i will… – outline the military history of germany – examine the way germany was divided after...

• I will…–Outline the military history of Germany–Examine the way Germany was divided

after the Second World War –Construct a timeline of the history of the

Berlin Wall

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Germany’s Geography:

The Downside

Being at the center of Europe…

• Has also meant that Germany was involved in many European conflicts/wars!

• Examples:– 30 Years War– Franco-Prussian War– The Great War – World War II

The 30 Years War

• 1618-1648• Began as conflict between

Protestants and the Catholic Church (The Holy Roman Empire)

• Fought mainly in Germany• Ended up being a battle for control

of land and people• Redrew the map of Europe with

France and Sweden gaining power and the Holy Roman Empire losing it.

• Germany left torn apart (not a united kingdom) and some towns/villages permanently abandoned!

The Franco-Prussian War

• Very short war, 1870-1871• German independent states

united under Prussian (a region of Germany) military leadership to create the modern state of Germany.

• France was quickly and soundly defeated to everyone’s surprise

• Altered the balance of power in Europe permanently. – Germany=World Power– France bitter over the loss of

Alsace-Loraine Region

Alsace Lorrain

The Great War (World War I)• 1914-1918• Started out as a regional war resulted

in a World War (28 nations from around the world involved)– Central Powers (Germany, Austria-

Hungary, & Italy)Vs.– Allied Forces (primarily UK, Russia, &

France and at the very end US)

• Almost 8 million soldiers died:– Trench warfare lead to disease– New weaponry lead to blood shed

(chemical warfare, machine guns, tanks, etc…)

• Called “The Great War” or ‘The War to End All Wars” at the time

• Led to Armistice Day (11/11), now Veterans’ Day

• Germany did not lose a single battle in World War I but they ultimately surrendered the war

• Treaty of Versailles (ended the war) resulted in very damaging circumstances for Germany– War Guilt Clause - Public felt cheated, tricked &

humiliated– Reparations – money that the loser has to pay

the “winners” after war causes the German economy to collapsed

– Germany’s army and navy reduced; no airforce– Looses a significant amount of land

Yep, that’s money!

• WWI ends in 1919• Between then and 1933,

Germany was in bad shape

• In 1933, a rising star emerges and gives Germans hope for the future…

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• Nazism: German brand of Fascism – Extreme nationalism– Racial purification

(Aryan Race)– National expansion

• The Third Reich– Thousand Year Reign

Germans, Give your answer to the System! Elect Hitler!”

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World War II

• 1939-1945• Even bigger World War:

– 50 Countries Involved– Fought in two theaters (Europe &

Pacific)• Again two alliances formed:

– Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy, & MANY OTHERS)

Vs.– Allied Powers (primarily UK, France,

Russia & MANY OTHERS and again, later US)

• Germany & Japan eventually surrendered but not before 38 million people died!

It wasn’t just the soldiers who suffered!

• But, World War II had another horrifying element …The Holocaust– Greek words meaning “whole” “burned”– Refers to the systematic extermination of 11 million people by the

Nazi regime during World War II.– Groups who were exterminated—Jews, Communists, the mentally

or physically retarded, homosexuals, and Gypsies

• Took place in Concentration Camps where prisoners were:– Made to work as slaves– Experimented on by scientist who did not consider their health or

comfort– Often starved to death and/or died from exposure/disease– Systematically exterminated using gas chambers

Germany Remembers: Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial

• The memorial, opened in 2005 was built by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold.

• Consists of 2,711 concrete slabs, varying in height from 8 inches to almost 16 feet, a grid pattern.

• The names of the Holocaust’s Jewish victims are listed in a “Palace of Information” below ground.

• It covers a city block.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Germany Remembers: Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial

• What do you think the symbolism of the memorial mean?

• What would you feel and experience as you walked through this memorial?

Germany Remembers: Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial

• The slabs are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

• Observers have noted the memorial's resemblance to a cemetery.

• When Germany surrendered after World War II its land was divided among the Allies so that it could not threaten Europe again:– Americans, British, and French

combined their pieces to form West Germany/Berlin

– The Soviet Union controlled East Germany/Berlin

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Great Britain

USA

France

Soviet Union

• The Capital of Germany was located INSIDE the Soviet section of the country.

• The Soviets begin to limit movement of East Germans and especially the movement of people INSIDE Berlin.

• What do the Soviets do?

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Build a Wall

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East German soldiers preparing for the construction of the Berlin Wall close off border between East & West

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Building the Wall

West Germans

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• Wire fence (1961) • Improved wire fence (1962–1965) • Concrete wall (1965–1975) • Grenzmauer 75 (Border Wall 75) (1975–

1989)

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• East Berliners and East Germans could NOT travel to West Berlin or West Germany with few exceptions:– Visits of relatives for important family matters – People who had to travel to the West for professional

reasons• All had to be approved by the government• Could only take a small amount of money with you

• 12 Checkpoints to allow people to move between East & West Germany– West Berliners could travel to West Germany (air, rail,

road)

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Checkpoints

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3 Air Corridors

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• East Germans begin escaping through Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland

• East Germans begin protesting in the streets• The Communist Party leader (Günter

Schabowski) in East Berlin made an announcement that East Germany would begin to relax border regulations…– Berlin Wall officially falls on: November 9, 1989

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When?

Ummmm… Immediately?

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