It suggests that Germany lost WWI. But is it real?
Every war has its strategic and tactical aims.
German war tactic was quite god because at the time of the signing of the armistice German soldiers were in France and Russia. It means Germany was on the offensive not defensive.
Strategy failed. During starting the war German General Staff did not take into consideration possibility of introducing US troops to the war in Europe.
Conclusion was: to reach the strategy aims should be changed from military to another one. Germans understood it after their second trial.
But what goals Germany had on beginning of WWI?
The goals were declared in the Septemberprogramm of German chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg. The German aims are presented below quoting a website classroom.synonym.com:
“These aims included the annexation of territory in France, German economic and political domination of central Europe, and the creation of a German colonial empire.
Germany and France had been rivals for decades at the onset of World War I. The first German war goal was to cripple French military and economic power for at least a generation while annexing regions of France with arms-producing capabilities. In Bethmann-Hollweg's memorandum of September 9, 1914, he listed Germany's first war aim as the annexation of the iron-producing Briey region of France along with other areas. France would also be forced to pay a large indemnity designed to make any large-scale military buildup impossible, and to sign a treaty giving Germany economic domination of French markets.
Build an Empire in Europe
Along with weakening the power of France, Bethmann-Hollweg also wanted to annex land from Belgium and turn it into a vassal of the German empire. Luxembourg was to receive some of the land annexed from Belgium while becoming a part of Germany. Holland was to remain nominally independent under German influence. Germany would also establish an economic alliance or "customs union" called Mitteleuropa that would give it a dominant position over the economies of all member nations.
Become a Colonial Power
Germany and its ally Austria-Hungary were both powerful in Central Europe at the beginning of the war, but neither possessed a colonial empire on the scale of their British or French enemies. While the "September Program" of 1914 states that the issue of German colonies in Africa would be addressed at a later date, Bethmann-Hollweg used the phrase "the creation of a contiguous central African colonial empire" to describe one of the options that would become available to Germany if it won the war.”.
Shortly speaking Germany wanted to take a dominant role in world trade and gain new markets for their goods, make French economy dependent on German, built German empire in Europe.
We should take a closer look at the idea of Mitteleuropa. Quoting Wikipedia we can read:
“The Mitteleuropa plan was to achieve an economic and cultural hegemony over Central Europe by the German Empire and subsequent economic & financial exploitation of this region combined with direct annexations, settlement of German colonists, expulsion of non-Germans from annexed areas, and eventual Germanization of puppet states created as a buffer between Germany and Russia. The issue of Central Europe was taken by German thinker Friedrich Naumann in 1915 in his work Mitteleuropa. According to his thought, this part of Europe was to become a politically and economically integrated block subjected to German rule. In his program, Naumann also supported programs of Germanization and Hungarization as well. Naumann in his book used imperialist rhetoric combined with praises to nature, and imperial condescension towards non-German people, while advising politicians to show some "flexbility" towards non-German languages to achieve "harmony" Neuman wrote that it would stabilize the whole Central European region. Some parts of the planning included designs on creating a German colony in Crimea and colonization of the Baltic states.
The ruling political elites of Germany accepted the Mitteleuropa plan during World War I while drawing out German war aims and plans for the new order of Europe. Mitteleuropa was to be created by establishing a series of puppet states whose political, economic and military aspects would be under the control of the German Reich. The entire region was to serve as an economic backyard of Germany, whose exploitation would enable it to compete with the British Empire and any other competitors for the position of the world's dominant power. Political, military and economic organization was to be based on German domination, with commercial treaties imposed on countries like Poland and Ukraine. It was believed that the German working classes could be appeased by German politicians through the economic benefits of territorial annexation, settlement of Germans in Central and Eastern Europe and exploitation of conquered countries for the material benefit of Germany. Partial realization of these plans was reflected in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, where guarantees of economic and military domination over Ukraine by Germany were laid out. The Mitteleuropa plan was viewed as a threat by the British Empire, which concluded it would destroy British continental trade, and, as a consequence, the source of its military power.”
Shortly speaking in this plan Germans wanted to make countries like Poland and Ukraine as vassal states without industry which could be competitive to German industry. Polish and Ukrainian people would be cheap labor for German industry. Poland and Ukraine would be a market for German goods. On the end some of Polish citizens would be removed from their land to make space for German settlers.
And now we should look how situation looks like today.
What does Wikipedia write about German economy?
Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth-largest by nominal GDP in the world, and fifth by GDP (PPP). Since the age of industrialisation and beyond, the country has been a driver, innovator, and beneficiary of an ever more globalised economy. Germany's economic policy is based on the concept of the social market economy. The country is a founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone. Germany is the third largest exporter in the world with $1.516 trillion exported in 2012. Exports account for more than one-third of national output. In 2013, Germany recorded the highest trade surplus in the world worth $270 billion, making it the biggest capital exporter globally.”
