German responsibility for touching off two World Wars should not
obscure the fact - historian Hillgruber (Univ. of Cologne)
maintains in this short, compelling assessment - that German aims
at the outset of each were importantly different: restricted, in
the first instance; expansionist, in the second. Or, motivated by
the fear of power prior to World War I; by the desire to exercise
power, prior to World War II. But there is, he shows, a link.
Imperial Germany felt threatened by the growth of Russian power;
but the solutions of Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg and the military
high command differed - with drastic results. The military planned
for a war in which a quick victory over France would be followed by
the defeat of Russia (the Schlieffen Plan), leaving England with a
fait accompli and Germany preeminent on the Continent. In Hollweg's
scenario, on the other hand, a limited strike by Austria on Serbia
(such as occurred in 1914) would be followed by a bluff of German
force against Russia - which would step back, knowing it was not
yet strong enough to defeat Germany. Germany would then enter into
negotiations with England toward recognition of German preeminence.
But the Russian military failed to inform the Czar of his army's
weakness, and the Russians did not step back; and that, combined
with a military attack in the west - itself a direct threat to
England - sealed the fate of Hollweg's gamble. Integral to
Hollweg's plan had been the acknowledgment that Germany could not
compete with England on a world scale; hence his choice of a middle
Europe economic sphere for Germany. But during the war, Hillgruber
demonstrates, German aims shifted toward annexation of territory in
the east, partly to secure German economic strength in the area.
The German army succeeded in occupying the Ukraine, only to lose it
in the Versailles peace negotiations - and the new, nationalist
resentment created a climate for the foreign policy aims of Hitler.
He, however, placed these expansionist aims in the context, not of
traditional political goals, but - crucially - of an
all-encompassing anti-Semitism and drive for racial unification.
Composed as an essay, Hillgruber's readable study extracts new
significance from familiar material, adding up to an important
accomplishment for anyone with an interest in modern European
history. (Kirkus Reviews)
One of the most hotly disputed topics in twentieth-century
history has been Germany's share of responsibility--its
"guilt"--for the outbreak of the two world wars. In this short,
penetrating study, Europe's leading authority on German power
politics clarifies the dispute and offers insight into this central
question about modern Germany.
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