FREE ESSAY ON WESTERN CIVILIZATION

WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Western Civilization
Final Exam
Tuesday, June 23, 1998
Question:
What were the causes of the World War II? Do you believe that the war could have been
prevented? Why or Why not?
After the fall of the Weimar government, and the rise to power of the National Socialists
headed by Adolph Hitler, Germany underwent huge transformations. One of the largest of
these was the change in foreign policy. Between the years of 1933 and 1936, while the
Nazis began to consolidate their power, Hitler's foreign policy was one of appeasement.
Germany did what ever it could to keep peace and tensions low between itself and Great
Britain, Italy and the USSR. Germany used this appeasement to keep peace long enough to
fully gain control of the country. After 1936, their policy changed.
Nazi Germany's foreign policy towards Great Britain was "do what ever it takes to keep
them happy". Germany wasn't ready to have them as an enemy yet. Hitler felt that the
longer he had to prepare for war the better. One of the friendly agreements was the
allowing of the British rearmament by Germany. This was the first time that Germany tried
to drive a wedge between France and Great Britain. Hitler offered to concede substantial
rearmament to Great Britain, while also subtly hinting to both Italy and Great Britain to
combine forces against France. Great Britain did not take up Hitler's proposals, but he
did not abandon his efforts. 
In 1934, Germany formally began to talk with Great Britain, and they agreed on the Naval
Accords in May. These accords were a smart move by Hitler, because he gained power for
Germany while, at the same time, making Great Britain feel more powerful. What the Navel
Accords did was set up the amounts of which each country could have a navy. At that time,
the British navy was by far the strongest, having twice the amount of its nearest
competitor, France. The British fleet controlled the Mediterranean, and Hitler was
jealous of this incredible power. 
Hitler agree in May that the German naval fleet would only build up to 35% of the British
fleet. To Britain, this seem like a confession of inferiority, because Germany was
admitting to be only 35% of Great Britain. But to Germany, this was a way to rearm
themselves to the point of where they were only slightly behind their enemies, the
French. Hitler knew that German forces could defeat the French on land, but by sea, they
needed to build. But to build a strong navy would anger the British. However, Hitler
found a way to do both.
The discussions between Germany and Great Britain continue in 1935. In March, Hitler and
Von Ribbentrop met with Simon and Eden from Great Britain. At first, Britain wanted
desperately to tie down the Germans by having them become a member of the League of
Nations. The British wanted any German aggression in the future to be punishable by
international law. This way, it would be the world's problem if the Germans attached
France, not just Great Britain's and France's, like in World War I. It was obviously not
in Hitler or Germany's best interests to join the League of Nations, but again Germany
felt much more freedom in bilateral agreements, ones which only involve two countries.
Instead of rejecting the "invitation", Germany using very clever diplomatic technique,
replied by offering one such bilateral agreement, in which Germany would gain colonial
power, along with a sphere of preservation. They also used negotiating power to postpone
all binding treaties. While the provisions of the agreement were never fully carried out
it is important to understand that Germany, was not subservient to Great Britain,
certainly attempted to reduce tensions, even to the point of an alliance against France.
By 1936, Hitler had successfully brought Germany closer to Great Britain using many
valuable diplomatic techniques.
Great Britian was not the only country to be appeased by Nazi Germany. Italy, too, was an
important link in Nazi foreign policy. Hitler knew that Germany could not survive another
two and possibly three front war. Hitler was forced to give up one or more of these
borders, and gain an alley as well. He chose Italy. Italy had been fascist since 1921,
and had grown tremendously since then. Hitler also knew that Italy was strong enough to
hold its own, but not strong enough to make a difference in the coming war, if the
actions of World War I were repeated. In 1936, the two leaders Hitler and Benito
Mussolini, met and signed what was called the Axis Agreement. According to the agreement,
Rome and Berlin were the strongest cities in Europe, and therefore acted as an axis for
all other powers to revolve around. This treaty was a loose agreement, which held the two
countries together until the Pact of Steel was signed in1939. Hitler, here, alleviated
any possibility of there being a southern front.
