...Kaiser the Dissapointment Kaiser Wilhelm II was the German emperor through 1888 to 1918(Kaiser Wilhelm II) . The way All Quiet on the Western Front portrayed the Kaiser very accurately. The Kaiser was troublesome during his political rule and his personal life. Kaiser Wilhelm II was the son of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia and Princess Victoria the daughter of Queen Victoria of England(Kaiser Wilhelm II). Kaiser Wilhelm came into power of German after his father who died from terminal throat cancer(Kaiser Wilhelm II). Two years after coming into power Kaiser broke ties off with Otto Von Bismarck also known as the “Iron Chancellor” (Kaiser Wilhelm II). Bismarck dominated German politics since the 1860s, Kaiser appointed chancellors...
Words: 446 - Pages: 2
...AC100007506 Assignment 06 HS250 World Civilizations II World War I commenced in the year 1914 and remarkebly lasting for four long years until 1918. All of the powers in 1914 expected a short war; none had made any economic preparations for a long war, such as stockpiling food or critical raw materials. The longer the war went on, the more the advantages went to the Allies, with their larger, deeper, more versatile economies and better access to global supplies. Many nations were involved in the war and we were fighting in almost all of the continents. During this war, much life was lost, and many changes came about as a result. The end of the war was a mark in history that brought about major social, cultural, political, and economic change, and thier adverse side effects. During World War I, Germany was in the beginning of its prime, a great nation with sheer power and strength. Germany can be indentified as the nation that was at the core of the world war. DuringWorld War I, the German Empirewas one of the Central Powers. Gemany had the presence of a massive army and state of the art machineries that enhanced warfare activities, steereing the war. Among the nations in the central powers, Germany was the strongest and controlled the entireity of the Tripple Entente. Germany is considered responsible and is the nation behind the first world. They wereresponsiblr for the majority of activities in different parts of the globe causing an increase in the war. The German revolution can...
Words: 1565 - Pages: 7
...It’s debatable whether Germany was primarily responsible for the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914. The argument most commonly raised by historians is that Germany hold the most responsibility for the outbreak as they alone had the power to withdraw its “blank cheque” which offered unconditional support to Austria should they choose to invade Serbia. As Fritz Fischer and many other historians believe that Germany favoured a war as they were keen to showcase their strength as a nation and become the number one world power, evidence of this is shown by their aggressive foreign policy Kaiser Wilhelm II enforced in the years leading up to the war. The Fischer thesis also supports this view. However there were also other events in the build up to the war that were out of Germany’s hands...
Words: 1787 - Pages: 8
...at war with one another over territories and making alliances. To conquer a nation meant building bigger armies, obtaining political power and access to more resources. Many factors contributed to the cause and whether or not for their involvement. In order to get a better understanding of the U.S. involvement we need to go back in time and take a look at the alliances that were made between countries during the 1800’s. During the time of growing prosperity Europe’s wealth consisted of industrial strength and world domination which created the Golden Age of European Imperialism. By the 1900s Africa, Asia and every part of every other continent was owned and controlled by the European powers. “Each country’s prosperity depended on its ability to maintain and expand its colonial empire. This created completion between the various imperial powers for control over foreign territory.” (Dannaher & Burnaby, 1999) Around 1880 European powers began seizing new colonies. During 1870 war erupted between France and Germany. Bismarck wanted to unite Germany further. During the Danish and Austro-Prussian war Bismarck successfully created the North German Confederation but still needed to convince the South German states to join. When victory was declared over France several German states united under Prussian leadership which formed the German nation. French foreign policy vowed revenge against Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. This resentment was one of the causes of World War...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Word count= 2000 Word count= 2000 World War Two (WW2) and the situation it created within Germany saw the creation of two rival political systems which were influenced by rival foreign powers. In this aspect, it can be seen as the key turning point in German political systems. When Germany at the end of WW2 was conquered and occupied by the allies between the years 1945-1949 (point zero), the subsequent rift between the capitalist allies (Britain, France and America) and the communist allies (Russia) formed two opposing democratic Germany’s; The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is significant, due to foreign powers controlling Germany’s political system, as well as the departure from Sonderweg, meaning Germany no longer followed a unique path of development and that nationalism and militarism were on the decline. The significance of the previous German eras, Kaiser Reich (Semi-Autocratic Empire), Weimar Republic (Federal Democracy) and the Third Reich (Dictatorship) are also significant, however in political terms they are not as significant as post 45. The significances of post 1945 can be seen by its success of creating a working democracy in Germany after 1945, the FRG. One reason why the FRG was successful revolves around the sudden decline in German militarism and nationalism. This is evident in the fact that the FRG’s constitution was based on the Weimar Republics concept of ‘Grundgesetz’, which means basic law. The implications...
