Students

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Learning Objectives

  1. How did the political and social structures of Germany evolve and take root during the period between 1871 and 1890?
  2. What aspects of the Kulturkampf, or “war of cultures,” made the least political sense?
  3. What were the most influential aspects of Ludwig Windthorst’s political life in Germany?
  4. Could Germany’s economic depression, beginning in 1873, have been avoided?
  5. What were the most important contributions of banker Gerson Bleichröder to German society?
  6. How effective were the tactics used by the German government to suppress socialism during Bismarck’s tenure as Prussian Prime Minister?
  7. How was Germany’s foreign policy approach used to further the country’s goals in Central Europe?
  8. What factors led to the gradual improvement of Germany’s economy as the Bismarck era began to come to a close?
  1. How was Wilhelminian Germany a contradiction of culture and values?
  2. What factors caused turmoil among Germany’s political parties and allowed for a strong military presence in the government?
  3. Why were Prussian political and military leaders a heavy influence in the Wilhelminian government?
  4. How was the building of railroads and canals tied to the industrial growth of Germany during the reign of William II?
  5. During this period, what influences did industrialization have on the art and literature of Germany?
  6. How was isolation a direct result of Wilhelminian Germany’s foreign policy?
  7. What political factors helped push Germany towards war on the eve of World War I?
  1. How did historic ties of friendship amongst the Great Powers work together with each country's political goals to pave the way for the start of World War I?
  2. What were the pros and cons of the various military strategies attempted by Austria-Hungary and Germany at the outset of the war?
  3. How did Germany handle domestic political issues during the war?
  4. What similarities and differences existed between the effects of the war on various sectors of German society?
  1. At the end of the First World War, what changes were brought on by the revolutions in Germany?
  2. What were the contributions of Friedrich Ebert to the reorganization of post-World War I Germany?
  3. Did the anti-capitalistic beliefs of Rosa Luxemburg represent the majority of post-war Europe?
  4. Why was Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution an important aspect of the new German government?
  5. How did the terms of the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the economic and social troubles in Germany?
  6. What factors contributed to the devastating inflation found in Germany after the First World War?
  7. How did the organization of the Freikorps contribute to the counterrevolution?
  8. What foreign relation problems did Germany face after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles?
  1. What aspects of German politics made finding a consensus for the country so difficult during the years between 1924 and 1930?
  2. During the years of the Weimar republic, what were the various arguments concerning the potential for economic and social development in Germany?
  3. What aspects of Weimar culture have stood the test of time and why?
  4. How was Kurt Weill able to effectively use his music to address the political climate in Germany?
  5. What factors helped to make the efforts of Gustav Stresemann successful even amidst a climate of opposition?
  6. How did the Great Depression’s impact on Germany compare to its effect on other parts of western society?
  1. How did the rule of the New Conservatives differ from the rule of the preceding Weimar Republic?
  2. What was the interrelationship among the many factors that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis?
  3. Why were Germans willing to go along with the totalitarian policies put in place by Hitler and his supporters?
  4. What aspects of Heinrich Himmler’s life made him such a ripe candidate for his eventual role concerning the Holocaust?
  5. How did Hitler and the Nazis attempt to use foreign policy to further their goals?
  1. How was Adolf Hitler able to gain control of the German military during his rise to power?
  2. Before the start of World War II, why did European nations use the tactic of appeasement in dealing with Adolf Hitler?
  3. What effects did the Holocaust have on the Nazi war effort?
  4. How did the treatment of occupied Europe by the Nazi regime play a part in deciding the war?
  5. Why did the German people and Adolf Hitler’s subordinates carryout and allow the Holocaust?
  6. How does documentation like Viktor Klemperer’s diaries help to provide new insight into the histories of World War II?
  7. What were the results of Allied bombing campaigns on the economy and social morale of Nazi Germany?
  8. As Germany attempted to rebuild after the war, what was the lasting legacy of the Third Reich?
  1. How were the obstacles faced by the resistance movements in Nazi Germany different from those in other European countries?
  2. What were the positive and negative aspects of the Big Three’s reorganization plan for Germany after the war?
  3. Were the post-war views of France towards the rebuilding of Germany more closely tied to American and British beliefs, or to those of the Soviet Union?
  4. How did the economic recovery plans for each of Germany’s four zones differ in political philosophy?
  5. What were the catalysts to the success of de-Nazification and reeducation in post-war Germany?
  6. Why was the resurrection of political parties in post-war Germany a key aspect to the success of Allied recovery plans?
  7. How did the Deutsche mark contribute to the tensions between the Soviet Union and Western Allies?
  8. What was the importance of Konrad Adenauer to the successful growth of West Germany?
  9. During the Cold War, how did the German identity suffer because of the legacy of the Third Reich?
  1. What were the most significant changes that came about in West Germany during the Adenauer era between 1949 and 1963?
  2. How did West Germany settle on the course that eventually led to the economic prosperity of the early 1960s?
  3. What were the similarities and differences between the Social Democrats and the Adenauer government concerning their views on international recognition for the state?
  4. What were the major differences between Ludwig Erhard’s leadership style as chancellor and his predecessor, Adenauer?
  5. What factors contributed to West Germany’s economic downturn of 1965?
  6. What were the major outcomes of the Ostpolitik?
  7. During the 1960s and 1970s, what role did art and culture play in West German society?
  8. What were the sources of political trouble for West Germany during the 1970s and 1980s?
  1. During the years following 1949, how did East Germany go about achieving its foreign policy goals?
  2. What were East Germany’s major accomplishments during the 1960s?
  3. How did the communist East German government use culture and society to advance their goals during the 1960s?
  4. What were the major differences between the Honecker regime between 1971 and 1989 and the preceding Ulbricht regime?
  1. How did the history of a unified Germany affect the reunification in 1990?
  2. What issues in German politics influenced voter turnout after reunification?
  3. After 1990, what major changes occurred in the German election process?
  4. How did the East German economy create problems for a reunified Germany?
  5. What problems did a reunified Germany face with its foreign policy?
  6. How did the fall of Communism in East Germany compare to the fall of the Nazis after World War II?
  7. Did the reunification of Germany create a new and united nation, or was it merely the annexation of the East by the West?
  1. How did the modernization of Germany play a part in the country's political turmoil prior to 1945?
  2. Why was the balance of power in Germany closely aligned with the position of Germany as a world power?
  3. How did the diminished role of Germany as a world power after World War I pave the way for the rise of the Nazi Party?
  4. What are the burdens of German history on the people of modern Germany?
  5. What difficulties does German history place on the establishment of a German national identity?
  6. After reunification in 1990, how has Germany strived to become a modern nation?

