The Impact of Hitler and World War II

Above: Hitler and his regime.

When Hitler was elected into his position of power, many were unsure what to make of him and his ideals. Early on in his dictatorship his approval rating was very high. This was due to the economic progress and success in foreign affairs that was seen in the beginning of Hitler's career (257). However, little did the Germans know how Hitler would drastically change Germany forever. 

Hitler and his colleagues had big plans for the German Nation. They began plans to expand Germany and to declare war. With the beginning of World War II the terror among the people began. The Allied Powers, in the heat of the war, began to perform air raids all over the German lands. At this point, the German people were forced to live together in shelters and spent each day concentrating on how to survive (270). At this point, the German people felt disconnected from the outside world, and unsure where there loyalties were to lie. The overall feeling within Germany during the war was defeated, terrified, and distant.

Above: Painting outside of the Siegestor Memorial. The painting depicts Hitler youth, a wounded war veteran, and a war widow. The painting is meant to show the suffering of Germany during the wartime.

In the end of the war, Hitler's plans for Germany changed drastically. He was losing the war and had a "if I can't have it, no one can" attitude. Him and his followers were trying to give the order to destroy Germany and it's resources forever. However, those against him made sure this did not happen (286).

Unfortunately, for Germany the war had already done most of this to begin with. The war had left most of Germany in ruins and without the means to survive, leaving the people homeless and hungry (286). People had no sense of right and wrong and certainly no loyalty to the German Nation. All that had been built before the war had collapsed. The German Nation was again only a question in the German people's mind. At this point the only important thing to the German people was surviving (287).

At this same time, the Allied Powers had occupied Germany and began taking over all government operations and aspects of the nation's welfare. The Allied Powers completely disarmed Germany at this time and removed all the National Socialists from office (289). This was also another cause for discomfort among the German people, who were likely feeling powerless and smothered by the Allied Powers.

Above: The Allied Powers, also known as the Big Three: Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill.

Eventually, there was a push for unification among the occupied territories within Germany. But like most of the Allied Powers plans for the nation, it failed. However, things turned around through the use of the largest airlift in German history. Resources returned, easing the terror of many of the German people. However, the nation was still left to figure out it's government, economy, and the unification of the territories, leaving the people uprooted and still quite uncomfortable.

Unification and a German Nation

A German nation was not established in the late 1600's, however the thought of a German fatherland began to rise in the minds of the German speaking people across the territories. The American Revolution had sparked the fire of nationalism in German speaking lands and led to revolutions and fighting across the land. Minor setbacks over the years from power dynamics within German territories resulted in the failure of unifying and becoming a nation. Ironically, during the French Revolution, in which German states and territories were seized, Germany took it's first steps to becoming unified by taking control of smaller and less powerful territories. Because of this the German territories went from 340 to 30. This drop in territories made the German speaking lands more unified then ever before.

However, in the 1800's a bigger step was taken to free the grip on the German speaking lands. Napolean Bonaparte was largely a part of this step towards a German nation. He began to convince the representatives of Germany to abolish their connection to the empire and eventually led them to war. This war ultimately destroyed the Holy Roman Empire giving Germany a sense of nationalism and freedom. Goals were set and plans were made to create and unify. However, a German nation was still far away.

Right: Napolean Bonaparte.

The tides turned against Napolean and eventually the German people were happy to see him thrown out of power. With him out of the way German speaking lands were one step closer to creating a German nation. Constitutions were set and plans were laid out but disagreements and revolts setback the growth of the nation. Nationalism was forgotten until the after 1840.

Fighting began to break out and outcries for a central government could be heard across the German lands. Politicians finally caught on to this urgency and began convening to discuss what could be done about building a German nation. Again, disagreements and parties formed making it hard for the assemblies to come to any sort of agreement. Besides this, greater powers were keeping them from moving forward with their plans.

Fairly close to this time, industry was beginning to boom in German territories. The first railway was opened in Germany, resulting in an extremely successful economy. The railway in turn led to the growth in the iron industries. This created jobs all over Germany. The economy was extremely successful and should have been helpful to fight for a German nation. A strong economy was a huge step towards unifying and strengthening what was to become the German nation.

Left: A memorial to the Ludwig Rail Line.

Ironically, this did quite the opposite. Because the industry was booming and labor was cheap, people began to flock to the new factories for jobs and steady money. People were immigrating from all over. The amount of immigrants and uprooted people killed nationalism for a very long time. Because people were not rooted in Germany they felt no connection or nationalism to the area. This was a major setback in the birth of the nation.

Eventually, the nationalism was sparked again by one final war which resulted in the birth of the German nation. Bismarck, although disliked by many eventually took the right steps towards finally loosening the grip of the French. Bismarck tricked the French into war, causing the already weak French government to finally hand over the reigns to a growing German nation. Finally Germany was unified and taking it's first steps to creating a strong government and national pride.

Right: King William I. First Emperor of the Germany.

Religious Freedom Within Germany

After the Thirty Years War, Germany expanded the Peace of Augsburg Treaty and the Golden Bull so that Protestants and Catholics would be equally represented within the Imperial Diet. However princes and rulers were given reign over religion within their land and territories.

Left: The Peace of Augsburg being discussed and negotiated.

