Changes

===World Wars===

===World Wars===

Germany's involvement and eventual defeat in [[World War I]] led to a harsh turn in German fortunes. The government of the German Kaiser was replaced by the [[Weimar Republic]], and the new social-democratic government had to accept the resulting "peace" established by the [[Treaty of Versailles]]; it forced Germany to take full blame for the war and to pay huge reparations to the allied victors. In part due to the reparation payments - some of which had to be payed in goods, coal, and ore - hyper-inflation set in and the German economy collapsed. The mark went from an exchange rate of 3 to the dollar to 4 trillion to the dollar and left the German people bitter and disenchanted.  A stabilizing of the economy led to a period of economic and cultural property, a period know as the golden 20s in Berlin. Democracy however never gained deep support, and with the onset of the [[Great Depression]], Germany entered a period of permanent political and constitutional crisis. It was during these difficult years that new voices rose up in Germany, one of which was from a struggling artist turned revolutionist named [[Adolf Hitler]].  Hitler slowly gained followers and rose to a prominent place in the government before finally taking control in a country that was desperate to look up to someone to restore national pride.  Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy and remilitarization, which eventually led to [[World War II]].

Germany's involvement and eventual defeat in [[World War I]] led to a harsh turn in German fortunes. The government of the German Kaiser was replaced by the [[Weimar Republic]], and the new social-democratic government had to accept the resulting "peace" established by the [[Treaty of Versailles]]; it forced Germany to take full blame for the war and to pay huge reparations to the allied victors. In part due to the reparation payments - some of which had to be payed in goods, coal, and ore - hyper-inflation set in and the German economy collapsed. The mark went from an exchange rate of 3 to the dollar to 4 trillion to the dollar and left the German people bitter and disenchanted.  A stabilizing of the economy led to a period of economic and cultural property, a period know as the golden 20s in Berlin. Democracy however never gained deep support, and with the onset of the [[Great Depression]] Germany entered a period of permanent political and constitutional crisis. It was during these difficult years that new voices rose up in Germany, one of which was from a struggling artist turned revolutionist named [[Adolf Hitler]].  Hitler slowly gained followers and rose to a prominent place in the government before finally taking control in a country that was desperate to look up to someone to restore national pride.  Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy and remilitarization, which eventually led to [[World War II]].

===Post WWII History===

===Post WWII History===