Weblinks

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  • Language Tip of the Week
    June Casagrande, author of Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies. This site offers a useful language, usage and style tips on a weekly basis.
  • Dave's ESL Café
    Professor Dave Sperling This site offers a wide range of resources for students and teachers of English as a second language, including language learning resources, job postings, and discussion forums.
  • MLA Style
    This page includes a description of Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidelines for documenting a research paper with a link to frequently asked questions about the style.
  • CMS Style
    This site includes a description of Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) guidelines for documenting with a comprehensive Q&A section.
  • Research and Documenting Sources
    Purdue University Online Writing Lab This section of the Purdue University OWL offers guidelines for finding, evaluating, and documenting sources, as well as advice on writing research papers.
  • Internet Public Library
    University of Michigan School of Information This site offers an interactive tutorial on identifying the argument of an essay.
  • Librarians' Index to the Internet
    The Library of California Created and maintained by librarians, this site offers a searchable annotated subject directory of Web resources that have been selected and evaluated.
  • American Memory
    Library of Congress This site offers links to the digital versions of selected holdings relevant to American history and culture, including photographs, manuscripts, rare books, maps, and recorded sound and moving pictures.
  • NYPL Digital Gallery
    New York Public Library This site offers access to more than 275,000 digitized images from the collections of the New York Public Library. You can search collections or browse by topic to find illustrations, photographs, posters, maps, and manuscripts.
  • The New York Times
    This online version of the The New York Times includes searchable archives.