Germany

by: Raquel McDaniel, Amanda Stevens, and Christina Aggrey-Banks

Late 1800s:

● 1860s- Several divided regions where people spoke German.

● Prussia, the Western half of Australia, and other smaller states

● There were divisions in opinions of who would be head of the new coalition

● Religion was a factor● Prussia had advantages

o developed industries in Rhineland o first European army to make use of

railroads, telegraphs, breechloading rifles, steel artillery, etc

Situation Descriptions ● Otto von Bismark (ruler of Prussia), was determined to make his state the dominant power in Germany

● 1866- Prussia attacked and defeated Austria● The defeat led to Prussia and some other

small states joining to form the North German Confederation

● 1870- Bismark attacked France● “Blood and Iron”● From that victory, Prussia gained Alsace

and Lorraine

1900s:

Adolf Hitler had many radical ideas that went beyond ordinary nationalism. His goal was to create a ”master race” exclusive to French and Italians. He saw the Russian and eastern European Slavs as inferior. To achieve the master race he implored great violence.

At first his views were looked at as extreme and weren’t taken seriously. However after the Great Depression hit, the Nazis gained supporters who, who believed their promises of jobs.

Situation Descriptions As soon and Hitler came to office, he began to build up the armed forces.

● 1933: Withdrew germany from League of Nations

● 1935: Announced he would introduce conscription, build up an army, and create an air force- which was a violation of the Versailles treaty

● 1936: Sent troops to Rhineland● 1938: Invaded Austria● Allied with Stalin ● 1939: Invaded Czechslovakia● 1941: The Nazi-Soviet War, Hitlers

largest attack. He conquered Baltic States, Ukraine, and half of the European Russia

● 1942: Holocaust began● 1943: Germany lost the war in Russia

Unification of Germany

Germany was united because of a couple of wars.

Changes Occurred... 1. Bismarck decided to stop territorial expansion for Germany and focused on establishing a national identity and he fostered unity within the country.

● He unified wealthy industrialists and eastern-German landowners by imposing high tariffs on manufactured goods and grains.

● He also set forth laws to improve public life such as healthcare, unemployment, and disability insurances.

● Germany also introduced public and technical education.

● German people also were influenced by nationalism as they took great pride in their industry and military.

Thus, Germany went from being fragmented states, to united under a single identity.

2. In 1888, Wilhelm II became the ruler of Germany, and he disregarded internal unity; he wanted to make Germany a colonial power. On one hand, this is a change in the influence of nationalism because Wilhelm took his German pride to mean that Germany should invade and expand their empire, however, it is also a change in the meaning of a unified nation because the government no longer prioritized internal unity and peace.

● Wilhelm used the already established industry in Germany to justify colonial expansion.

● Germany had a population of about 64 million people, which meant a big military, which meant a powerful country and this also led Wilhelm II to pursue a greater empire.

● Great Britain and France were disputing over colonies overseas, but because they weren’t necessarily a “global power,” Germany was able to become very influential in Europe

Changes Occurred...

Changes Occurred...3. When the Depression hit Germany in the 1930s, the country was already hit hard after losing the First World War and many Germans were poor and upset. So, Hitler’s ideas of extreme nationalism became popular among many Germans and Hitler rose to power.

● Hitler believed that all German speaking areas should be united

● He believed that western and northern Europeans of the Aryan race were superior to all other races, Europeans of the east and south and the Russians.

● Hitler used national unity and identity to ally Germans against Jews, and other groups, by portraying them as inferior and blaming Germany’s problems on them.

● Despite his radical ideals, many Germans, mostly because of Germany’s circumstances at the time, supported Hitler. While all didn’t favor his nationalistic ideas, he gave hope to many Germans and brought Germany back into some level of prosperity.

● Hitler’s nationalistic ideals led to not only a bloody international war, but the most horrific genocide in world history.

Germany’s Progress

Germany expands by ruthless force.

However some things stayed the same....

1. The most unifying and powerful nationalism was found in Germany under powerful and influential leaders.

● With Bismark as chancellor, German nationalism swelled.

● Chancellor Bismark had a policy of European peace, not conquest.

● After the First World War, the talented orator Adolf Hitler revived nationalism.

However some things stayed the same...

1. Overwhelming German nationalism tended to lead to conflict.

● Nationally united Germans believed they had the right and superiority to conquer other lands.

● This idea led in part to the devastation of World War One.

● Again in World War Two, the German nationalistic hunger for more lands by both the Nazi party and the people led to the first sparks of the second massive war of the era.

Bulliet, Richard W., ed. "Unification of Germany, 1866-1871." The Earth and Its Peoples. Fifth ed.

Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 759. Print.

"German Empire 1871." BBC Higher Bitesize. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

"German Expansion, 1930-1939." Out of My Mind. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

"Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of Germany." Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of

Germany. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

Work Cited

THANKS FOR LISTENING