Cleavages and Extremist Parties

Essay by flyingflyHigh School, 12th gradeA, May 2009

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In the beginning of the 20th century Western civilizations along with Ottoman and Russian empires experienced a devastating World War One. As an after math of this war such counties as Russia and Germany experienced political instability, economic repression and a loss of the national pride. The only way that both nations found to escape this situation and regain their powers was to give control of the country to the extreme political party, Nationalist party in Germany and a Marxist Communist party in Russia. As an American statesman and a political philosopher Benjamin Franklin said: ÃÂPeople willing to trade their freedom for temporary security (whether physical, economic or political) deserve neither and will lose both.ÃÂ (Benjamin Franklin) Eventually as a price for gaining economic stability and becoming a superpower, both nations chose to exist under the totalitarian rule where the motto was: ÃÂDeath solves all problems ÃÂ no man, no problem.ÃÂ

(Joseph Stalin)After the Versailles treaty the German nation was chosen to be a scapegoat and had to pay large reparations, limit its army and suffer several economic penalties. However the worst effect on Germany was the loss of its national pride and weakened sovereignty. Thousands of German soldiers believed that politicians were responsible for the loss. Dehumanized and broken many of these soldiers could not imagine a life without constant fighting. Horrors of the war maid them change their mentality; they could only exist in groups. Most of these soldiers coming after the World War One formed paramilitary groups which were a strong force for such charismatic leaders as Hitler, who promised to restore German national pride and strong military system. First time Hitler tried to use these groups to obtain power was in 1923, during the Beer Hall Putsch. Even though Hitler did not succeed in...