Although the Treaty of Versailles was meant to prevent Europe from entering any future warfare, it was instead used by the Allied Powers of France and Britain to take revenge upon Germany. The Allied Powers spread propaganda against the Germans excessively during wartime. Germans were portrayed as complete monsters, rapists, barbarians, etc. It was no surprise that Britain and France of the Allies wanted revenge against Germany, who was pinned the blame of the thirty-five million lives lost throughout the war, more than half which were civilian deaths. Ferdinand Foch, a prestigious French Commander during the First World War, said “This is not peace. It is an armistice for thirty years,” after he analyzed the Treaty of Versailles (Foch’s prediction was almost perfect, as the WWII occurred about twenty years and almost a month after the Treaty of Versailles). George Clemenceau and David Lloyd George, the French Primer and British Prime Minister, respectively, disagreed with many of the fourteen points and wanted Germany to sign the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty of Versailles, meaning the War was the Germans’ fault (which was not, as the was erupted after Austria blamed Serbia on the assassination of Austrian Prince Francis Ferdinand and his wife, causing other countries of the two alliances to join the War). Furthermore Germany was forced to pay reparations to the Allies amounting toward thirty-three billion dollars, further intensify the country’s deep debt, and was stripped of an active military. Land was taken from Germany, a large territory forming Poland as well as a small but valuable mining territory becoming territory of France. Although Wilson’s League of Nations was formed, it did not possess as much power as the United Nations in which we have today: it was not politically influential, had no active military, and did not pay attention to the guidelines of the Treaty of Versailles, as when Adolf Hitler avoided all of the Treaty’s appeasements, forming a large and active military. The biggest flaw to the League of Nations was that the United States did not join it. The U.S., now with the potential to become a world power, returned to becoming an isolationist country, leaving Europe to cope with a nation-wide post-war crisis.

Another major cause of World War II was the frustrations faced by people throughout the world after the First World War ended. In France, Germany, and a small area of Russia near the eastern front, many farmers who began to plow their crops once again after the war became accustomed with the corpses and bones of deceased soldiers that fell victim to the war. In France, Germany, and Britain, ten percent or more of the population in each country were casualties. It was no surprise that every person was affected by the war in losing family members or friends. Because young men were enlisted, many families lost sons, and because young men were important to industry, manufactures and large businesses of Europe faltered. Europe and most of the countries including the U.S. entered a recession not soon after the War. While the United States managed to return to it’s feet in economy in 1922, entering a period of U.S. History called the Roaring Twenties, a period of new culture, entertainment, and lifestyle in America, Europe continued in the road of economic distress. Germany fared the worst of all European countries: once a major economic powerhouse, but it now faced nationwide debt and a possessed a weak government, called the Weimar Republic, which possessed a Parliamentary Republic instead of the once-powerful Imperial government, the German Empire (Deutsches Reich). Under the Weimar Republic, Germans faced economic inflation, meaning the worth of German currency, the Marc, was worth less than before the war, due partially to the war reparations. American loans that the Germans received in order to help the German economy was helpful for a short amount of time. Unemployment was on the rise; in 1926 unemployment was ten percent but in 1932, only 6 years later, unemployment rose to thirty percent. Like the Depression faced by the Americans, the Germans faced psychological stresses. Many Germans lost faith in their nation. People gave up their jobs in exchange to simple pleasures such as alcohol or prostitution. To make matters worse, Britain and France refused to trade with Germany after the war because of anti-German sentiment that lasted after the war. Many Germans began to form radical parties, leading often violent anti-Weimar demonstrations. Adolf Hitler was the a World War I veteran and a key member of the German Workers’ Party, a radical nationalist group. He was imprisoned after a failed coup d’eat, and wrote a memoir that were based of of his nationalist and prejudiced views. After he was released he gained widespread support for his promise to the German people to have jobs and future success. In 1933 Hitler, along with the Nazi Party (National Soicalist Workers’ Party), the successor to the German Workers’ Party, managed to successfully coup d’eat the Weimar Republic, replacing it with a single-power totalitarian dictatorship government, a nation under complete power of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Similar to the Nazis’ Socialist and Totalitarian government, Italian radicals were disappointed by their threatment in the Treaty of Versailles and their failing economy. The Kingdom of Italy faced a coup ‘d’eat by Benito Mussolini leading the Nationalist Fascist Party in 1922. Likewise, the Japanese general Hideki Tojo, favoring fascism, easily influenced the Taisho Imperial Family as well as the parliament-like government and shaped the nation into a militarist-expansionist government. These countries, desperate for lives to return to former glory or to find new opportunities, turned their heads to powerful and militant figures that promised them hope.

