The Fall Of Berlin 1945 Analysis

At the end of WWI many countries blamed Germany for starting the war. These countries used the Treaty of Versailles to punish Germany. These punishments included loss of land and military, infeasible reparations, and complete humiliation; this is how the Treaty of Versailles directly caused WWII.

Another debated cause is imperialism, which is the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. This contributed to WWI because of the rivalry it caused in Europe between Great Britain, Germany, and France. They needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. Great Britain, Germany, and France competed for economic expansion in Africa. Even though Great Britain and France came to an agreement several problems before the war had to do with the dislike of Germany against Great Britain and France in North Africa. Also the crumbling of the Ottoman-Empire in the Middle East was a big factor for Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. So the competition for colonies brought great powers into conflict and fueled the ideas of war and added to the present tension that already existed, and that tension keeps on building up.

From the Treaty of Versailles, to the rise of Hitler, and the failure of the League of Nations, there were many causes that lead up to World War II. World War I left Germany with many shortfalls, thus leaving them in the hands of the Treaty of Versailles. Rather unfair of a Treaty, this left Germany once again looking for another way out. A country resented by many had no other choice but to feel optimistic toward Adolph Hitlers empty promises… making it substantially simple for him to gain power so quick. Throw in the Great Depression, and you have a vastly unstable world, which the Germans believed Hitler would lead them out of.

Germany had stockpiled quite an arsenal and increased their navy for advanced combat. Great Britain also strengthened her navy. Militarism was another cause of the war. Countries like Germany and Russia had policies in place to build a strong military in readiness for war. Between 1910 and 1914, Germany had a 73% increase in military spending while Russia had 39%, Britain had 13%, and France had 10%. This increase in defense spending led to countries building stronger militaries which thrust the world deeper into the war. Lastly, nationalistic movements were going on all over the world. People were getting more aware of their ethnicities and the oppression that they had endured from people who were not like them. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria came from the nationalistic views of the Bosnians who did not want to be under the rule of Austria-Hungary and wanted their own state. Strong nationalistic movements were going on everywhere and the unification of Italy and Germany was a product of it. France had to give up some land to Germany and wanted it back. Nationalism played a big role in the start of the war as it fueled existing fires and was probably one of the direct causes of the war. Not only did nationalism start the war it extended it longer than it should have gone. This, as each nation tried to prove its power and dominance over the

During the period previous to World War II causes that led to World War II included German attempt of imperialism in Europe, pro-appeasement ideologies towards German military expansion, and ignoring con-appeasement ideologies towards German military expansion.

Due to Germany taking back the colonies lost after World War I and forming an alliance with Austria, Germany’s actions against the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the cause of World War II. After Germany got slapped with a $33 Billion dollar war reparation bill and Kaiser Wilhelm was removed from power, Germany was a mess, which allowed the rise of Hitler. Hitler, being a former Iron Cross winning

One cause was nationalism. Nationalism is where you show pride in your country. An example of Nationalism is when it comes time every 4 years when the olympics are taking place. Everyone is cheering on their countries and showing off their pride. Nationalism played a role in causing WWI by countries thinking that a certain country is showing off too much pride.

There were many different interpretations and perspectives of the origins of World War II. Some underlying factors consisted of the failure of the peace without victory speech made by Woodrow Wilson, the Treaty of Versailles where negotiations were made by George Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George, the League of Nations which was founded after the Paris Peace conference and the big four. Due to these factors Germany dealt with major impacts, limitations and economic consequences. The treaty of Versailles and peace-making decisions paved the way to WWII by leaving Germany isolated and betrayed. After World War I, the treaty of Versailles and League of Nations were made as an attempt to create peace which failed.

Though most historians consider the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary the most immediate cause of WWI, or the rise of Germany to be the main cause since they signed the Versailles Treaty (Doc 4), many agree that the war was not caused by just one thing. Instead, it was caused by a concept instead of specific people or countries. It seemed that everyone, during this time period, had started to increase their military power and defense systems. Therefore, World War I was caused by two things: the fear these countries had of losing their power, and the big toll that European Imperialism took international relations.

The Treaty of Versailles,which ended WWI, led to the start of WWII. The Germans as one of the axis powers in world war II were the cause of world war II. The Treaty of Versailles treated Germany harshly in at least three ways is Territorial Loss, Military Reduction and Economic Reparation and War Guilt.

The Berlin Wall is a historical symbol of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is a symbol of the end of the Cold War. And also, the Berlin Wall played a great role in the life of millions of people and defined the fate of German people, which put them apart by the Wall for a long period of time. Sixteen years after the end of World War II, the communist government of East Germany began building a wall on (August 13, 1961), that would divide the city of Berlin into East Berlin and West Berlin. The purpose was to keep fascists from entering East Germany, but mostly to keep West German citizens, primarily people of valuable professions such as doctors, teachers and engineers, from Changing side to the West. People of Berlin Called the wall Schandmaur, which actually means " The wall of shame". Over the years of the wall being constructed it took at least 3x times to rebuild it, but each time bigger than the last one.

The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was extremely significant in regards to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, however there were several other factors that also led to the outbreak of WWII. These factors include; the allied policy of appeasement, the failure the League of Nations and Collective Security and the aggressive nature of Nazi and Italian foreign policy.

There are many different causes that led up to WWI, but there were a handful of root causes that accelerated the development of hostility between nations. One of the main reasons was the shifting of the balance of power. The balance of power between nations is a delicate equilibrium that can be easily thrown off if one nation shows a bit of hostility, or if there is an emergence that threatens the sanctity of this balance. For a power to emerge or change, it directly affects all other nations involved through a butterfly effect of events. In WWI specifically, the unification of Germany threw off all alliances and the control of powers, as it was overwhelming for such a strong power to step up. Structurally and emotionally, this was a dramatic change to the stability of the balance of powers, and such a quick change disrupted the peace between the nations so greatly that WWI occurred. Apart from the breakdown of the balance of powers and emergence of hegemonic threats, other institutional and structural theories can explain the events that caused WWI. Some of these events include social conflicts within the countries, shifting alliances, power rankings, and the struggles to negotiate different resources between countries.

Through the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression of 1929, and political appointment by incompetent yet manipulative government officials, Adolf Hitler was able to silently rise to power in Germany, consequently causing the Second World War.

The proposition that ‘the fall of the Berlin Wall was the turning point of the Cold War’ is valid to the extent that the tension between the USSR and the USA became less aggressive and confrontational with the fall of the wall. What the fall of the Berlin Wall signified was a dissolution of the Soviet Union from its previous position of power. It officially disintegrated in 1991. As a result, the once prosperous nation, and the Cold War came to an end. The significance of this was evident with Russia falling into widespread economic depression. With the dissolution of the union and demilitarisation of the army, the Soviet Union was hit with high unemployment. This became a turning point in the relationship between the Soviet Union and the USA in that the crippled USSR lost its position as one of the major powers in Europe. The change in the US-Soviet relationship is evident in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall, particularly in May- June 1990, where USA and USSR dignitaries discussed financial aid from the Western countries to lift Russia from its economic depression. These discussions fell through due to a change in Russian leadership. However, their very existence validates the proposition that the fall of the Berlin Wall was a turning point in the Cold War, as shown in the superpowers’ later communications of peace and aid.