Presentation

1914-1918 WW1. WWI – Battle in Europe between the Allies (U.S., France, UK and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungry, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria). The war erupted due to power tensions in Europe that caused different kingdoms and countries to form alliances with and against one another, with the end result being the Allies and the Central Powers. When a Serbian (Serbia was part of the Allies) assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Heir to the throne of Austria, Germany, obligated in their alliance with Austria-Hungry, attacked France and Belgium, while Austria invaded Serbia. This power shift dragged all the other countries into the war, which became known as the Great War, lasting from 1914 to 1918. The war ended in an Allied victory and several peace treaties, most renowned being the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty set restrictions on German military power and required Germany to forfeit land (mainly to France) and make war reparations to the Allied Powers. The heavy war debt from this treaty along with the restrictions on Germany’s government and military are some of the factors that lead up to the beginnings of WWII.


1918-1933 Weimar Republic. The Weimar Republic was when Germany was known as a Democratic Republic and governed by a constitution that was created in the city of Weimar. The Weimar Republic collapsed when Hitler was elected Chancellor and started the third Reich. The Weimar republic lasted until 1933, during the huge recession that Germany was facing at the time. The recession made the German people very angry and restless, and also making them doubt their government.

1925- League of Nations. In 1925 Germany joins the League of Nations. The League of Nations was formed as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919-1920. This was the precursor to the United Nations. At the time period of Sept. 1934 to Feb. 1935 it had the highest of 58 members. The main goals as stated by the covenant was to prevent war, settle disputes through negotiation, labor conditions, arms control, arms trade, prisoners of war and the protection of minorities in Europe.

1933-1945 Third Reich. The Third Reich started with the rise in power of the Nazis. Hitler became the president of the Third reich after the death of the original president, Paul von hindenberg. Propaganda was highly used and was encouraged. Law, education, culture and economy all went under Hitler's power. The military even swore to an oath personally honoring him. Nazi foreign policy was centered around the belief that Germans were racially superior compared to all other peoples. The third reich ended in 1945 at the end of World War Two.

1939-1945 WW2. European war between the Allies (UK, France, Russia, U.S.) and the Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) powers. Many other countries were brought into the war on both sides. WWII started in 1939, when Hitler, after resurrecting Germany from the ashes of the first world war, sought to gain greater control over Europe and extend its empire. Threatening war, Hitler was basically given several demands from the UK and France which included large sums of land that were lost in WWI by Germany. Hitler’s aggressive policies led to the German invasion of Poland and the declaration of war on Germany by the UK and France. WWII became a war not only against military power but also against civilians, such as the London Bombings by German aircrafts, the holocaust, and the nuclear weapons dropped in Japan. The war ended in 1945 when Russian troops captured Berlin, and Russian and the U.S. basically took control over Japan.

1950's Wirtschaftswunder. In the 1950's Wirtschaftswunder that is german for "economic miracle" was described as the rapid reconstruction of economies of West Germany and Austria after ww2. What they did in the beginning was the replacement of the Reichmark with the Deutsche Mark as currency. This was provided by the help of the United states and the Marshal Plan which is the European Recovery Program (ERP); which in turn helped the rehibilitation of the currency in Germany because of the high inflation of the Reichmark. The Volkswagen Beetle was the icon of West German reconstruction as well.

1961 Berlin Wall construction. Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). .The wall was built as a way to seperate West Berlin from East Germany. There were also guard towers along the wall. Along with the wall was a large area known as the death strip that included anti-vehicle trenches. According to the GDR the wall was built to protect its citizens against outside elements working against the socialist state in East Germany. The wall was actually built to prevent people from fleeing from East Germany into West Germany. 2.6 million East Germans escaped to West Germany from 1949-1961. There was no other way to stop the emerging East Germans or West Germans other than to build the wall. A major reason for the build was because of two different currencies in Germany. For every 1 DM West Germany equalled 4 DM East Germany. People in the West could get very cheap goods in the East

1989 The fall of the Berlin Wall. November 9, 1989 is known as the date the Wall fell. In actuality the Wall was not torn down completely on that day. Beginning that night, and continuing for weeks to come many people came to the Wall with chisels and hammers to create their own souvenirs. This created many unofficial border crossings and greatly contributed to the deconstruction of the Wall. The following weekend the creation of ten new border crossings was announced.