The Situation Leading to World War II

Other historians found a continuity between the German national character, the aims of the Kaiserreich in World War I, and the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World II (Fischer). In any case, an examination of the political and diplomatic consequences of Weimar is nevertheless necessary in order to understand the rise of National Socialism in Germany. This paper will present a five part overview of the situation leading to World War II. Of course, no account this limited can hope to adequately explain every aspect of such a complex situation, and will thus focus on Versailles and the creation of Weimar, the Weimar government and its weaknesses, the seizure of power by Adolf Hitler, Hitler's consolidation of power and the rise of National Socialism, and will conclude with a section on the movement toward Nazi power.

On September 29, 1918, the German High Command told Germany's emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, that Germany had lost the war and must attempt a peaceful settlement. The major German military leaders were convinced that Germany could not win the war militarily, and recommended that

. . .
onge 75-92). Combined with the massive foreign debt payable only in gold, Weimar's inability to maximize its industrial region led to a decision to print more currency in the hope of stimulating the economy. In 1923, for instance, it took 18,000,000,000,000 marks to equal one British pound and Germans could hold onto money no longer than a few minutes or it would be worthless to them (de Jonge 93). Although the currency eventually stabilized with outside help and the creation of a new currency, the Rote-Mark, memories of the events of 1923 stayed with the population throughout the decade. It was during this period that propaganda began to take hold about "Jewish bankers" and moneylenders. With the majority of the population unable to adequately feed itself because of worthless currency, they looked for an outside scapegoat to blame their ills. In this sense too, Germany blamed the Weimar government for caving in to the demands of Versailles and paying war debts instead of feeding its population (Fraser 67-89). Besides these diplomatic and economic ills, Germany of the 1920s had many social strains. With the new governmental relaxation of control, combined with a war-weary population and inflation, the urban areas became
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
France Britain, Field Marshal, Ruhr Rhine, Empire Germany, Weimar Republic, Versailles Germany, Mein Kampf, National Socialism, II Germany, March Reichstag, de jonge, world war, weimar government, adolf hitler, weimar republic, pay war, national socialism, rise national socialism, york oxford, german people, seizure power, pay war reparations,
Approximate Word count = 1741
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on The Situation Leading to World War II