Words: 2807 - Pages: 12
...How far did the political changes in Germany between October 1918 and May 1919 amount to a revolution? Between October 1918 and May 1919 there was a huge political change in Germany, Germany went from being an autocracy state to a democratic republic. The factors that contributed to this were; the collapse of the 2nd Reich, the Spartacist revolt and the October Reforms. These changes contributed, along with other factors, not linked to the political changes, towards the revolution that took place in Germany. These changes in Germany were called a revolution as the government was overthrown by force, in favour of a new system, resulting in extreme changes in the way the country lived. Prior to October 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II was the Emperor of Germany which gave him great power. He controlled foreign policy and the armed forces as well as being able to summon and dismiss members of the Reichstag. Consequently, Kaiser Wilhelm II had the greatest influence over every aspect of Germany life. The Second Reich was a German Empire formed by Bismark in 1871. This empire was created after Austria was expelled from the German confederation and the North German confederation was set up. The final factor that caused this formation was the defeat of France by Prussia bringing all the South German states into a united Germany. The Second Reich was thus a product of great military success. It included all German states, excluding Austria, in a new federal state. Unfortunately, the Second...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...The Great War The Great War, which is more commonly called World War I began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. It was a global war centered in Europe and involved more than 70 million military personnel. There were over 9 million combatants, and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war (Keegan, 1998). It was one of the deadliest recorded military conflicts in history, and was the reason for numerous major political changes. The main event that led to the spark of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne (Willmott, 2003). Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a friend to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the two met in mid-June 1914 to discuss the situation in the Balkans. Two weeks later, on June 28, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were in Sarajevo to inspect the imperial armed forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Taylor, 1998). Gavrilo Princip along with members of the nationalist Young Bosnia movement learned of the archduke’s planned visit. They decided to take action and were supplied with weapons by a Serbian terrorist organization called the Black Hand, Princip and his fellow members traveled to Sarajevo to reach there in time for the archduke’s visit. The car Ferdinand and his wife were in took a wrong turn near where Princip happened to be standing. Seeing his chance, Princip fired into the car, shooting Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point-blank range. Ferdinand and his wife...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
...| Unification of Germany | | | | HISTORY | | | Unification of Germany Introduction Economic success, political failure, and diplomatic tension marked the idea of a unified Germany in the period after the Napoleonic Wars. It was not clear around which power, Austria or Prussia, Germany could achieve national unification (Merriman 2010). Prussian merchants, with the support of the Prussian crown, established the customs and trade union known as the Zollverein in 1834 (AP Central - German Unification 2013). The Zollverein freed trade between most of the German states, with the exception of Austria. The upper class were wary of any change that might threaten the status quo and feared the strong nationalist feeling unleashed by the revolution, the expansion of which might lead to, they reasoned, the proclamation of the equality of all citizens (Merriman 2010). Industrialists and merchants thus brought liberal politics into German nationalism. During the Revolution of 1848, liberals met in the Frankfurt Assembly and drafted a constitution modeled on the ideals of the French Revolution of 1789 (AP Central - German Unification 2013). The assembly offered to share power under a constitutional monarchy and offered the crown of a unified Germany to Frederick William IV of Prussia. The Revolution of 1848 brought some liberal reforms to Prussia, such as the ability of the parliament to obstruct certain forms of taxation. However, the Prussian leadership, which...
Words: 1574 - Pages: 7
...the 8th of March of 1879, in the large city of Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany, Henrich Hahn and Charlotte Hahn became the happiest persons. Why? That was the day their youngest son, Otto, was born. Otto had three older brothers; Karl, Heiner, and Julius. His oldest brother, Karl, was actually his half-brother, having only the same mother. Later on, Karl was legally adopted and received the Hahn family name (Hahn, 1966). Otto grew up in a protected, and prosperous family. Otto was never an outstanding student but was suitable enough for his school abilities. His father, who was a glazier, wanted him to study architecture, but at the age of 15, Otto was more interested in chemistry (Hahn, 1966; “Otto Hahn”, n.d.)....
