Germany: At Fault for WWII

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“A thousand years will pass and the guilt of Germany will not be erased” (Hans Frank quotes 1). This quote by Hans Frank, a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany, accurately captured the world-view of Germany at the conclusion of the Second World War. Frank was later convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Nuremberg trials and executed; however, his meaningful statement will live on. Germany tore the world apart during the Second World War, but their aggression can be traced back to the early 1870’s. German actions, from the Franco-Prussian War to the formation of the Nazi Party, plunged Europe and the rest of the world into the chaos of WWII. The man that united Germany and bestowed this destruction to Europe was none other than Adolf Hitler, one of the most diabolical men to walk this planet. Germany’s blatant disregard for world peace and quest for world dominance holds them responsible for the devastating actions that took place during the Second World War. Beginning with the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Germany led the world down a dark road to global turmoil. Bismarck initiated the Franco-Prussian War in order to form a unified Germany. He began this conflict by releasing a statement to the press known as the Ems Dispatch. This dispatch caused tension between France and Prussia which ultimately resulted in the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War. In this short war, Prussia was supported by the southern German states against the un-allied French forces. At the end of the conflict, Bismarck demanded a war indemnity from France: 5 billion francs. The newly established German Empire quickly rose to become the “strongest state on the continent of Europe” (Colton 533). Basically, the Franco-P... ... middle of paper ... ...l>. "Invasion of Poland, Fall 1939." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 02 May 2011. . Rees, Laurence. "BBC - History - World Wars: Hitler's Invasion of Russia in World War Two." BBC - Homepage. Web. 02 May 2011. . "The Treaty of Versailles." History Learning Site. Web. 02 May 2011. . "World War 2 Fatalities." Second World War. Web. 02 May 2011. . "World War II in Europe Timeline." The History Place. Web. 02 May 2011. . "World War Two - Main Causes." History on the Net Main Page. Web. 02 May 2011. .

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