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- Population (2010 est.): 82,329,758
- Total Area: 357,022 square km
- Capital: Berlin
- Natural Resources: oil, natural gases, iron ore, hard coal
- Number of people per square kilometer: 231
- Urban Population: 87%
- GDP Per Capita: $27,600
- Industry: car-making, genetic engineering, optics, aerospace, logistics
From WW1 to the end of communism in Germany
After losing to the Allies in World War 1, Germany would have to face repercussions dealt by the hand of the Treaty of Versailles.
by WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles, this was terrible news and the people of Germany were greatly affected by this. Behind the scenes, a young
and determined Adolf Hitler was waiting for a chance to strike and this Depression was his chance. The people of Germany were looking for a solution, any solution, to their misery and poverty. The Germans were so desperate, that they would then elect Hitler as Germany's new leader in 1933; most of the Germans who voted were mostly Nazis that had been following Hitler for a significant amount of time. Ultimately, Germany was then converted to a communist or more specifically fascist country.
Hitler wanted to expand Germany and his first plan was to gain a very good piece of land in Czechoslovakia named Sudetenland. With resistance from countries like Britain and France, he still went on to take Sudetenland and annex Austria in the process. Still wanting more, Hitler and his army then invaded Poland, which sparked World War 2. The Germans would eventually fall after a series of successful victories during the war. With the end of the war, came with the end of Hitler by incident of suicide.
The end of World War 2 for Germany was similar to its first world war in that it was totally defeated, but the one main difference between them is that the economy of Germany after the second world war was far worse than that of WW1. Another result of WW2 was the division of Germany into 2 regions, East and West. The west region called West Germany was mainly ran by the U.S., while East Germany was ran by a communist Russia. The west side of Germany was far better off than that of the east in political, environmental, and economic aspects. And for those reasons, thousands of East Germans fled to West Germany legally and illegally in search of a better life. When a hole in the border between those two nations broke, loads more of East Germans bombarded West Germany. Filled with anger of the conditions back in their region, the East Germans protested for a united Germany with good leadership. When the free election came in 1990, the people took advantage of it and the two regions of Germany had finally reunited. The reunification of Germany would also mark the start of a democratic government after its many years under a communist/fascist government.
- Germany had to return Alsace-Lorraine (a piece of French land that they had captured in 1870) back to the French
- Its colonies were taken away and was then put under Allied powers
- The German army was allowed only 100,000 men
- Its Navy was limited to 36 ships and no submarines
- Germany was not allowed to have an Air Force
- Germany would also have to take full blame of starting WW1 and would have to pay over 9.5 billion dollars in compensation
by WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles, this was terrible news and the people of Germany were greatly affected by this. Behind the scenes, a young
and determined Adolf Hitler was waiting for a chance to strike and this Depression was his chance. The people of Germany were looking for a solution, any solution, to their misery and poverty. The Germans were so desperate, that they would then elect Hitler as Germany's new leader in 1933; most of the Germans who voted were mostly Nazis that had been following Hitler for a significant amount of time. Ultimately, Germany was then converted to a communist or more specifically fascist country.
Hitler wanted to expand Germany and his first plan was to gain a very good piece of land in Czechoslovakia named Sudetenland. With resistance from countries like Britain and France, he still went on to take Sudetenland and annex Austria in the process. Still wanting more, Hitler and his army then invaded Poland, which sparked World War 2. The Germans would eventually fall after a series of successful victories during the war. With the end of the war, came with the end of Hitler by incident of suicide.
The end of World War 2 for Germany was similar to its first world war in that it was totally defeated, but the one main difference between them is that the economy of Germany after the second world war was far worse than that of WW1. Another result of WW2 was the division of Germany into 2 regions, East and West. The west region called West Germany was mainly ran by the U.S., while East Germany was ran by a communist Russia. The west side of Germany was far better off than that of the east in political, environmental, and economic aspects. And for those reasons, thousands of East Germans fled to West Germany legally and illegally in search of a better life. When a hole in the border between those two nations broke, loads more of East Germans bombarded West Germany. Filled with anger of the conditions back in their region, the East Germans protested for a united Germany with good leadership. When the free election came in 1990, the people took advantage of it and the two regions of Germany had finally reunited. The reunification of Germany would also mark the start of a democratic government after its many years under a communist/fascist government.
Social and Economic issues after communism ended in Germany
SOCIAL
- Shortly after the reunification, there was instant mixed reactions to it. The people of West Germany still did not want to accept the new 'Germany' exclaiming things like, "An Ossi meets a Wessi and says, 'We are one people!' To which the Wessi replies, 'So are we!' " The miserable East Germans were blinded by this opportunity of hope for them;therefore, they blindly state things like, "Wir sind wieder wer (We are somebody again)." Analysts of both West and East Germany have ultimately come to an agreement that the reunification was very hurried and not well-thought. This rush had led to an awkward separation amongst the people of Germany, a slow start to their newly formed economy, and most importantly, political confusion and instability.
- Another social issue that arose from the reunification was the vicious attacks on foreigners and immigrants by remaining NeoNazis, fascist supporters, and skinheads. These attacks range from the burning down of houses, to bloody and malicious murders. The government has tried to stop them by arresting them, but that was very ineffective due to the fact that the average sentence period was very short; that in turn gave the arrested the opportunity to go back to their dirty work after they had been released. These attackers though still remain relatively small compared to the German government. As a result of this, they won't have enough power to overthrow the government even though they have executed a number of successful attacks on Germany's citizens. A positive side to this issue is the rising of German nationalism that most analysts think was the cause for these attacks.
Economic
A large scale unification like Germany's was sure to produce economic problems of the same proportion. Since the unification brought together two separate economies, problems like property rights and investor-deterring infrastructure popped up. With two big pieces of land being brought together, there was a lot of controversy over who can claim what. Landowners, business owners, and politicians were the main ones arguing; the government eventually had to intervene and forcefully distribute the land. With native and foreign investors living in Germany, Germany did a terrible job of enticing them. Power shortages were plentiful as well as bad telephone service as it was very slowly developing in Germany. Traveling from point A to point B was a hassle also because of all the roads under construction resulting from poor maintenance even before the reunification.
Two years after the reunification, the horribly ran new Germany went into a severe recession in 1992. The economy went on a roller coaster all the way through 1993 until it finally rose and plateaued in 1994. All through this time though, Germany was adamant on the rebuilding of the former East Germany and they showed this by pouring tens of billions of dollars into it. Ever since 1994, Germany's economy has risen about 3% each year. Over the past few years, Germany's overall rank in economy against the world is fifth. This fact is very surprising since this country has gone through a lot of economic limiting situations.
Comparing
Germany
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Russia
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Similarities Shared
- Both the German people and Russian people were desperate for a change; they were leaning towards a democratic government
- Both successfully established a new democratic government
- Both countries converted out of a totalitarian system of government