The formation of the new political powers that rose in Europe and Japan became a threat to the rest of the world, and issued a number of terrorist acts and battles that forced European nations as well as the United States to respond with force. The three new world powers consisting of Japan, Germany, and Italy, eventually formed the Axis Powers, an alliance unlike the Central Powers of WWI. Although the League of Nations should have intervened because the Treaty of Versailles as well as the fourteen points stated that Alliances would not be formed, the League merely warned the Axis and sent ambassadors. A french ambassador, André-Francois Poncet commented on Hitler: “He was a ice-cold realist, a profoundly calculating person (Quotes About Hitler)”. While the Axis Nations appeared to be thriving from hard work, the nations were actually building their military (something the Treaty of Versailles had forbid Germany from doing). Adolf Hitler had redefined the once depressed Germany and offered the nation jobs in industry and manufacture. A majority of the German industry was military production. In the late 1930s and the 1940s Germany was the world’s second largest war industry, next to the United States. In 1944 Germany spent more than four hundred billion dollars on arms production. The Japanese, too planned for war– in 1937 the Japanese invaded the republic of China. In 1936, Germany invaded the Rhineland. Later in 1939, Nazi Germany unexpectedly invaded and occupied Poland, which according to Adolf Hitler was had belonged to Germany’s Reich. This action, similar to Germany’s occupation of Belgium, triggered the immediate outrage of Britain and France. The Germans used an advanced form of warfare called “Blitzkrieg”, literally meaning lightning war. It took advantage of all terrain vehicles, tanks, and airplanes in order to quickly overwhelm unprepared armies. The Nazi’s occupation stretched to North Africa in 1940 and France in 1944. Fearing further Nazi influence, a new Allied Powers not unlike the allies of World War I was formed led by Britain, France, Poland, as well as Australia, Canada, South African Union and the Soviet Union (who left the Axis powers after Hitler occupied parts of Russia). Eventually the United States, which now faced a nationwide depression was persuaded to join the war after President Franklin Roosevelt announced his proposition to leave isolationism because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the nation’s fear of fascism affecting the state of Democracy as well as Capitalism.

Even though it can be argued that World War II could have been avoided if the Treaty of Versailles could have been in more acceptable terms for Germany, but that was not a reality as France and Britain would never accept, because what they wanted was to blame Germany for World War I. Although today is is generally accepted that World War I was not caused by any individual country, it is often agreed that it is that the Second World War was Germany’s response to the mistreatment they faced in the Treaty of Versailles. However it was not only the Germans’ militarization that caused the War. Because the Axis Powers were a severe threat to the livelihood and economy of America and the Allies, especially France which had been occupied, the Allied countries had to defend themselves in order to stop the Nazi Party from gaining control over too much of Europe.

Another meaning of poppies from Greco-Roman influence is the promise of resurrection after death. For their culture, the bright colors of poppies (especially red) signify life after death. In many cultures, vibrant red means life and white means death. In most western cultures exactly the opposite is true. A white wedding dress for instance, is common but in part of the east and Asia it signifys death and funerary.