“Of the world's 500 largest stock market listed companies measured by revenue, the Fortune Global 500, 37 are headquartered in Germany. In 2012 the ten largest were Volkswagen, Allianz, E.ON, Daimler, Siemens, Metro, Deutsche Telekom, Munich Re, BASF, and BMW. Other large German companies include: Robert Bosch, ThyssenKrupp, Continental AG, MAN and Trumpf (diversified industrials); KUKA (robotics); Bayer and Merck (pharmaceuticals); Adidas and Puma (clothing and footwear); Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank (banking and finance); Deutsche Bahn (rail transport); Aldi, Lidl, and Edeka (retail); SAP (computer software); Infineon (semiconductors); Henkel and Miele (household and personal consumer products); Deutsche Post (logistics); Bertelsmann (mass media); and Hugo Boss (luxury goods). Well-known global brands are Mercedes Benz, BMW, Adidas, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Bayer, BASF, Bosch, Siemens, Lufthansa, SAP and Nivea.”
Reading the pieces of information about Germany we cannot conclude that it is the country which lost two world wars.
Goals connected with Great Britain
We can read in Reuters news (US edition):
“Germany could overtake the United States to become the world's second-biggest exporter this year, but its share of global trade is likely to dip as its exports lag global expansion, German chambers of commerce said on Thursday.
Europe's biggest economy, currently the world's third-biggest exporter after China and the United States, has seen its share of world trade fall to 7.5 percent by last year, from a post-German unification peak of 11 percent in 1991-92, according to DIHK Chambers of Commerce.”
Germany is also fourth greatest investor in the world. Investment in our time is somehow equivalent to colonization 100 years ago.
So the goals on the British from of WWI were reached.
What about war objectives associated with France?
Main aim: “The first German war goal was to cripple French military and economic power”.
Germany did not capture France directly or directly demolished French army or industry. But they did it indirectly. German General Staff helped Lenin to seize power in Russia. Antony C. Sutton in his book “Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution" wrote:
“In April 1917 Lenin and a party of 32 Russian revolutionaries, mostly Bolsheviks, journeyed by train from Switzerland across Germany through Sweden to Petrograd, Russia. They were on their way to join Leon Trotsky to "complete the revolution." Their trans-Germany transit was approved, facilitated, and financed by the German General Staff. Lenin's transit to Russia was part of a plan approved by the German Supreme Command, apparently not immediately known to the kaiser, to aid in the disintegration of the Russian army and so eliminate Russia from World War I.”.
Because this German action Soviet Union was created who, after World War II, sent communistic and independence ideas plus money to nations lived in colonies. Because of it colonial powers lost their colonies. So France lost the economic and population potential. So the economic power of France was crippled.
What about military power of France?
As we see in website globalfirepower.com contemporary French military strength compare to other countries is not as big as 100 years ago and it is similar to German military power. Of course France has nuclear missiles but will never use them against Germany because Germany are too close to France and the weapon is not so effective against military troops. It is effective against civilian targets. Similar situation was with chemical weapon during WWII. European countries had large stocks of chemical weapons but none used it. Even Poland, who had a lot of chemical weapon and was attacked by two powers Germany and Soviet Union in one time, had never used it.
So these two main goals against France have been reached on the end.
What about the annexation of the iron-producing Briey region and German economic domination of French markets?
Maybe after 100 years it was not so important to capture Briey region.
And what about German economic domination of French markets?
We can read in the website euractiv.com:
“Germany is once again the second largest job-creating foreign investor in France, behind the US”
“Despite sometimes turbulent bilateral relations, Germany has returned as a driving force for direct investment in France.”.
Everything is clear. If Germany makes so many job positions France, she can easy influence on French government. Otherwise all France will be paralysed by strikes. So France is economically dependent on Germany. So this goal of WWI was also reached.
The goal:” Build an Empire in Europe”?
Quotes from Wikipedia can answer for it:
“Germany is the largest national economy in Europe”.
“The country is a founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone”.
Germany have been installing as a “president” of EU former STASI agent Donald Tusk who represents German interests.
What about Mitteleuropa?
We can recall shortly what is Mitteleuropa idea:
“The Mitteleuropa plan was to achieve an economic and cultural hegemony over Central Europe by the German Empire and subsequent economic & financial exploitation of this region combined with direct annexations, settlement of German colonists, expulsion of non-Germans from annexed areas, and eventual Germanization of puppet states created as a buffer between Germany and Russia.”
The main countries of the region were Poland and Ukraine.
1. Economic and cultural hegemony
- It is already.
2. Economic and financial exploitation of this region
- It is also. German banks dominate in Poland. Polish salaries are much smaller than German even a job is exactly under these same conditions like in McDonalds or Amazon. For example Amazon built warehouses in Poland identically like in Germany. System of work is in both countries is identically. German worker get 10 euro per hour there and Polish workers 2.5 euro per hour. And Germans protests against low salaries but for Polish people it is the best work in the area.
3. Expulsion of non-Germans
- After the incorporation of Poland to EU minimum 2.5 mln Polish people emigrated from Poland. There are an official governmental estimation. In real it is much more. Some estimations tell about 4 mln.
4. Installing as a Polish prime minister former STASI agent who represented German interests.
The war in Ukraine probably is leading to dividing the country on two parts: Russian and European (German).
So Mitteleuropa project is in the implementation phase.
Based on above fact the conclusion that Germany won the World War I is justified.