Michol Zahoran
In the aftermath of World War I, most of Europe was left in ruins. One of the most devastated countries was Germany. It is not unusual for citizens of a defeated nation to feel distressed and demoralized. Often these citizens develop a need for strong leadership. This need provides the opportunity for radical thinkers to step forward and grab power. After World War I, Adolf Hitler took advantage of such an opportunity to obtain political power in Germany. If America would have taken the time to rebuild Germany after World War I, Hitler may have never risen to power.

On November 11, 1918, the German Army surrendered to the United Sates, essentially ending War World I (The Rise of Hitler). The United States agreed with Germany that if Germany would surrender, the Unites States would allow the German Army to stay intact, believing that Germany no longer posed a threat to other countries. After the war, the German government attempted to switch from a monarchy to a republic, creating political turmoil. The economy had completely collapsed, creating social as well as economical chaos. Germany then signed the Treaty of Versailles, in which Germany had to claim full responsibility for the war and pay reparations for the damaged caused by the war. This burden only caused Germany to sink further into despair (The Rise of Hitler).

After World War I, America became a world power. By joining the war late, the United States suffered from a vast number of causalities, about 100,000, but still far fewer casualties than the other combatant countries (Effects of War World I). America, not destroyed during the war because the battles were fought in Europe, became an economic powerhouse. Using this power, the United States forced Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles, rather then discussing with Germany some plans to help rebuild Europe [this actually isn't true, so I wonder where you got your facts from]. By forcing Germany to take moral and financial responsibility for the war, America unknowingly helped lead Germany to the chaos that allowed Hitler to rise to power.

Lost and confused, the people of Germany began to look for a person to lead them. Hitler took this opportunity to lead a political party known as the German Workers’ Party. Hitler understood the people’s unrest about the government and took charge by promising change. Once in charge, Hitler changed the name of the German Workers’ Party to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party -- better known as the Nazi Party. Led by the dynamic Hitler, the Nazi Party promoted its ideas around the country. The people of Germany, unhappy with the current government, enthusiastically welcomed this new party which vowed to restore national pride and welfare. After a small revolt within the Nazi Party, Hitler threatened to resign. The Nazi+'s, knowing Hitler was primarily responsible for its rise to power, gave him the role of chairman with dictatorial powers.

In 1930 the Nazi Party won the election in Germany, gaining control of the German government. From that point, the Nazi party continued to grow, and Hitler gained not only popularity but also power. In January of 1933, Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany (The Rise of Hitler). Over the next few months, Hitler used the German army, which had been thriving after the United States did not disband it at the end of World War I, to destroy the republic democracy of Germany and literally make Hitler a dictator.


After ultimately destroying Germany in World War I, the United States should have taken time to restore it [the US cannot be solely blamed for the destruction of Germany during WWI]. First, it should have disbanded the German Army, rather than allowing it to continue to exist. After disbanding the army, the United Sates should have stayed in Germany until a stable government was in control [why?]. America had enough power to be able to implement and assure such stability [what about the stock market crash in 1929?]. Finally, the United States should not have forced Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles which demanded that Germany be responsible for re-building Europe when Germany was ill equipped to do so [read about Woodrow Wilson and the Versailles conference and then tell me if you still think this statement is true]. The United States had enough resources to aid in the rebuilding of Europe and, perhaps, preventing Hitler’s rise to power. Fortunately, America learns from its mistakes. Today the American government knows that it cannot leave Iraq until Iraq has a stable government, and it vows not to leave Iraq until such stabilization occurs.

[This paper was not your best effort. The points are forced (some of which ignore well documented historical facts) and the conclusion feels rough. It was an interesting attempt, but, overall, weakly argued.]







Works Cited
“Effects of World War I.” 18 October 2005.
<http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/effectww1.html∞>

“The Rise of Hitler.” 18 October 2005.
<http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/∞>