History of World War II This article reveals the truth about Germany's defeat through a detailed account of Germany's waste of money and resources during World War II. The article points out that Germany's lack of resources and financial collapse during the war made it impossible to sustain its war operations, which ultimately led to defeat.
I. Pre-war background.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Germany was already the largest in Europe in terms of economic and military power. However, Germany's waste of money and resources in the war caused these advantages to gradually erode and eventually lead to defeat.
2. Waste of money and resources in war.
1.Armament expansion.
At the beginning of World War II, Germany quickly occupied the European continent with its strong military power. In the process, Germany invested a lot of money and resources in arms expansion. According to the data, between 1939 and 1941, the proportion of German expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP) was 30% and 30%, respectively. This allowed Germany to achieve significant results in the early stages of the war, but at the same time it led to a financial strain on the country. For example, in the early days of the war, in order to quickly occupy Europe, Germany produced a large number of tanks, artillery and other heavy **, but as the war progressed, the production of these ** was gradually reduced, and the front-line soldiers were still consuming a large number of these**. In addition, Germany wasted a lot of resources on military research and development during the war, such as the development of the V-1 missile and the V-2 rocket, which made some progress but did not ultimately play a decisive role in the victory of the war.
2.War attrition.
As the war dragged on, Germany's depletion of money and resources became more and more severe. According to statistics, during World War II, Germany's military consumption was about 370 billion marks. As a result, Germany continued to increase taxes during the war, squeezing the people's fat and cream, and causing the people's living standards to decline sharply.
3.Resource dilemma.
Germany was in dire need of strategic resources such as oil and rubber during the war. However, due to Germany's location in the interior of Europe, far from the source of resources, and the blockade of the Allies, Germany was starved of resources during the war. According to statistics, in 1942, Germany's oil production was only 1 million tons, which was far from meeting the needs of the war. In addition, Germany lost a large number of skilled workers in the war, which led to the impact of industrial production.
4.Fiscal collapse.
As the war dragged on, Germany's financial situation deteriorated day by day. In 1943, Germany's fiscal deficit was 120 billion marks. In order to cover the fiscal deficit, Germany adopted the practice of printing large amounts of money, which led to severe inflation. In 1945, the price level in Germany was 1,000 times higher than it was at the beginning of the war. Inflation has shrunk people's wealth, made life difficult, and exacerbated social unrest.
III. Conclusion. Germany's waste of money and resources in World War II made it impossible to sustain its war operations. Lack of resources and financial collapse ultimately led to the defeat of Germany. After the war, Germany gradually stepped out of the shadow of war in the adjustment of domestic and foreign policies and economic development. However, the lessons of World War II still deserve deep reflection.
References: 1The question of Germany's defeat in World War II.
2.Modern and Contemporary History of the World (by Zhang Tingqian).
3.German History (by Martin Gilbert).