Bismarck and Hitler

Bismarck’s flaw in unification was the fact that his plan was too extensive. Hitler did not learn from this lesson as he kept moving forward against Europe and continue to construct and eliminate treaties. The one that would undermine all his plans was the Nazi Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. He agreed to keep friendly relations with Russia while he gobbled up the rest of Europe. Russia did not learn from Hitler’s previous acts and agreed to the deal. Hitler set the stage for his attack on Russia. He moved against his ally and found out that it was a foolish plan that would cripple the German army leading to his defeat. He had broken one too many treaties.

Bismarck brought Germany together but created bitterness that grew to war levels. Yes, there was unity, but it came at a price. Too many were angry at what had transpired. Germany had once been separate principalities, but when they came together as one, they were punished by the rest of the world. At least, that is how the Germans viewed it.

It was that bitterness that opened the door for Hitler to walk through.

Bismarck believed the military was the core of German power. Without a strong military, Germany was nothing. It was this bitterness and believe in power that gave Hitler the edge he needed. Hitler fed on the bitterness of the Germans to rise to power and pulled the Germans together under a flag of nationalism that surpassed Bismarck’s.

Because Bismarck had already created the seed of military power in the German mindset, it wasn't hard for Hitler to follow through. The people saw the military as the power that the world saw and would fear.

Hitler focused on German blood and began a purifying policy that would kill millions of men, women, and children. He pushed the pride of being a German, which by itself is nothing wrong, but it led to too much bloodshed. Hitler took Bismarck's German power to a whole new level.

After WWI, pride was at an all-time low. Germans were bitter. They needed someone to have them cheering for who they were instead of hanging their head in shame on the world state. Hitler became that someone.

Both men were excellent chess players as they pretended to be friends on the world scene while plotting the demise of said friends. Bismarck was successful in his actions as he died with Germany still an empire to be contended with. Hitler on the other hand broke one treaty that would destroy Germany for many decades and never give it the foundation to rise to such power again. It was the mistake that cost him the one move that would have shaken the world.

It was all about strategy, and looking back on it, they did an excellent job of leading the world by the nose for quite some time.

Both men had a huge impact on Europe, but Hitler’s impact was deeper. He tore Europe apart like it had never experienced in all of history and took genocide to levels that have never been seen since. Bismarck’s nationalism affected Europe but more on the political scene. Hitler’s nationalism tore at the soul of mankind. Europe was never the same after Hitler.

“Bismarck and the Unification of Germany”. Needham Public Schools. Accessed March 1, 2013, http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2001_p2/baker_lg_bp_pd.2/bismarck.htm.

Edeiken, Yale F. “An Introduction to the Einsatzgruppen.” Holocaust History. August 22, 2012. http://www.holocaust-history.org/intro-einsatz/.

“Effects of World War II”. Suffolk County Community College. Accessed March 2, 2013. http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/effectww2.html.

“European History”. A Web of English History. Accessed March 1, 2013. http://www.historyhome.co.uk/europe/hitfor.htm.

“European Power Balance (1871-1914)”. Suffolk County Community College. Accessed March 1, 2013. http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/powerbalance.html.

“Flaws of German Unification”. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Accessed March 3, 2013. http://www-student.unl.edu/cis/hist101w03/online_course/unit3/lsn12-tp05.html.

Hitler Adolf. “On National Socialism and World Relations”. German Propaganda Archive. Calvin University. Accessed March 3, 2013. http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/hitler1.htm.

Keylor, William R. “World War I”. Wayne University. Accessed March 2, 2013 http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/WWI/encarta.htm.

Charles S. Maier. “The world economy and the Cold War in the middle of the twentieth century.” In the Cambridge History of the Cold War. ed. Melvyn P. Leffler. Harvard University. Accessed March 3, 2013, http://history.fas.harvard.edu/people/faculty/documents/maier-theworldeconomy.pdf.

“Peace Treaty of Versailles.” Brigham Young University. Accessed March 1, 2013. http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Articles_118_-_158_and_Annexes.

“Primary Source: Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact Negotiations: The Reich Foreign Minister to the German Ambassador in the Soviet Union (August 14, 1939).” PBS. 2009. http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/pdfs/NaziSovietNegotiation2.pdf.

“The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century.” PBS. Accessed February 28, 2013. http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/thenandnow/index.html.

“The Legacy of World War II.” University of Milwaukee Middle School. Accessed February 28. 2013. http://middle.usmk12.org/Faculty/taft/Unit7/wwii_legacy.htm.

“The Marshall Plan.” George C. Marshall Foundation. 2009. http://www.marshallfoundation.org/TheMarshallPlan.htm.

“Treaty of Nonaggression Between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.” Yale Law School: Avalon Project. 2008. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/nonagres.asp.