I thought this compelling because it was a huge step towards religious freedom in Germany. Martin Luther spent so long trying to reform the religious community and his ideas started to spread at this time in German history. Although this did not allow for complete religious freedom, due to the rule within territories, it still was a step towards practicing religion freely and religious diversity.

This decision within the Imperial Diet is important to Germany because it determined the religious diversity within Germany today. This recognition of all religions during the 15th century is most likely a good indication that there is a diverse religious community within present day Germany. However, Catholics could also amount to the religion that is seen in Germany. Either way, it can be sure that religious freedom is extremely important in Germany.

Right: The Golden Bull.

This is a lot like the United States. Our religious freedom is very important to us in this country. However, our path to religious freedom was much different than that of Germany. Most likely the religions of the United States span further than that of Germany because so many different races and cultures have found their way to the USA. This, however, does not change the fact that history has shaped our two countries into countries that value and adore our religious freedom.

Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary

Martin Luther first and foremost is often thought of a religious revolutionary. The most memorable evidence of this is Luther's posting of the 95 Theses. He tried to change the corrupt Catholic Church and never backed down, even to his death. Luther is credited with changing the way religion was looked at forever. However, he is more than just a religious reformist. Martin Luther also changed the culture and politics of Germany drastically.

Not surprisingly, religion played a huge role in helping to reform these aspects as well. Martin Luther's complaints began with the church and the idea of religion at the time. But he quickly began to understand that he needed to use politics to his advantage. He began to attack all those in power, not only popes and priests, but the princes and emperors of the time. He saw that there were strong ties between the Church and royalty, and that the most corrupt acts were coming from these people in power. Luther looked to reform these people and to change the way religion and power worked within Germany and the surrounding lands. Finally, Luther changed the culture of Germany, by giving the common person a voice and the courage to stand up to those in power. The biggest thing that Luther did, in my opinion, for the people of his time, was translating the Bible into German. This allowed all people the opportunity to experience and take part in the Church. This translation marked a big cultural and religious change for Luther's followers.

I thought it was interesting that the video was titled "Reluctant Revolutionary". Martin Luther did seem reluctant at all to tell the Church and the world how he felt. Although things did not always turned out how he expected, he never backed down or gave up. Luther spent every day until his death trying to reform Germany to be a better and more holy place for all people.

Fortunately, for people everywhere, Martin Luther eventually was successful in reforming the church, the political system, and the culture of Germany. He knew that what he was doing was important, but I do not think Luther knew the extent of what his actions would bring. What Martin Luther did has echoed throughout centuries and changed religion forever. He is extremely important to Germany, and to people all over the world. He changed "personal and institutional freedom" for everyone, giving people of Germany freedom to religion without the threat of corrupt priests or deeds. Religion today is now something for people to rejoice in, instead of something to be afraid. Luther also laid the foundation for people to have personal freedom and the courage to stand up for themselves as a common, ordinary individual. At the time, Martin Luther may not have known how important his actions would be, but they have shaped and molded the world as we know it today.

Why Germany?

I have never been to Germany before. In fact, I have never been overseas at all. I love to travel and it is unfortunate that I have not had a chance to go on a trip like this until now. This said, I am extremely excited to go overseas for the first time this winter. I took French in high school and the school offered a multitude of places to choose from, France included, so why did I choose Germany?

For as long as I can remember Germany has fascinated me. The history and the culture is very interesting to me. I have also had many friends visit Germany and they have brought back great stories. My friends told me stories of night clubs, soccer games, architecture, concentration camps, and beautiful gardens, and beautiful people. Their experiences became experiences that I decided I wanted to have one day. Because of this it has been a place I have wanted to travel to for a long time. However, it did not make it to the top of my list until about two years ago when two of my high school friends took in two German exchange students. Their names were Christina and Julia. Christina and Julia are some of the most amazing people I know. During their time here they molded to our culture very well, while also teaching us some wonderful things about Germany. Any of the language I know, I credit to them. They became my best friends while they were here. We spent almost every day with them exploring the area I live in, introducing them to as much as we could. It was some of the greatest times I've ever had with friends. It was so upsetting when they left to go back to Germany. These two girls changed me forever and made me have such a strong desire to go to Germany to experience the amazing things they told us about.

While in Germany, I hope to experience a lot of what my friends have told me about. I am looking forward to meeting some wonderful people who are proud of the country they live in, while also seeing the amazing buildings and sites of important historical events. Overall, I am ready to learn about every aspect of Germany, from the culture to the history and beyond. This learning experience is extremely important to me because I believe it will help shape me into a better and more well-rounded person. Visiting places, such as Germany, with deep history and rich culture help us learn how we fit into the world and how to truly love and appreciate all people and their cultures. I cannot wait to go on this trip so that I can experience these things in my life and gain a great understanding and appreciation for Germany.

Julia is now back in my hometown visiting and she is just as fun as ever. She shared even more stories of Germany, making me even more excited to make this trip over D-Term. She has been helping me understand some important things about Germany before I go and I appreciate it so much. Even more than that I am very thankful to Christina and Julia for sparking a serious interest in making a trip to Germany. Now that I am I could not be more happy to be going to the place I have been hearing so much about!

Left: Christina and Julia being silly at my house in Spring 2009.