D-term Germany 2014 : The "excitement" of war

World War I (The Great War) and World War II, affected Germany and its people in various ways. The wars brought about a new type of unification to the German nation and its people.

WWI brought a certain type of excitement that Hagen Schulze described as “a reaction that is difficult to comprehend today,” (Schulze 191). German citizens felt the excitement and honor of taking part in WWI. This, in my opinion, can seem a bit hard to understand for people today why a nation would be showing a certain type of excitement for a war. For wars are full of destruction and great costs. The reason I can is was Germany united as a nation in 1871, but there was some inner trouble within the country itself. When WWI broke out in 1914 it gave every one, whether a politician, merchant, or citizen, a reason to put aside all differences and unite as a German nation to fight against the enemies. The war brought about a way for the Germans to actually see themselves not as individuals within a boarder, but as one German nation all fighting for the same cause for the first time since they formed in 1871. War was also seen as great honor. Basically any man who fought in the war would be held at almost one of the highest standards for it was every man’s job to lay down their lives for their countries. This is interesting because so many men were lining up to just fight in the war at the beginning of it.

A German WWI propaganda poster

A soldier receives flowers form a woman while heading off to the front.

However, as the war dragged on longer than many expected the feelings towards war began to change drastically. Szhulze stated “As the war dragged on into the unforeseeable future, the original enthusiasm quickly faded, although the mood of the educated professional class remained fervent,” (Schulze 192). The glory of fighting in the war lost its value because food shortages, lack of supplies, loss of so many lives, and loss of hope in the war as it continued to drag on. The only people that seemed to support the war still were the wealthier classes who were the politicians, preachers, and professors who worked with these young men and influenced them to head into war. These were the men who did not see the horrors of war and could never fully see nor seem to understand that the glory of war was gone and was replaced by the horrors and sadness of it.

With the struggle and suffering of WWI, it is interesting to think that Germany would even think let alone actually enter a second world war. However looking at Schulze’s text I can almost see why Germany entered WWII. One of the main reasons was the influence of Hitler. Even though Hitler was a dictator who caused much destruction, he was also a very powerful leader who had great influence over the German nation. When Hitler was rising to power, he was a very influential man. Schulze stated “He could collect the hopes and longings of his audience as a lens collects rays of light, then focus them with fascinating, vivid language and project them back onto the people,” (Schulze 231). Hitler was a man who gave what the German people wanted. The Weimer Republic, the government in power after WWI, was becoming weak. Hitler turned Germany around and reestablished a sense of pride and hope in the German citizens that was broken after the Great War. As Schulze continued to explain “Hitler’s party was not only a sect of believers and a party of the people; it was also a youth movement,” (Schulze 232). Hitler sought to the youth to show that they too can help turn Germany around, which Hitler did for the economy and its people improved, so when Hitler declared war in 1939, Germany followed for Hitler managed to improve Germany in the 1930s why not continue to follow him.