Did Germany really deserve the economic fallout from 'war guilt' at the end of WWI?
456349
Definitely not. The country as a whole was not culpable for WWI, and for that matter, the leaders of Germany were not culpable. The whole thing could have been solved diplomatically, but as soon as Archduke Ferdinand was killed, Austria demanded certain things, Serbia refused, and there was a cascade of declarations of war. It's absurd to say that Germany was responsible for all of this. At the very least, Britain and France should have mediated the conflict between Austria and Serbia BEFORE it came to declarations of war.\n\nThere's also the fact that the reparations were not about keeping Germany from doing it again, they were about punishment. All they really needed to do after the war was establish monitoring systems to make sure Germany was not rebuilding a military, the one thing they didn't do.
988406
In 1929 Germany couldn't pay the high reparation costs to France that had been decided in the Treaty of Versailles. So France invaded the Ruhr area of Germany, where there was lots of industry, and diverted all of the profits of this area to France.\n\nBecause this meant there was now very little money in Germany, the Weimar Government (of Germany) printed lots of extra money. This resulted in 'hyperinflation' (where there is so much money that it becomes worthless) and meant that people lost all their savings overnight and went bankrupt.\nThis website explains it very clearly:
137787
After World War 1... Germany went through a terrible depression similar to the one that was experienced here in the US.  People lost their jobs... it would take wheelbarel loads of the german currency to even buy a loaf of Bread. \n\nHilter was seen as a deliver for the German people.  He had a plan to help get Germany out of the depression.  He united all the people and brought back pride and moral into peoples lives. \n\nI encourage you to read up on Hitler and Germany around the 1940's.
313773
I don't know of any sites to direct you to...\n\nbut you might want to research the economic situation of the countries after WWI...hyperinflation and social instability, which paved the path for Hitler's rise to power.\n\nI would also investigate WHY this happened: the treaty signed punishing Germany, so that they were in the aforementioned economic position...
287105
The Country that paid the us back after ww11 is Germany
618764
Actually, some of your assertions are just incorrect, specifically the idea that the combatants in Europe were ready to give up and have a victor-less peace. I have read in at least two different places that, had the USA not brought in fresh troops, the Western Allies were willing to last until at least 1921 before another major offensive.\n\nThe impetus that brought the USA into the war, the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, was ordered by Field Marshall Hindenburg over the objection of both the Kaiser and the Reichstag. This was not a 'few petty ships' but had serious loss of life and was a direct challenge to the concept of both the rules of war on the sea and the rights of neutral nations (this is applicable even today, note the United States re-flagging of Kuwaiti tankers).\n\nIf Germany was ready for a victor-less peace as you suggest, they were in a perfect position to lead by example at Brest-Litovsk. Instead, Germany had set up a system of puppet governments along Russia's western frontier with the intention of the war lasting many years longer. The terms at Brest Litovsk were far more harsh than the terms at Versailles, regardless of what anyone claims, and if the Germans had spent less money and energy on cheating (yes, cheating before Hitler came to power!), Germany could have met its obligations with much fewer repercussions. The entry of the United States did not make German defeat a certainty because the amount of troops the United States would put into the field (2 million) would not replace the amount of soldiers withdrawn from the war with the surrender of Soviet Russia and the crushing of Rumania and Serbia. Ludendorf had ordered the 1918 offensive out of panic, and had directed it just as badly. If, instead, he had rescinded the order for War Socialism and allowed German industry to make windfall profits off of the war again as they had before 1916, Germany would have been fine.\n\nIn 1914, Russia had not yet declared war on anyone, but had instead issued an order for a partial mobilization supporting Serbia which freaked everyone out. When Nicholas refused to back down, that was when Germany declared war on Russia, not the other way around.\n\nHowever, three German judges in 1923 could have averted World War II, and they had all the evidence they needed to do it. Hitler had repeatedly said that the Weimar Republic had to be destroyed, and he took action in his Putsch. The first charge leveled against Hitler in the aftermath was treason, which as an Austrian national would have required Hitler to be deported immediately. By his words and by his actions, he was most certainly guilty, but one of the three judges was an admirer of Hitler's.
