Germany In The International System And It Is Preentelection: A Lesson To Ngeria

By

Suleiman Babayo

yunus giwa

yunusgiwaok@yahoo.co.uk

Like Nigeria Germany is that the historians described as a more geographical impression. Among the major events in the history of 19th century Europe was the unification of the Germany and the resultant emergence of an alliance system. The unification of Germany was significant event that transformed international relations in as much as it marked the demise of the old and the emergence of new ones. Germany be come the strongest power in the continental Europe beside Great Britain. It is good at this point to know the history of the unification of Germany which transformed it in to a strong force in Europe was the result of the events in first half of 19th century. These include: The work of intellectuals, liberal and poets who extolled the virtues of common lecture culture and traditions among all Germans living in the 39 states. By 1906 a sense of national identity began to develop among Germans. This was expressed in the formation of the Germans confederation or Bund in 1815 with parliament in Prussia.

The Germans states had experience liberal uprising after 1815 the word “Revolution” was not appropriate in the German context because there was never an attempt by an important section of the German people to overthrow the ruling regimes in the numerous German states. There had been students demonstrations after 1830 and popular demonstrations in Berlin and other In 1848 liberal uprisings took place in many German cities, including liberal the capital city of Prussia. Although in considered himself to be appointed by God, the King of Prussia, Frederick William IV sympathized with many liberal demands. In order to stop the violence he promised to grant a constitution and create an elected assembly. The assembly duly met, and in 1849, it voted in flavor of a liberal constitution for the kingdom. Only two members voted against it. One of them was a Prussian Country land owner, or Junker, Otto van Bismarck had no time for liberals, with their long-winded speeches a out freedom of the people. He believed that the king should rule and the people should obey. Much later he made the famous “blood and iron” speech to another Prussian assembly. This speech has gone down in history.

In 1849 many German States offered the crown of a United Germany to Fredrick William of Prussia. He refused it, declaring that “I cannot pick up a crown from the gutter”. Bismarck was relived because he had feared that Prussia might become part of a flabby, liberal United German. He was not against the unification of the German Stats, but if and when it occurred, it would have to be on terms imposed by Prussia and under its control.

The great power in Europe had always been Austria. This was still true in 1848, but Bismarck was determined that Prussia would take Austria’s place. Throughout the decade of the 1850’s he dedicated himself to raising the prestige of Prussia in the eyes of the other German states at the expense of Austria. At the same time he encouraged their economic links with Prussia through Zollverein.

In 1861, the new King of Prussia, William 1, appointed Bismarck as his chief minister. Now Bismarck’s way was clear to achieve his aims. The first opportunity arose in 1864 when both Prussia and Austria intervened to stop the king of Denmark incorporating the German states of Schlesinger and Holstein into his kingdom. Demark was rapidly defeated and it was decided that these two provinces would be jointly administered by Prussia and Austria. Bismarck made certain that this agreement was so complicated that arguments were bond to occur between the two states. He was deliberately trying to provoke a war with Austria.

He succeeded in 1866 when an exasperated Austria declared war on Prussia. He was very careful to make sure that it was Austria that declared was so that nobody could blame Prussia for starting it. To the surprise of all European nations, the Austrian armies were defeated in the “Seven Weeks War”. Prussia emerged as the great Germanic power in Europe. As a result, many states of northern Germany joined Prussia totally dominated.

Bismarck’s next ambition was to make Prussia the great power of all continental Europe. In order to achieve this it would be necessary to defeat France.

The change came in 1870, when Prussia and France became involved in a complicated diplomatic argument over the succession to the throne of Spain. The Spanish government offered the crown to a Hohenzollern (Prussia) prince. The government of Loius Napoleon objected strongly and even began to make war like- threats. Although Emperor Napoleon III himself did not want to press the issue, he was pushed into a threatening attitude by the “war-party”, formed from most of his ministers. Even his wife, the Empress Eugenie, as well as the press and public opinion, were advocating war.

On top of this, the French ambassador to Prussia has a meeting with King William I and a report of this meeting was sent by telegram to Bismarck. This was the famous “Ems telegramme”, which Bismarck re-wrote in such a way that it would offend both Prussians and French if it was made public. He sent it to the newspapers and waited for the inevitable reaction.

On 19th July, 1870 France declared was on Prussia. On 2nd September France surrendered. Bismarck had triumphed. On 18th January 1817, King William 1 of Prussia was proclaimed by all the states of Germany to be their emperor. Germany was now a united country.

Bismarck had turned the dream of many into reality and turned lack of confidence into pride tending towards overconfidence. Otto Von Bismarck iron-man image and unique personality was the crucial factor in the unification of Germany. His skill as a diplomat was unrivalled during his reign as chancellor of Prussia and Germany. The mastery he showed in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all other powers.

Bismarck aim was not just to unity Germany but to established German hegemonic in Europe. In doing this Bismarck had a keen sense of history. He realized that it would be to Germany’s advantage to use diplomacy rather than force in guaranteed the new found position of Germany in Europe. Consequently, through his policy a new era in international relations began dominated by the concept of Bismarckian Diplomacy. By this Bismarck attempted to maintain Germany’s advantage by contracting Germany by increasing its friends and isolating France by making it friendless. Bismarck attempted to maintain a new balance of power through this policy.

