German History Paper
follow the requires and lecture content, revise the paper (Grammar, paper content organization) and add more one page on my German history paper lesson 6.
More detail about question Repercussions of the decision about the denazification of Germany. and How the United States profited from this decision in the post-war
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Lesson 6
Adenauer and Post-War Germany
Details of the Marshall Plan and the Morgenthau Plan
The Marshall plan was an initiative implemented after the Second World War. The primary goal of the plan was to revive economies and also to strengthen democracies of
Western and Southern European countries which were destroyed and devastated during World War II. The Marshall plan was implemented in 1948 by George Marshall and was
officially referred to as the European Recovery Program. The United States highly sponsored the program. The United States of America provided approximately $ 12
billion in support of the plan’s course (Provan, 2000).
Numerous countries were involved in the Marshall Plan. Some of the countries included Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom, Belgium,
Greece, and Denmark among others. The plan can be deemed to be one of the most successful economic recovery plans in European history. Research shows that the
countries that participated in the plan benefited immensely as their gross domestic product went up by approximately 15%-25%. It also contributed to the revival of
major industries in these countries. Some of those that registered high growth included the steel industry, chemical as well as engineering industries.
Morgenthau plan was established in 1944 by Henry Morgenthau. The primary goal of the plan was to ensure that Germany does not engage in war again. It also
intended to withdraw all the support mechanisms that could help the Germany to wage war again. The implication of this was that the Morgenthau initiative was somehow
meant to punish the country for having participated in the Second World War (Dietrich, 2002).
Various strategies were used to weaken German so that it does not engage in war gains. To begin with, the Morgenthau plan advocated for the destruction of armament
industry and all other industries that strengthened the military. The plan also advocated for the destruction of equipment and industrial plants, especially in Ruhr.
The plan also aimed at disarming the Germany army so that it does not spark a fresh fight. Another provision of the Morgenthau plan entailed the partitioning of the
Country. According to the plan, it is hard to control a united country and therefore the best option to completely destabilize the country, and its army was by
dividing it (Dietrich, 2002).
There are similarities and differences between these two plans. One of the most outstanding similarities of the Marshall and the Morgenthau plan is that they
were both supported by the United States. Regarding the Marshall Plan, U.S provided financial assistance to rehabilitate wrecked economies while in the Morgenthau
plan, the county’s Secretary of Treasury pushed for the plan and oversaw the demilitarization and destabilization of the Germany military force.
However, the two plans contrast in that the Marshall plan sought to rehabilitate and monitor the recovery of the economies and normalcy of the western European
countries. The Morgenthau plan, on the other hand, focused on destroying the Germanic armies so that they do not start another war.
Reasons that led the United States to implement the Marshall Plan
The United States was drive by some factors to implement the Marshall plan. One of the primary reasons that led to the United Sates to implement the Marshall policy
was that it was the only stable government after the Second World War. It was the only major power that was intact.
Secondly, the United States was losing so much economically because it did not have any countries it could partner with in trade. The primary reason behind
this was because most of the other states’ economies had been destroyed. For instance, Britain was almost being declared bankrupt in 1946 and therefore it could no
longer participate in trade agreements (Provan, 2000).
Thirdly, U.S implemented the Marshall plan because it was the was in a better position to encourage productivity, membership into labor unions and also to push
for the faster adoption of modern and more effective business procedures.
Repercussions of the decision about the denazification of Germany
Denazification is define as the process through which the ideologies of Nazism were gotten rid of. The United States implemented the Marshall plan so as to revive
economies that had been destroyed under the ideologies of Nazism. The introduction of international trade activities was one of the consequences supporting of the
Marshall plan regarding denazification. Restoration of peace in the country was also another consequence (Provan, 2000).
How the United States profited from this decision in the post-war period
The United States profited greatly from the decision in the post-war period. Firstly, many countries’ economies that had been devastated due to the war revived. The
implication of this was that trade agreements could operate smoothly and therefore the United States benefited.
References
Dietrich, J. (2002). The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy.
York: Algora Pub.
Provan, J. (2000). The Marshall Plan and its consequences. http://www.george-marshall-
society.org/george-c-marshall/the-marshall-plan-and-its-consequences/.
Lesson 6: Adenauer and Post-War Germany
Lesson Essay
When you can accomplish the learning objectives for this lesson, you should begin work on the lesson essay described below. You may use any assigned readings, your
notes, and other course-related materials to complete this assignment. Be sure to reread the essay grading criteria on the Grades and Assessments page.
This essay should be about 1000 words long, typed double space with one-inch margins on each side. It is worth 100 points and should address the following:
Discuss the details of the Marshall Plan in comparison with the Morgenthau Plan. What were the reasons that led the United States to implement the Marshall Plan? What
were the repercussions of this decision with regard to the denazification of Germany? How did the United States profit from this decision in the post-war period?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
• Briefly summarize the major military events before and during World War II.
• Describe the situation at hour zero in Germany.
• Provide a chronology of the political events that led to the division of Germany and the beginning of the Cold War.
• Explain the reasons for the economic miracle during the 1950s.
Commentary
Events Leading to World War II
Before jumping to the end of the Nazi regime in 1945 and the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, I do want to provide a very brief historical
overview of the Nazis’ aggressive foreign policy before and during World War II.
After Hitler had secured his dictatorship through the Röhm-Putsch in 1934, he made no secret of his overall intentions to increase Germany’s military power. He
violated the Treaty of Versailles by introducing military conscription in 1935 and began to expand the German Wehrmacht into a huge army (in part through conscription,
in part by dissolving the SA into the Wehrmacht). In 1936, German troops occupied the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland, while, at the same time, providing military
support for General Franco, who became dictator of Spain the same year. Two years later, in 1938, Germany marched into Austria and proclaimed theAnschluss (union) of
the two countries. In September of that year, the British Prime Minister Chamberlain appeased Hitler at an international conference in Munich, after which Hitler
immediately occupied first theSudentenland (the German-heritage region of Czechoslovakia) and, half a year later, the remaining Czech lands, naming them the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Although France and Great Britain still did not engage the Nazis at that time, they publicly vowed to defend Poland should Hitler
dare to invade it as well. Although Hitler continued to assert his peaceful intentions, everybody who had followed his political career or was even vaguely familiar
with Mein Kampf knew that war was inevitable. This is precisely what happened on September 1, 1939: Hitler invaded Poland. In response, France and Great Britain
declared war against Germany.
