Michael Pioso

6/7/13

Blue Block

Global Dominance Throughout the 20th Century:

         The ability to control domestic affairs, such as citizens and economy related ventures, as well as having influence over surrounding countries exemplifies the idea of global dominance, which is most significantly demonstrated by Germany in the Interwar Period. Germany had been defeated in World War I, and were served with heavy punishments and regulations that would disallow them to rise to power again. Yet German citizens were not willing to accept these conditions, and were unified together under the rule of Adolf Hitler, a man who would change Germany forever. Hitler and his Nazi troops began to pose a large threat to Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States around 1939. Germany swiftly drove through Poland in a month, yet “not before Great Britain and France had reluctantly declared war” (“World War II”). Before the actual war had begun, Hitler and his Nazi forces had used propaganda and large, public, open air announcements to convince the Germans that the war as well as the slaying of all Jews would lead to a perfect dynasty, named the Third Reich. Along with complete cooperation from their citizens, Nazi Germany also had a budding economy that was centered around weapon manufacturing. They had ignored the regulations and punishments with out instigating trouble with France or Britain, and only 21 years later after the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was once again rising to power. Throughout World War II, Germany retained power in much of North Africa throughout World War II, suggesting that they not only controlled their people, but that they also controlled other territories outside of their original realm of influence. Essentially, Germany's ability to control its citizens, recover and reclaim prominence after a major downfall, colonize other territories while remaining a major threat to seize control of much of the world, suggests that Germany was truly a globally dominant country. In other words, Germany throughout much of the 20^th century defined global dominance.