Words: 1782 - Pages: 8
...After the First World War ended a lot of people started to blame Germany for the outbreak of the war. The proof of that would be the Treaty of Versaille that ended the first world war. Germany was faced harsh terms and literally blamed for the the damage, as it mentioned in the article 231 of the treaty. It states: The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies." However some historians have put forward the idea that the blame for the "Great War" is not only on Germany. Germany was...
Words: 1035 - Pages: 5
...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh jklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrt yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopa sdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjkl ...
Words: 3254 - Pages: 14
...World War I The Crisis That Shaped The 20th Century Stephanie Deprey US History Week 7 World War I was one of the biggest events that shaped the 20th century. Also known as the Great War raged from the summer of 1914 to November 1918. It was a very complicated time and occurred due to many different reasons and spanned over many different nations. There were also some very big effects on the world during and after the war that not only stunned America, but the whole global economy. This was only the start however of many huge conflicts to follow and still continue with world fighting to this day. One factor leading to World War I was fear. Everyone was afraid of everyone else in regards to power and what each would do with that power. Another interesting factor was cultural malaise leading to a feeling that there was something wrong with society and that war would be the way to purge society of its poisons. Perhaps, per this cultural malaise, war was inevitable. Decisions were made with great speed, without proper time for reflection. Perhaps some of the most fateful errors were caused by nothing more complex than lack of sleep. Although these are some interesting points and a good start to look at, there are still some more complex causes leading to war. By the beginning of the 20th century, nationalism had become the dominant emotional bond providing Europeans with a sense of community, tradition, a set of moral standards, and a motivation for political activity...
Words: 1477 - Pages: 6
...What led Society to the Great War? Many would say that the assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand was the tipping point that caused the First World War. However, it is not the only reason why the Great War turned into such a huge part of human history. There were many things that built up to the war, some historians would say that if the assassination never took place, the war would have happened anyway. The secret alliances between countries made it clear to historians that these countries didn’t exactly trust each other. Their politicians and elite all only new the logic of war according to an article published by the Academic Council on the United Nations System. (Ettmayer). Looking at what the oldest son of the Kaiser thought of war, from...
Words: 523 - Pages: 3
...Causes of the First World War This document was written by Stephen Tonge. I am most grateful to have his kind permission to include it on the web site. Europe Before 1914: the Main Powers Triple Entente | Name | Head of State | Allies | Disputes | Britain | King George V (1901-1936) Constitutional Monarchy | France, Russia | Naval arms race economic rivalry with Germany | France | President Raymond Poincaire Parliamentary Democracy | Britain, Russia | Wanted the return of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from Germany | Russia | Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917) Monarchy | Britain, France | Rivals with Austria for control of the Balkans Strained relations with Britain. | Triple Alliance | Germany | Kaiser William II (1888-1918) Constitutional Monarchy | Italy, Austria- Hungary. | Rivals with France over Alsace, Britain over her navy. | Austria- Hungary | Kaiser Franz Joseph (1848-1916) Constitutional Monarchy | Italy, Germany | Rivalry with Russia over the Balkans, Territorial disputes with her ally, Italy | Italy | King Victor Emmanuel III (1900-1946) Constitutional Monarchy | Austria, Germany | Disputes with France in North Africa large Italian communities lived in the Austrian Empire. | The direct cause of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. However historians feel that a number of factors contributed to the rivalry between the Great powers that allowed war on such a wide-scale to break out. A major...
Words: 2354 - Pages: 10
...Notes * U.S. Diplomacy and Russia In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge addressed the issue of Russian war debts. The President noted that the United States was resuming diplomatic relations with nations that had been cut off during World War I. The Russians, however, presented a problem for Coolidge because their communist form of government opposed democracy. * Italy Italy was a democracy when World War I began in 1914. The country's army fought alongside Allied forces. Unfortunately, the war left the government and economy of Italy unstable and a fertile ground for revolutionaries. Decisions made at the Paris Peace Conference denied the large territorial gains the Italian government expected after the war. In 1921, Benito Mussolini founded the National Fascist Party and rose up as a revolutionary leader. * Fascism was based on a foundation of authoritarianism and nationalism. For Mussolini, the most important aspect of a nation or state was the unity and survival of that state. Mussolini rejected democracy because he thought different political views and political parties weakened the unity of the state. * Taking Fascism on the Road Fascists disagreed with the communist belief that private property and businesses should belong to the state. The Fascists also believed that the nationalism of a state must be aggressively exported to other countries. In other words, the Fascists maintained that a nation had a right to invade and conquer a weaker nation...
Words: 2821 - Pages: 12