298031
I think like most of Europe between the wars, France had a lot of economic woes. They had gained Alsace-Lorraine back from Germany after losing the territory in the 19th century which was a moral boost. Still, the country was in great debt. As a matter of fact, I've actualy read that France still hasn't entirely paid back to the US money it borrowed during WW1.You have to understand, most of World War 1 actually took place on French soil so they had heavy losses- both economic and in terms of life.\n\nI think much of this set the stage for french defeat in World War 2. They didn't want another  long war and quickly gave up.
198167
That's easy. The aftermath was world war 2.\n\nWell, economic depression, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the extermination camps, etc..\n\nSome historians say that actually world war one and two are just an expanded period of great changes.
321909
Well, you have to realize that after WWI, Germany was plunged into a deep depression. Both economy and morale were virtually nonexistent, and they were deeply humiliated by their loss. But then along came Hitler, who was, by all accounts, an excellent politician. He was a magnanimous speaker who told the German people exactly what they wanted to hear. He raised both morale using a sense of nationalism, and the economy, using the "common man" (I think he focused mostly on farmers). Even the anti-semitism made sense at the time; they felt like they needed SOMEONE to blame for all their hardship, and Hitler gave them one. It was in this fashion that he managed to seize power; Germany was putty at his feet. There were obviously a select few who did find something wrong with the regime, but these were exceptions, rather than the rule. \n\nPoint is, Hitler knew what the hell he was doing. He was brilliant, plain and simple. Of course, he was also very wrong in the head. He had skewed ideals regarding other races, he wildly misinterpreted Nietzsche (although to be fair, just about everyone does), and his intentions were nothing short of evil. But he was brilliant. Taking all these factors into account, it kind of makes you wonder how anyone in Germany COULD think their government was wrong.
57331
After WWI, the Allies decided that they were going to punish Germany for causing WWI.  The fact that Germany was no more at fault than France or England was not an issue.  Germany was severely punished, and the result was the rise of Hitler, which consequently lead to WWII.\n\nAfter WWII, the US wanted to avoid another war, and they had learned the hard way that keeping the loser down was not a good idea.  Rebuilding Japan (and Germany) was the best way to ensure future security and hopefully cooperation between the two nations.
812598
The national debt was created by buying weapons and food during world war two, and we finished paying it in 1998. However, France, Germany and Japan were given allowed to drop their debts by the kind US of A after the war, seems that we were the only dumb idiots who payed them. It cost us most of the inventions (jet engine, TV, computer, etc,) and we now have to sit down and listen to the Americans telling us how they have re-written our history, and how wonderful it has been living on the money we sent to them for 60 years, to help us win the Western war, which they like to take credit for as well.\n\nI feel sorry for Russia, who did most of the fighting, and are just starting to climb out of the economic hole they dug themselves into fighting Hitler and then the cold war paranoia.
1178386
As a result of WWI, Germany got trampled politically and economically.  Germany was forced to pay huge monetary remunerations since it was blamed for causing WWI.  Internally their money was undervalued and inflation was rampant.  One of the parties trying to gain control in the government was the Nazi party.  Hitler came to power in I believe 1933 with promises of a better quality of life, prosperity and (a big factor) a plan to regain Germany's status on the world stage.  He violated conditions set down in the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919.  He built up the military beyond the treaty's limits i.e. built ships bigger than allowed, more tanks than were allowed, planes, etc.\n  Also, he had the idea that someone had to be blamed for the general poverty of the populace.  This was deemed the "Jewish problem".\n    The possible precursor to WWII was his being given the "Sudetenland" in Czechoslovakia.  Instead of the rest of Europe standing up to his aggressive invasion plans, it was thought if he was given some land he'd be happy and go back to his trampled nation.  Well, as we all know, that didn't happen.
98329
The treaty forced Germany intol backrupcy. Their currency inflated and France and the other victors began demanding reparations in Gold. France seized German production facilities later in order to get what it felt it was owed. The unemployment rate in Germany soared and it paved the way for Hitler's ascent to power.
270052
what a stupid question!  What's Germany speaking English got to do with anything?  The war was due to economic issues and rampant German militarism.   I don't think speaking English instead of German would have made a blind bit of difference.
908476
not true. germany fought for supremacy, the allies fought for survival.
151066
Im sure people asked this in ww2 too. what did we get in return?  The end of the war.
959785
No way. Hitler stole that land and it did not belong to Germany in the first place.