There were more than political reasons that Germany was appeasing towards Italy. The two
nations had a type of brotherhood, thanks to their leaders. Mussolini had been the
fascist leader of Italy for 12 years and his system became the blueprint for Hitler's
system. The two leaders felt connected, being two fascist leaders in a world of
communists and capitalists. Hitler learned how to effectively run a fascist regime. An
example of this is when Germany began to invade Austria in 1934, and Italian troops
marched along the Brenner Pass and pushed them back. Hitler tested his limits and
Mussolini proved Italy's power. Germany made sure not to increase tensions too much.
German-Italian relations were very important to Hitler because Italy was the perfect
candidate for an alliance, which explains his emphasis on peaceful policies.
Nazi Germany was faced with the same dilemma that pre-World War I leaders were,
encirclement. The Germans were faced with the French on the west, and the Russians on the
east, To alleviate this problem was to form some sort of alliance with one of the two. A
Fraco-German alliance was completely out of the question, the two nations were too
culturally different. Hitler was then faced with the need to appease the USSR. The Weimer
government had began such a process in the Treaty of Rapallo. In this treaty, both
counties received what they needed most, for Germany it was jobs and a place to sell
goods, and for the USSR is was a reliable source of quality goods. Hitler felt that that
it was completely necessary to continue this treaty for two main reasons. The first
reason was that the Germans needed a place to train their men. Under the Treaty of
Versailles, Hitler could not train large amounts of men with new technology in Germany.
Hitler sent troops over to the USSR, where they would train using both Soviet and German
technology. In this way, the treaty would still be kept, and the German military would
not be outdated. The second reason was caused by the alliance with Great Britain. Hitler
felt that is would be impossible to simultaneously seek an alliance with Great Britain
while also trying to win colonies. Germany need new territory and resources for her
surplus population, and without colonies, this would be impossible. Hitler came up with a
solution, which would give Germany her needed living space. Hitler proposed to seek
living space in the USSR. By doing this, he felt, Germany would not only have an outlet
for people, soldiers, and goods, but also it would bring the two nations together.
Germany was also faced with the problems that the Weimar Government was faced with. The
biggest of these was the Treaty of Versailles. Not only did the treaty both humiliate and
put to shame Germany, but also it devastated them economically. One of the first things
that the Nazi government did in 1933 was begin to free Germany from this treaty. The
treaty stated that the German land army could only consist of 100,000 men. This was very
few compared to Germany's neighbors, which had millions of troops at their disposal.
Hitler found a way to get around this, and it was by having men who wanted to join the
German army, join the SA or the SS. These armies were not technically the German army, so
the actual German army did have less than the amount stated. Another way that Hitler
began to nullify the treaty was to regain land lost by it. Two examples of this are the
Saar mines and the Rhineland. After the Treaty of Versailles, Germany lost both of these
area and since 1919 the German people wanted them back. The Saar mines were extremely
productive coalmines and the Rhineland was a fertile area used by Germany. When Hitler
regained both of these areas he (Germany) was in direct violation of the treaty. This was
part of Hitler's plan to make Germany strong, his priority was to make Germany a world
power. 
The treaty of Versailles hurt Germany militarily, but more importantly, it hurt them
economically. Germany was forced to pay for the entire war, which was an incredible high
amount, in which it could not possibly repay. The Weimer government struggled a great
deal, having to struggle through the crisis of 1923, were the French demanded payment
that Germany just did not have. When the Nazis took control in 1933, it was a very
different story. The Nazi had no binding obligation to the treaty. Hitler did not sign
the Treaty of Versailles, neither did any Nazi, so it was generally felt that they should
hot have to conform their government to fit it. Even with the help of the Dawes Plan and
the Young Plan the debt was far too much for Germany to pay, so Hitler refused to pay it.
He stated that the Weimar government signed for the debt, and that the treaty died with
the Weimar government.
