Many explanations provided for the onset of the Great War appear to tell the same tale of power. Some of these, however, insist on the events being a result of ‘everyone’s contribution’ which is reasonable but surely, there were angles from which individual participation arose. For the US, Japan, Britain and France, the first moves for these nations was provoked by the need for defense 1 . However, this was not the case for Germany whose main political agenda for the war was to achieve leading global power over other super powerful nations of the time. This essay aims at evaluating Germany’s political contribution to the World Wars and how this changed from the First World War and the second one. It looks into the leadership of the different politicians, Willheim Kaiser and Adolf Hitler and also shows the post political impact of its decisions in either of the wars 2 .
While every nation in participation had a political motive behind it, their contribution was very minor as compared to that of Germany. Sentiments against war prior to the Second World War and arising from the First World War saw nations withdraw from any such engagements in an attempt to maintain global peace. In any case, the US was at this point, discouraging any form of support through loans by its citizens to nations in conflict. Nonetheless, provocation by Germany through long-planned attacks on nations under Adolf Hitler would see these nations rise again in attempts to diffuse the situation 3 . This period almost led to the development of a culture of war. It was not possible for reluctant nations to war to sit back as the Second World War involved more fatal weapons as compared to the ones involved in the first war. It is only right to view Germany’s political intentions as being the main reason for its occurrence. After all, both World Wars did revolve around the same political agenda for Germany which however was more dynamic in the Second War despite the realization of the ugliness of war as seen in the unexpectedly long First World War. The nation invoked the first war on the basis that Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated by Sarajevo, a Serbian terrorist on the 28th of June 1914.
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Germany hoped to use this assassination to begin a war that would lead to its becoming a world power rather than a mere regional power. This meant that Germany would control more powerful part of Europe while Russia took the weaker and poorer nations becoming globally influential. It was the belief that Hitler’s regime was a better political and economic system as compared to communism which saw the Soviet Union nations revel in poverty and political weakness at this point. Germany only hoped for a short and decisive war to claim its price. However, this ended up in a bloodbath that instead lasted four years being the First World War. While this end ought to have provided the end of war and peace crusades all over the world, it did not. Instead, it rattled the political ambitions of Germany even further. It would lead to the Second World War and the ugliest genocide in the history of war 4 .
Unfortunately for Germany, having lost the first war did not mean the end until the goal was achieved, in any case, the war had just brought catastrophes to the nation through death and an economic struggle that followed its completion. Germany now suffered brutal conditions under Treaty of Versailles. The end of this war did not entirely solve Germany’s political problem and instead triggered an even deeper rooted need to be powerful in the rise of Adolf Hitler’s regime. This regime brought the nation together pushing the agenda of superiority and world control to the masses. Regrettably, under the leadership of Hitler, Germany saw its darkest times with the Jewish Holocaust being a part of this journey. Germany went on to invade Poland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. During this second time, it made alliances with Japan against the Allies which now were China, Japan, U.S, and France. The end of this war created post-war politics that led to wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Both of these wars were faced on the basis of political ideologies of communism and fascism 5 .
In order to reduce national animosities, the World War One has been treated as a result of immaterial forces such as nationalism, arms or races. This as a measure to ensure order in the world whether on debate platforms or the impact that real confrontation of the issue would have on the relationships between various nations. Politically speaking, it is extremely important to acknowledge the real forces behind a war as great as the World War in order to avoid the mistakes that occurred back in the day. This is not to say that Germany’s political disposition was the only reason why the war occurred even though it plays the major provocation. Germany’s plan under Willhem Kaiser was to crush both France and Russia in the Great War 6 .
In conclusion, the end of both wars brought Germany and many other nations to the realization of many dangers of war. While some nations such as the US benefited from their decisions and economically so during this time, others were maimed for the next few years. Germany did suffer this predicament and developed political resolutions that would discourage the use of war where it could be avoided.
Bibliography
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1 Charles,Maier. Recasting bourgeois Europe: stabilization in France, Germany, and Italy in the decade after World War I . Princeton University Press, 2015.
2 Timothy, Lupfer. The dynamics of doctrine: The changes in German tactical doctrine during the First World War . No. 4. Diane Publishing, 1981.
3 Charles, Maier. Recasting bourgeois Europe: stabilization in France, Germany, and Italy in the decade after World War I . Princeton University Press, 2015.
4 Robert, Gilpin. War and change in world politics . Cambridge University Press, 1983.
5 Keohane, Robert O. After hegemony: Cooperation and discord in the world political economy . Princeton University Press, 2005.
6 Ronald Inglehart. The silent revolution: Changing values and political styles among Western publics . (Princeton University Press,) 2015
