Germany, Part 6: War

From last time, Germany had become an Empire under Prussian leadership in the late nineteenth century. This Empire was unlike the former Holy Roman Empire and its patchwork nature (the HRE "was only nominally a discrete imperial state"- wikipedia). Instead, the German Empire was more 'traditional' as a "sovereign state consisting of several territories and peoples subject to a single ruling authority, often an emperor." (wikipedia) And it was not to last long.

World War I (1914-1918)

Simplistically, the rise of nationalism and interlocking alliances let to world war, sparked by the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the Balkans. In response of this act, Austria issued an ultimatum to, and then invaded, Serbia. Russia (Serbia's ally) mobilized, Germany (Austria's ally) declared war on Russia in support of Austria, France (Russia's ally) declared war on Germany, Germany attacked France through Belgium (Britain's ally), so Britain declared war . . . you get the picture. As the dominoes fell, it was the German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy vs other powers. Central Europe vs. East & West.

World War I was a conflict unlike any other. Modern weapons with old tactics led to stalemate and disaster- trench warfare, tear gas, machine guns, mass death. The Western front ran through France and Belgium-  highly recommend you tour battlefields/tranches in those areas (especially Verdun). The Eastern Front collapsed after the Russian Soviet revolution, allowing Germany to focus on the West. But it was too late; the Germans were outmatched and out-resourced, as France & Britain could get supplies from the US (who was technically neutral until late in the war, but favored these nations throughout).

Interwar Period- Weimar Republic

After Germany’s defeat, the Emperor abdicated, and the government was reorganized to become the Weimar Republic. Germany was held guilty and made to pay impossible sums in war reparations. This differed from previous European wars, where the losers might lose territory or have policies imposed to limit expansionist tendencies (like with France a century earlier), but they were still welcomed back into the community. Germany wasn’t.

The policies led to widespread poverty, hyperinflation, and hardship. In 1923, for example, one USD = 4.2 trillion German marks. People were using their money for wallpaper and kindling. Hardships like this in turn led to the rise of extremism- which brought in Hitler, the Nazis, and World War II.

World War II (1939-1945)

Historians largely agree that World War II was, in effect, caused by World War I and the harsh terms imposed upon Germany after her defeat. Hitler came to power and his authoritarian party- the Nazis- soon dominated German affairs. He proclaimed Nazi Germany the third empire- a Third Reich (Reminder: the first two were the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) and German Empire (1871-1918)).

Hitler re-militarized (going against WWI treaties) and insisted on enlarging German territory. He annexed Austria and parts of Czech with minimal global response. Emboldened, Germany then invaded Poland, which caused England and France to declare war (the official start of the conflict). Using 'blitzkrieg'- lightning warfare- Germany struck fast and hard through Belgium at France (going around the Maginot Line), solidified the western front before turning its attention east and attacking the Russians (with whom they had had a secret truce). Germany, at its greatest extent, occupied most of Europe.

The Germans would be driven back, thanks in large part to America and Russia. As they were retreating, the horrors of concentration camps were discovered, and their atrocities- largely against Jews- came to light. Visit Auschwitz or Dachau if you can.

Note the casualty numbers in both world wars- for most allied nations, WWI was much deadlier! You’ll note this on town memorials, who often list the names of the fallen for both conflicts on the same obelisk. Of course, for Germany and Russia, WWII was harder- note the Russian losses in particular.

Germany Reduced

When you lose wars, you generally lose territory. In the below graphic, note that Germany lost some territory (in yellow/orange) after WWI and more (green/purple) after WWII. The entire country of Poland shifted west (at Russia's insistence) to occupy what had once been the Prussian heartland. part of Germany that had contained Königsberg- a major Prussian city- became Russian and remains so to this day (the city is now called Kaliningrad).

Germany Divided

After Germany’s defeat, the Allies split up the country (and Berlin) into zones. The western zones would be consolidated in 1948 to become the Federal Republic of Germany; the eastern would become the German Democratic Republic (GDR)- communist, under Soviet influence.

The  Soviets tried to get the Allies out of Berlin through blockade, but the Berlin airlift- running from several airfields including the one in Wiesbaden- kept supplies flowing until Russia conceded the point and re-opened the land arteries into the city.

East Germany was bleeding people at an alarming rate- 200,000 people escaped every year, so by 1961, 3.5M East Germans had left (20% of the entire GDR). In response, they erected the Berlin Wall in 1961. It would remain standing until 1989. About 5,000 people would escape after it was built.

The situation in the West was much better. It was a “Wirtschaftwunder”- economic miracle- as the economy roared back, helped by the Marshall plan. This time around, the victors chose reconciliation and restoration over solely punishment. It worked. The West thrived while the East languished in ways that are evident even to this day. But the division was not to last- Germany would be united again, which is where we will pick up next time.

Summarization is always hard, moreso when global wars are being discussed. For reading recommendations, see my "War history" page.