Answer to Question #158060 in History for galita

Question

why was militarism popular with many sections of the german population

Answer 1

Militarism in Germany

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, militarism was a powerful force in Europe: Militarism was prominent and given priority. Militarism was one of the fuels that fuelled world war one, thus undermining other methods of resolving disputes. The other two elements given priority during this era were imperialism and nationalism. All these three elements were interconnected which strengthened and reinforced each other. During this period, Europe considered military power the measure of imperial and national strength. To support its policies and protect national interests, each country saw it as a necessity to have a powerful army. The threat of war or battles tended to disrupt the political, social, and economic life of a society, however, when a nation wanted to advance its economic or political agenda; it did not hesitate to pursue war. It is this mentality that cemented the connection between military and political power. 

The German-speaking nations were known to value militarism due to a variety of reasons. Before the unification of Germany in 1871, there existed the Prussian Kingdom. This Kingdom was one of the most powerful in the world, apart from speaking Germany, the Prussian kingdom is also considered the foundation of European Militarism. After the Unification process, the nation’s still maintained the Prussian military model as the majority of the generals and politicians were land-owning Prussian nobles. The German military had the reputation of being the most effective and dangerous army in Europe after it crashed France in 1871. The German victory over France paved the way for the unification of Germany. Thus, militarism and nationalism became so intertwined it was difficult to talk of one without the other. Militarism was favored in Germany because of the background story of militarism in Germany, its victory against its enemies, and the unification of Germany.