German Civilization

Kevin Tattitch
441895
krthwf@mail.missouri.edu
German Civ

World War 1, which came about in the early 1900’s, was merely the result of built up tensions from a century before. Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century Germany was a group of autonomous states that desired a sense of a unification and nationalism. Many failed attempts to unify the German people early on were solely the result of resistance from Prussia. It wasn’t until the Revolution of 1848, and Prussia’s acceptance of a unified Germany led by Otto Von Bismark that the dream of the German people would become reality. Bismark, who saw the autonomous states of Germany as an opportunity, unified them through blood and iron. After three marquee victories over Denmark, Austria, and France, the Second Reich was born and the Germans were united again. In this period, the cultural, political, and economic factors in Germany changed drastically. A strong sense of nationalism and German superiority would soon cause fold to resentment when the stock market crashed in 1873. Social and political tensions soon became too much for Bismark. The young and unexperienced William II took over and quickly dispersed many of the political treaties Bismark had set up. The powers of the three that surrounded it quickly mounted against Germany and their expansionist state. The tension of those great powers, Germany, and the alliance of France, England, and Russia would prove to be too much. Though not entirely the fault of Germany, World War 1 soon came about through a string of events that would divide many of the great powers of the world on two sides.

        During the switch from the Bismark era, to the Wilhelmine period, the unified German state switched direction and headed toward a path of war. Guided buy a young and more aggressive William II, Germany essentially reversed the path it was on during the Bismark era. William II quickly disintegrated many international treaties and soon put Germany in a position of increasing friction toward the powers of France, England, and Russia. A sense of nationalism helped in part by a system of public schools that taught loyalty to one’s nation and superiority over others. This ideology created a sense of competition among the nations to expand economically, colonially, and industrially. Economic markets were fueled by rapid industrialism, though competition led to nations working independently due to trade tariffs which declined employment and created unrest.  Nevertheless, an industrial revolution created by advancing technology, assured that large bombs were being manufactured for the first time increasingly fast. Germany’s military had created a vast storage of large, inaccurate bombs, and naval powers with dreadnought-class ships. This forced the nations opposed to German expansion to also expand their military power, creating an arms race which only increased tensions among the powers. In the light of German unification and technological advances to their navy in the Wilhelmine period, the Germans felt there was no greater indication of nationhood than colonial expansion. Although, Germany was already a little late to the party because a large number of colonies in Africa had already been claimed and controlled by major European countries. Despite this, by the early twentieth century Germany established communication and shipping routes to their colonies in Africa. The colonies brought many exotic fruits, spices, and agriculture back to German markets, which flourished in that period. The colonies were equipped with elaborate railway systems, public schools, and staffed hospitals.  However, this did not last long. Many European countries and even the United States became very aware of German colonies in Africa, though small in number. In the few years before the Great War many feared that Germany may seek to expand their territories in Africa and the rest of the world using an African Army. The idea of greater expansion by the German’s colonially only increased tensions between Germany and the world powers surrounding it. By 1914, German expansion militarily, including establishing colonies, and industrially creating great improvements in technology, brought the world to the brink of war.