These methods included different military tactics, their common use of nationalism as a manipulation tool, and their similar diplomacy in political situations.
The effect of the Hyper-inflation was of sheer devastation in terms of economy. The German mark’s value decreased alarmingly within a short period of time and people literally started to burn the German mark notes just to make a fire as they thought this was of a much more bigger advantage than of its actual spending value. The rising cost for just one loaf of bread was unbelievable, in 1918 it sold at 0.63 marks, a normal price, until the end of the war hit. January 1923, a selling price of 250 marks and in the following months it rose in quick succession until in November one loaf actually cost 201,000,000,000 marks, just from this example we see the dire effects. People ended up having to take home “Daily” wages instead of weekly, with the help of a wheelbarrow. The w...
Until the second half of the nineteenth century Germany wasn’t the country we identify it to be nowadays, it was made up by a handful of states, each with different laws, currencies and trade barriers. The moment the Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck was in charge of policies, things started to change, he essentially created Germany. In 1948, unification started, and each state became part of a whole, with the same laws and currency, and most importantly, trade barriers were abolished. Consequently, trade between the states grew radically and boosted technological industrial growth. The government encouraged growth through adapted policies, in addition, German banks were created and were able to supply credit and investments to somehow stimulate the appearance of new businesses. Furthermore, as a consequence of the railway construction, coal extraction and iron manufacture reached their highest points in the nineteenth century. However Bismarck’s main aim was to protect the new Germany from wars with Russia and France, and the way he chose to achieve his goal was by engaging in a foreign policy manipulating game with the European powers: he tried to maintain good relations with Hungary and Russia and isolate France.
Previously to 1815 in central Europe, Germany consisted of 39 independent states, belonging to the Holy Roman Empire, which shared the same culture and language. In 1806 there was a shift in power as Napoleon I destroyed the Holy Roman Empire and 17 states were placed under direct French control in the Confederation of the Rhine. However, Prussia was determined to regain its position as the leading German state and in an alliance with Russia and Austria, Napoleon was defeated in 1814. In 1815, after Napoleon’s defeat, the Austrian Empire replaced the French control that was previously in place leading to the formation of the German Confederation. In 1862, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Minister President of Prussia to strengthen Prussia’s position above Austria and to further strengthen their position within Europe. During Bismarck’s politically active years, 1862-1890, he devised a plan to unify the German states and it is argued that the wars in Germany within the years 1860 and 1871 were the main cause of German unification. Nevertheless, it can also be argued that Otto von Bismarck’s personality, diplomacy and aims, the economy, the revolutions of 1848, the role of others and the emergence of Liberalism also played a role in the unifying the German states.
For starters, the Weimar Republic’s Rise and fall was bound to happen. “As World War I (WWI) drew to a close, Germany tottered on the brink of chaos. Under the threat of a socialist revolution, the Kaiser abdicated. Moderate leaders signed the armistice and later, under protest, the Versailles treaty” (Ester, 2010). In 1919, German leaders created the democratic government known as the Weimar Republic, this created by the constitution drafted in the city of Weimar. There were political struggles. Politically, the republic was weak because Germany had many small parties. “They longed for another strong leader like Bismarck” (Ester, 2010). “With help from Western power, the government did bring inflation under control. In 1924, the United States gained British and French approval for a plan to reduce German reparations payments” (Ester, 2010).
In the early 1800’s there wasn’t a real Germany, there were several small states that were all speaking German. Then, in 1862 King William 1 makes Otto von Bismarck the prime minister of Prussia, the biggest German state at the time. Otto von Bismarck had the second highest political position and thus a lot of power. Prussia was the online state that was comparable to Austria in wealth and size at that time. Austria did not like the idea of German unification because they saw it was a threat to them. At that time Prussia was the most industrialized state, producing more resources like coal and iron than Austria. Bismarck’s idea is that the power of a country comes from “blood and iron”, or warfare and industrialization. Thus, Bismarck’s first move is to strengthen the Prussian army for use when his plan to unification leads to war. However, the Prussian parliament didn’t want to pay for this. Bismarck neglected this and collected money through taxation. Bismarck wants to unite the German states under Prussian rule, however there are 2 main obstacles; France and Austria. France and Austria did not want to see a united Germany because a united Germany would have much more power and was seen as a threat to their own countries/empires.
“ Germany was embarressed after the World War I an lost plenty of land that they had before the war even started, which reduced Germanys armed forces, demanded the recognition of its guilt for the war, and managed to somehow pay their dues to the allied powers. With the German Empire destroyed, a new parliamentary government known as the Weimar Republic was created. The republic then suffered an unstable economy, which became worse an worse as the worldwide depression after the New York stock market crashed in 1929. A huge inflation as well as high
The second half of the 19th century introduced a new style of enterprise to America, Big Business. The 19th century values of work and of being an independent business man clashed with the modern 20th century values of extreme expansion with large work forces and of earning the most money possible. The rise of the robber barons and the captains of industry helped the economy by pushing America into first place in the production of several products and by creating many new jobs. Although these new opportunities appealed to the masses, not everyone was satisfied by his new occupation. The creation of labor unions was a reaction to the numerous complaints about working conditions, wages, and work hours. The first unions protested with peace and reason. Once they realized that nothing could be accomplished through negotiation, drastic measures were taken and violence was the answer to their problems. The clashes between management and workforce in the Great Railroad Strike, Homestead Strike, and Pullman Strike emphasize these crises that were resolved through force and destruction.
To truly understand the German situation and its multiple struggles for unification, it is important to know the history of the present day Germany. This history is a very unique one, one very different from other European nations such as France and Britain. Therefore one can draw sharp contrasts between the process of national unification in Germany as compared to France or Britain. However, once established; “Compared with its historical precursors in England and France, industrialization in Germany occurred late, quickly, and thoroughly”. Early German history can be traced back to the House of the Hohenzollern. A family of German rulers, originating as a family of counts in Swabia in the 11th or 12th century. The Hohenzollerns ruled Prussia and eventually united and ruled Germany until the end of World War I. Their strong, rigidly disciplined armies gave Prussia a reputation for military excellence. During the 16th and 17th centuries, territorial rulers and city councils in Germany expanded their ...
Bismarck oversaw this transformation and established a very conservative centralized government. While colonial societies did form, there was no outward attempt to building an overseas empire by Bismarck or any other major government official in the years after unification. Bismarck was preoccupied with maintaining and growing Germany’s position in Europe, realizing any overseas activity put Germany at risk of inciting significant geopolitical tensions in Europe.