But Bismarck’s dismissal in 18090 by Young emperor William II, Germany stepped up its competition with other European states for colonies and for what it considered its proper place among the great states. An aggressive programme of military expansion instilled fear of Germany in its neighbours. Several decades of military and colonial competition and number of diplomatic crises made for a tense international atmosphere by 1914. in the early summer of that year. Germany’s rulers acted on the belief that t heir country’s survival depended on a successful war against Russian and France. This led Germany to get drawn into a war between its ally Austria-Hungary and Russian. Within weeks, a complicated system of alliances escalated that regional conflicted into World War I, which ended with Germany’s defeat in November 1918.

The First World War which lasted from 1914-1918 was concluded with the Versailles Treaty of 1919. Article 2, 3, 1 of the Versailles Treaty particularly imposed war guilt on Germany. According to the article the Germany was forced to sign and accept: “The allied and associated government affirmed and Germany accepted the responsibility of Germany and her allied for causing all the lost and damage to which the allied and associated governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequences of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allied.” The content of the Versailles Treaty clearly reflected not just a desire for revenge but an obsession to punishment and to punish excessively. The various terms of the treaty was stipulated without the consent of Germany. The character of the led to the conclusion among Germans especially Adolf Hitler that the treaty was a “Diktate” that must be re-written in order to remove the humiliation and shame it brought upon Germans. While the German sociologist Max Weber summed up the mood of the nation when he said ‘We shall all be nationalists in ten years” given these circumstances and feeling the future of international relations was uncertain.

The Weimar Republic, established at war’s end, was the first attempt to institute parliamentary in Germany. The republic never enjoyed the wholehearted support of many Germans. It was burdened during its fifteen-year existence with serious economic problems. Economic crisis favored extremist politicians, and Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party became the strongest party after the summer elections of 1932. In January 1933, the republic’s elected president, Paul Von Hindenburg, the World War 1 army commandeer, named a government headed by Hitler.

Within a few months, Hitler accomplished the “legal revolution” that removed his opponents. By 1935 his regime had transformed Germany into a totalitarian state. The withdrawal of Japan in League of Nations in 1933 and the rise of Hitler to power also in 1933 ended all hope for peace in Europe. In September, 1939 Hitler made a fatal gamble by invading Poland and starting World War II. The eventual defeat of Hitler’s Third Reich in 1945 occurred only after the loss of tens of millions of lives, many from military causes, many from sickness and starvation, and many from what has come to be called the Holocaust.

After several years of World War II, November 9, 1989 will be remembered as one of the great moments of German history. On that day, the dreadful Berlin wall, which for many years had been the symbol of German division, cutting through the heart of the old capital city, was unexpectedly opened by GDR border police. In joyful disbelief, Germans from both sides climbed up on the wall, which had been called “the ugliest edifice in the world”. They embrace each other and sang and danced in the streets. East Germans immediate began pouring into West Germany. Within a few days over one million persons per day had seized the chance to see their western neighbour firsthand.

Statements voicing concerns and even fears of a reemergence of an aggressive unified Germany suddenly appeared in the international press and media, as well as in unofficial remarked made by political figures throughout Europe.

Although lip service in support of future unification of Germany was common in the postwar era, no one dreamed of its eventual realization. When the historic constellation allowing unification appeared, swift and decisive action on the part of Chancellor Kohl and the Unweaving strong support given by the US.

The unification treaty, consisting of more than one thousand pages, was approved by a large majority in the Bundestag and the Volkskammer on 20th September, 1990. After this last procedural step, nothing stood in the way of formal unification. At the midnight on 3rd October, the German Democratic Republic joined the federal republic of Germany. Unification celebrations were held all over Germany, especially in Berlin, where leading political figures from West and East joined the joyful crowds who filled the streets.

Today, Germany has population of 82.5 million going by the UN, 2005 report. The capital is Berlin while German is the major as well as official language. The Christianity is the major religion in Germany. The life expectancy is 76 years for men and 81 years for women going by the UN standard, Germany also has GNI (Grand National Income) of $25,270 going by the World Bank 2005 report.

As the tradition September has been the month for election in Germany. If we can remember the present chancellor Gerhard Schroeder came as a result of September 1998 elections and won a landslide victory in September 2002 general elections. But with the defeat in a key regional vote in North Rhine-Westphalia in May 2005 Schroeder called for another general elections even before the time.

The general election has ended without producing a clear winner between the two major contestants chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of SPD (Social Democratic Party) and the main opposition leads by woman for the first time Ms Angela Merkel of CDU (Christian Democratic Union). All of the two major political parties are now tried to form a coalition government with other parties. And they are tried to do it with the general interest of Germany.

But unlike Nigeria and other under-develop nations where campaigns characterized by ethnic and religion differences, Germany the campaign was based on issues because there no one can deceive anybody from the real issues on ground. We have to learn this lessons, we should not allow anyone to exploit in the name of religion or painting any candidate as religious rigid. It is time for us now to learn how to ask intelligent questions not ethnic or religious questions. A word is enough for a wise. But I do not think if we are? Because right now some starts thinking who can we present from “our area” as councilor, Chairman, Senator, Governor, Vice President and President simply because we want to produce “everything” qualify or unqualified.

We wish Germans to produce credible leader who would continue guarantee their power in the international system. The leader who can face the challenge of the day without making any blunder that may endanger the interest of leader who has Nigeria and Nigerians at heart in the next election not his family or ethnic alone. A leader who can save Nigeria from relagatory situation to hopeful land.

Suleiman Babayo

Department of Mass Communication Faculty of Arts University of Maiduguri P.M.B. 1069, Maiduguri Borno State Nigeria