The government of Nazi Germany was not a popular one, internationally speaking. In 1933,
the British, French and the Americans openly stated their discomfort in the Nazi seizure
of power, this becomes a serious problem for Hitler. Without allies, the Nazis would
surely fail. It is here that Hitler used his diplomatic skills to make other countries
forget the past. Hitler began with Great Britain, encouraging British rearmament, along
with fortifying Great Britain's understanding that they possessed the strongest navy in
Europe. Hitler did the same with Italy, wooing them with the possibility of Germany and
Italy taking over Europe. It was also clear that Hitler needed an ally to the east, and
therefore began to ally with the USSR. Although his attitude changed, and many of his
"allies" became enemies, there was one country whose fate was never in question, France.
Hitler and all Germans were French-phobic due to the seizure of German lands in the
Treaty of Versailles.
Germany before 1936 had a one-track foreign policy that was required under the
circumstance. It consisted of friendliness towards former enemies, Great Britain, the
USSR, and Italy. Even though Hitler's policy was one of appeasement, it more often was a
planned gamble. So many problems faced the Nazis, they were forced to take a divide and
conquer attitude in both foreign and domestic policy. The new Nazi government had a
tremendous amount of domestic issues to deal with up until 1936, and the foreign policy
that was issued was the best time saver possible. The Nazis successfully gained control
of the country and at that time, the policy became the opposite, one of complete
aggression, finally leading to World War II. The foreign policy was a prelude to the
aggressive, militaristic policy of the Nazis after 1936.
I believe that that the war could have been prevented had Neville Chamberlin, the British
Prime minister not been so afraid of war. If he had confronted Hitler earlier and stopped
tying to appease him it would have stopped Hitler in his tracks. 
If the reparations against Germany with the Treaty of Versailles weren't so astronomical
maybe the revenge that the Allies took on Germany wouldn't have came back to haunt them.
A gentleman on the English Board of Trade gave Hitler a loan to try and buy peace. Yet
the money when to defense building instead of war reparations. 
Chamberlin also didn't take Hitler's threat to attack Czechoslovakia seriously. It seemed
that Chamberlin sacrificed Czechoslovakia in order to save his own country. Instead of
meeting Hitler halfway on the Czech issue he practically bowed at Hitler's feet having
already worked out the arrangements for the transfer of territory when they met at
Godesbar. 
Hitler's zeal to obtain more territory could have also been squashed in the Munich
Agreement. After Hitler's refusal to stop acquiring more territory Britain, France or the
US could have made some arrangements to retaliate in Germany buy sanctions etc.
Question:
The Cold War period in European and American politics greatly influenced the development
of the modern world. Describe the major events of the Cold War and its impact for both
the United States and the rest of the world.
The Cold War was complex and multi-faceted. There were many conflicts, many ideas, and
many emotions. It was a period of East-West competition, tension, and conflict short of a
full-scale war, characterized by mutual perceptions of hostile intention between
military-political alliances. There were real wars, sometimes called "proxy wars" because
they were fought by Soviet allies rather than the USSR itself-along with competition for
influence in the Third World, and a major superpower arms race.
Arms Race:
Nuclear weapons are not dangerous if there is no use for them. The Cold War invented a
need for nuclear weapons. Deterrence, or the desire to show another country that yours is
more powerful, has no limit. The first nuclear weapon served a purpose; it was to show
Japan that the United States had the power to easily destroy their island. Its secondary
and unavoidable purpose was to show the rest of the world the exact same thing. That is
the true power of nuclear weapons. 
The decision to use the bomb on Japan was influenced more by the desire to show Japan the
power of the US then to show the Soviets the potential of American technology. Roosevelt
knew he was going to drop the bomb when he went to Yalta. As that point, Russia and the
US were not quite in conflict. The decisions to use the bomb was in order to end the war
in the Pacific. 
McCarthyism:
Fear is the feeling of insecurity and danger found in an unfamiliar situation. When
McCarthy stepped forward and claimed that a subversive force of underground communists
were controlling the US, people became afraid because this politician proposed that the
very sacred ground of America was tainted with unseen forces and had unknown control. The
outcome of this was predictable and inevitable.