Lest We Forget…

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The remembrance flower of the 53 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations is the papaver rhoeas, also called the red flowered Corn Poppy. This is a weed common throughout parts of Europe. Notably, this common wild flowering perennial is found in Belgium in a place called Flanders Field and was made immortal by the writings of the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae in his poem “In Flanders Fields,” May 3rd, 1915.

Lt. Col. John McCrae had witnessed his friend Lieutenant Alexis Helmer die and the poem he wrote about Flanders Fields gives meaningful tribute to his and other soldier’s deaths during the war. In the poem the poet describes the poppies blowing in the windy field of crosses that marked the place where they were buried. This popular tribute is how the poppy became the symbol of sacrifice for those who fell in war campaigns, battle of World War I and later, in all other wars inclusive.

Remembrance poppies, artificial flowers made from paper or plastic, are sold in many countries during the weeks before Remembrance Day which falls on November 11th. The Remembrance Day observation is for honoring the living veterans of war.

 In the United States the paper poppies are sold prior to Memorial Day, the last Monday in the month of May. The flower as used here are to commemorate the veterans of various wars including the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts as well as both World Wars.

An interesting fact about the Canadian version of commemorative poppy (plastic flower base with black center affixed to the wearer with a common bent pin, shown above) was that in 1980 the Royal Canadian Legion formed a committee to decide changes of design and/or colors of the commemorative token. The traditional black center of the red flower was voted to be changed to green to denote the green grassy fields of France, where the Allies landed. However, this change to a green center in the poppy proved to be quite unpopular with the membership. The green felt had already been purchased in large quantity and was used in Remembrance poppies until the material was exhausted. The popular black center design was by commission reinstated back in the design by decree in 1986 but it was not until the green felt material was exhausted in the year 2002 did the popular black center returned. At this time again, persons not familiar with the change in the 1980s to return to traditional colors  caused some mild debate but the black centers were reinstated and continue in use today.

I vaguely remember the green centers of the Remembrance Day poppies here in Canada but am quite accustomed to the sight of the black centers of Remembrance Poppies and would protest any change of design should it ever be proposed again.

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Restful sleep and honor for the fallen soldiers. Their sacrifices shall never be forgotten. Like the ideals of the soldiers who fought for their nation and its ideals, the Remembrance Poppy shall endure just as the poppies of Flanders Field.

Read more about the life and times of the Canadian soldier, surgeon, teacher and poet Lieutenant Colonial John McCrae here at the Veterans Affairs Canada web site.

The new government was a republic called the Weimar Republic. It was the success of the German Revolution in November 1918 the previous year.  A political party called the National Socialist German Workers Party, or Nazi Party, was founded on January 1919. The years after Germany became a republic was filled with violence and poverty. They suffered from the Great Depression and harsh peace conditions from WW1treaties. There was a succession of unstable governments, which had thousands of politically motivated murders. But it was the Nazis that took control by forcing the president to appoint Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on January 29, 1933. This started the Third Reich who eventually started World War Π and was on side of the Axis Powers. When the war finally ended in 1945 Germany had been defeated the Nazis were responsible for 35 million deaths and the greatest loss of life there had ever been.

The remains of Germany after the war was separated into 4 different military occupation zones, one for each major county in the Allies. The Soviet Union in the northeast, the United Kingdom in the northwest, France in the southwest, and the United States of America in the southeast. On May 23, 1949 the sectors controlled by the U.K., France, and the U.S. were combined to make the Federal Republic of Germany or West Germany. About 4 months later the Soviet zone established the German Democratic Republic or East Germany. The tension between West and East Germany became escalated during the Cold War. The citizens of East Germany after years of being separated from West Germany longed to become one country. But the USSR would not let that happen. To stop East Germans from escaping into West Germany the USSR blockaded the border of East Germany. In Berlin a concrete wall called the Berlin wall was built to divide the part of Berlin that belonged to West Germany. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990 there was nothing to stop East and West Germany to reunite. So on October 3, 1990 East and West Germany became one Germany. That Germany is the country that exists today.b