German Radical Changes
Before WWI Germany was a world
super power. They had the second best
economy in the world only to the United States.
At the end of the war, however, the German economy was in complete
ruin. At the end of WWI, the world was
in chaos especially in Europe. Much of
Europe, especially in Germany, was reduced to rubble. There were a huge number of deaths from both
sides during the war. The lives of the
German people were about to get so much harder because the economy was almost
worthless. The country had to print off
tons of money in order to pay the allied powers for reparations of things that
took place during the war. The people of
Germany actually used their currency as wallpaper because inflation was so
high, and the currency was completely useless.
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| German woman using currency to fuel her furnace because the money has little value. |
The people of Germany were viewed
as criminals by a large portion of the war.
Everyone outside of Germany believed that Germany was responsible for
starting the War, which is why they were forced to pay so much for it. The end of the war ended the empire/emperor
age in Germany so the people were looking to get behind someone or something
that would bring the country back to what it once was. There were revolutions in the streets where
spartacists in Berlin were trying to instill a socialist form of government. However, the leaders of the spartacists were
brutally murdered and thrown into the river by the German police.
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| Karl Liebnickt: one of the leaders of the Spartacists that was murdered by German police. |
The Germans were looking for someone to get
behind, to make their country great again. The country wasn’t sure whether or
not it wanted to become a communist or democratic government. The Wiemar Republic was founded in 1919 which
was more of a democratic form of government.
The German people were not happy with the Weimar Republic because it
failed to get them to where they were before the war. They wanted someone at the helm of the
government that wouldn’t back down from outside influences, and would do
whatever it took to make Germany great again.
This came in the hands of an Austrian named Adolf Hitler. The Wiemar Republic dissolved in 1933, and
the Third Reich was created with Hitler at the head. Hitler quickly won over the hearts of the
majority of the country with his ideas, and his speaking ability. He was confident that the country could get
to where it once was with him in power, and he made it clear that he wasn’t
going to back down from any opposition.
The people of Germany fell in love with Hitler because he gave them
something that they hadn’t felt in quite some time…hope.
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| Adolf Hitler: leader of the Nazi party in Germany after WWI and during WWII |
Hitler poisoned the minds of the
people of Germany and caused them to do ungodly things to human beings. But, he had them so convinced that they were
doing the right thing, and that they were doing what was best for the country
as a whole. Up until 1933 nobody really
took Germany seriously because they weren’t the super power that once was
before WWI. However, once Hitler took
the reign and started building up his army, the outside world began giving
Germany a second look, and taking them seriously. Because of Hitler’s radical ideas, the
Germans hated much of the outside world because they were not of the Aryan
race, or they had different beliefs.
They especially disliked Poland because of the overwhelming Jewish
population there. This is where Hitler
would place the majority of his concentration, and death camps during
WWII. Hitler had the whole country in
the palm of his hand, and he knew it.
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| Polish children being held in a concentration camp in Poland. |
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