Brief history analysis of the beginning of WW1. (Germany)

Germany

This analysis is a basic history overview of Germany during World War I. I am using noteworthy and solid pieces of writing/ books to achieve this outcome. The main book that was used to write this was: The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes. Another thing that should be considered is that World War I is gray; many historians view there being no obvious villain.

Germany started World War I as a newly formed country that had not seen war in two generations. Prussia was one of the stronger empires in Europe, even before it formed into Germany. Germany had previously been Prussia; afterward, they formed and conquered the Germanic lands; which led to Germany becoming one country. Germany before World War I was a newly formed, expanding empire, which was not clearly the villain[JS1] [JS2]. Germany culturally became a unified country in 1914, had a technological advantage in WW1, and finally, was close to victory before the United States entered the war.

Germany was not fully formed as a unified country until the end of the 1871 century: this impacted nationalism and country development.  However, Germany was still one of the most nationalistic countries in history, only 58 years later, during World War Two.  Although Germany was not culturally and phytologically unified until the start of World War I, when the Kaiser called for a unified Germany and had 200,000 men volunteer to join World War I [1]. Germany had 1.5 million men volunteer by the beginning of 1915. [2] Germany had advantages at the beginning of World War I that made its numbers devastating and scary.

In World War One Germany had a major technological advantage at the beginning of the war that gave them a significant fighting advantage. In World War I, Germany had a massive technological advantage until 1916, which was when the British were the first to get tanks. [3] The Germans were the first to get the following items: flamethrowers, poison gas, super-heavy artillery, long-range heavy bombers, machine guns, and truly effective submarines. These technological advantages should have given the Germans enough of an advantage that they would be able to win the war against the Allies. The Germans were technologically more advanced, and the Allies made poor strategic decisions.

Germany and Austria-Hungary were doing great in World War I until the Americans joined. By 1914, Germany and Austria-Hungary “looked set for victory. [4] The Prussian elite viewed themselves as Prussians rather than Germans, even though Germany had formed (during WW1). [5] By 1916, the Russians had been beaten, which severely weakened the Allies in the Allied axis. However, Germany wanted a vassal Poland; not getting it caused the Russians to continue the war against the Germans. This probably lost them the war. Later in 1916, the Americans joined WW1, which ended all of it. Britain’s armies cracked Germany's lines on August 8th, 1919. [6]

World War I was a major game-changer that changed the world. World War I contributed significantly to World War II and was partially caused by the Franco-Prussian War. World War II was partially created by World War I due to the Treaty of Versailles. World War I was a major player in contributing to World War Two, the post-World War Two order, and contributing to these alliances and the other stuff. World War I was caused by shifting European alliances and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

Chicago Bibliography

Helmut Walser Smith, Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500–2000 (New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2020).

James Hawes, The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe (New York: The Experiment, 2019).

Additional Reading

 ·  Mary Fulbrook, A Concise History of Germany, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).

·  William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960).

·  Helmut Walser Smith, Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500–2000 (New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2020).

·  Robert G. Moeller, The Nazi State and German Society, 1st ed. (New York: Macmillan, 2010).

·  James Hawes, The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe (New York: The Experiment, 2019).

·  Martyn Rady, The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe (New York: Basic

Books, 2023).

[1] Helmut Walser Smith, Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500–2000 (New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2020).

 Pg. 308

[2] Ibid pg. 310

[3]   James Hawes, The Shortest History of Germany: From Roman Frontier to the Heart of Europe (New York: The Experiment, 2019). Pg. 138

[4] Pg. 138 Ibid.

[5] Pg 142. Ibid

[6] Ibid., p. 142.

 [JS1]Add a new thesis

 [JS2]orginization