McCarthy's entire claim was based on the absence of evidence. He pointed at the source of
power in the US as the source of corruption against the US. It made sense. The people
would never know about subversion because it is essentially subconscious and unseen. By
creating its existence through ranting and accusations, McCarthy invented national fear,
McCarthy had control of the nation for a while because of this fear. Finally, logic
prevailed and people relized that no evidence existed to back up his claims. 
Space Race:
The US had entered the era of the Space Race. The hope was that America would find the
next frontier and conquer it before the other country. The Space Race was a political
struggle with militaristic drives. Americans wanted to beat the Soviets as much as their
government. The Soviets were the first to successfully get space craft up and even a
monkey into space. But President Kennedy promised the US would be the first to have a man
on the moon and soon the US prevailed. 
Berlin Wall and Airlift:
Germany was rifled with turmoil. It was decided that East German forces back by the
Soviet armor would seal East Berlin off from the Western sectors with a massive wall. In
the 1960's the wall was erected. The only access to West Berlin was a 20 mile wide air
corridor. The Berlin Airlift was the allies getting together and moving tons of
non-perishable goods to the Berlin. Diapers, food, gas, wood, all staples that could not
be easily obtained.
Cuban Missile Crisis:
After obtaining Fidel Castro's approval, the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to
build missile installations in Cuba. President Kennedy was shown photographs of Soviet
missiles installations under construction in Cuba. After days of intense debate in the
United States administration, during which Soviet diplomats denied that installations for
offensive missiles were
being built in Cuba, Kennedy announced the discovery of the installations and proclaimed
that any nuclear missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet
Union and would be responded to. He also imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba to prevent
further Soviet shipments of offensive military weapons from arriving there.
During the crisis, the two sides exchanged many letters. Finally, they agreed to
dismantle the installations and return them to the Soviet Union, expressing trust that
the United States would not invade Cuba. Further negotiations were held to implement the
agreement, including a United States demand that Soviet light bombers also be removed
from Cuba, and to specify the exact form and conditions of the US assurances not to
invade Cuba.
Franklin Roosevelt gave Eastern Europe to the Russians in Yalta. His objectives were
idealistic because of the location of World War Two. American troops were sent to Europe
to fight in a major war. America was only attacked once during World War two, and that
was by Japan. Americans fought the war but didn't feel it. When Roosevelt negotiated at
Yalta, he did not feel the pain of a populous destroyed by fire bombing or Nazi death
camps. He was not practical enough. The European nations, on the other hand, craved
revenge. They wanted reparations for the damages and a guarantee that such an event could
never happen again. Roosevelt did not give them what they wanted. The re-establishment of
Eastern Europe was therefore controlled by the manipulative Stalin. He knew when he was
signing the agreement at Yalta that democracy was not going to happen. As soon as the
politicians were gone, tanks and troops took Eastern Europe and a buffer zone was
created. The countries were turned into economic wastelands without value in order to
protect Russia. Just like the other European courtries, Russia wanted to make sure it was
never invaded again.
Could the Cold War have been prevented? Yes. If Roosevelt had taken advantage of his
negotiating position at Yalta, he could have prevented the Soviets from building its
dangerous puppet states and buffer zones. Without these, Russia would have been much more
vulnerable along its borders. Even more so, Russian would have been isolated from Europe
by distance. With advancements in technology, the Soviet Union was fast becoming
connected with Europe. World War Two completed that connection as Russia's reach extended
half way across the continent. No more was the giant nation isolated from the world's
politics. It was in the center.
Had Russia not been a part of the political struggles of Europe, its power and interest
in the rest of the world would have declined after World War Two. Even with its nuclear
capabilities, Russia would have been much less likely to use such a device (or even build
it) had the country's political involvement declined to pre-war levels. It was the iron
curtain that brought Russia to the limelight and it was Roosevelt who sold Stalin the
land on which he could build his buffer zones. It's almost ironic, in retrospect, that a
buffer zone brought Russia closer to the West.