Ironically, one of the lasting actions by the Bolsheviks was the attempted indoctrination of German prisoners-of-war. Many of these troops were eventually transferred to the Western Front which was still raging in 1918, but some of them were virtually useless as soldiers. When the war ended, they returned to Germany, where many threw themselves into the post-war revolution then tearing at Germany's social fabric. The opposing fascists eventually gained control of the country and added further tragic chapters to the history of Russia and Eastern
All Russian governments in this period faced strong opposition to their regime with the period as a whole punctuated by riots, disturbances and revolutions. Political change was expected in Russia during this period, particularly during the Tsarist regime where the growth of the revolutionary intelligentsia, ironically an effect of the Great Reforms, led many to question the need for a Tsar or a royal family at all. The first main success of political opposition is widely considered to be the assassination of Alexander II at the hands of the People’s Will in 1881. Although they assassinated their Tsar, it is very likely this did not actually lead to their desired outcome, it being greater political freedom/democracy. Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia.
How similar were Stalin and Hitler? Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were two men with fairly simlar backgrounds. They both managed to become dictators of two of the most powerful countries in the world.However, at first, they were two infamous dictators with opposing political views – Stalin was a communist and Hitler was a fascist. They both struggled to rise to power and once in power, they changed the lives of the people living the Soviet Union and Germany. Eventually, they both went to war with each other during World War Two.
Out of all the wars that the world has gone through, none has been more devastating as World War II. Although the definite origin or cause of this World War II can be argued over, some of the most popular reason till today remains the Appeasement, anger over Treaty of Versailles, the failure of peace efforts after World War I, the rise of Fascism, the goals of Hitler. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German air force.
Underlying Causes Of WWI World War I, also known as “The Great War” was an extremely bloody war that immersed Europe with huge losses of life and little ground lost or won. There may have seemed like there was a chain of events that led to the fighting, but the underlying causes of WW1 were Nationalism, Alliances, Militarism, imperialism and the assignation of Arch Duke Ferdinand. America tried there hardest to remain neutral and stay out of the war, but they were dragged in by force. Several incidents built up tension between nations before the outbreak of the First World War. Nationalism was one of the underlying causes of WW1.
Hunger for complete control and raw power makes for inattentive leaders who make unwise decisions due to the ignorance of the important problems. Adolf Hitler, for example, made the wrong choices when it came to WWII and his distraction led to the downfall of his empire and the victory of the war by the Americans. He became obsessed with creating a perfect society, and in doing so he created the biggest genocide the world has ever seen- The Holocaust. Hitler was obsessed with making sure that everyone was a follower of his rule, and anyone that went against what he said was executed. The same is true in the novella Animal Farm, when Napoleon ruthlessly slaughters many animals because he is under the impression that they are in cohorts with is enemy, Snowball, and are sabotaging his rule by committing crimes that Snowball has told them to
There are many ideas about how far Germany was responsible for causing the First World War, traditionally all major powers are thought to be equally accountable for the pre-war tensions that accumulated throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, with Germany accepting the majority of the blame for the fatal events that ultimately brought about one of the bloodiest wars the globe has ever seen. Its quest for global power and a strong African colonial empire by a megalomaniacal Kaiser is acquitted as one of the biggest causes of World War I, but how far exactly was Germany responsible? German historian Franz Fischer believes it was almost entirely responsible, his first major book makes three key points against Germany: The first being That Germany hoped a war would ensue when it backed Austria-Hungary against Serbia, the second that The Kaisers war plans pre-dated the war, and the final being that it was Germany’s domestic position rather than its international position that instilled the strong feeling of expansionism. Fischer believes the fault lay at Germany’s door since 1890 with the dismissal of Bismark who had been making arrangements to renew the Reassurance Treaty with Russia, the Tsar had been very fond of his policies and ideals, Kaiser William II had other ideas; Bismark lost his position before the treaty with Russia was renewed and his successor General Leo von Caprivi was advised not to pursue it further. Instead he was told to look into forming an alliance which would link Britain to Germany and its allies: Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Several attempts from both the left and right sides of government tried to imbue the nationalistic beliefs that were embodied in Germany before they were destroyed by their humiliating defeat in WW1. These include the Spartacist uprising, the Kapp Putsch and the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. The disillusionment felt by the people and their need to restore pride in their nation influenced many factors that led to the failure of the democracy, and to the rise of the Nazi political party and its leader Adolf Hitler. In hindsight, a mixture of political, social and economic issues, combined with nationalistic goals give grounds to the reason that nationalism mainly brought about the fall of the democracy of the Weimar Republic in Germany. By the outbreak of WW1 in August 1914, Germany was well established as a major and prominent world power.
Many historians have traced the causes of World War II to problems left unsolved by World War I (1914-1918). World War I and the treaties that ended it also created new political and economic problems. Forceful leaders in several countries took advantage of these problems to seize power. Many aspects led to the eventual rise of WW2, beginning with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The war ending treaties were worked out in haste by countries with opposing goals and failed to satisfy even the victors.
DBQ: Evaluation of Stalin’s Leadership Loved and hated by many, Joseph Stalin is one of the most controversial leaders in world history. Joseph Stalin transformed the Soviet Union into a modern superpower between 1928 and 1941. His rule is characterized by the creation of Collectivized Agriculture, Rapid Industrialization like the Five Year plan, and the many aspects of life under a totalitarian regime like purges, censorship, propaganda, and the cult of personality. In 1917, Russia was crumbling into pieces. The World War I was draining all of Russia’s resources.