HL History

Gustav Stresemann

Hi Everyone!

     For this weeks blog post, I will talk about a man that had a great deal to do with the post-WWI peacekeeping process. Without him, this process could have taken a turn for the worst, and world politics would be a whole lot different than it is today. His name is Gustav Stresemann, and he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. He is widely recognized for his status as German chancellor and reconciliation skills with France. You see, post-WWI wasn't a pretty sight - the world was full of greedy politicians and nations hungry for more resources. Countries were seeking new ways to dominate one another and gain the title of "winner of the war". Very few people saw these actions as unnecessary and inconvenient, and Stresemann was one of them. He was unarguably a German at heart; he hated the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles as much as your average Deutsch, but he did not let that cloud his vision. He knew that sabotaging the Treaty of Versailles would not end well for his country, so instead he devised a new plan to help the country get back on its feet. This was called the Policy of Fulfillment and it helped clear tensions with the Allied Powers. Gustav Stresemann later won the Nobel Peace prize by diplomatically ending the Franco-German tensions that were increased immensely when the French invaded the Ruhr area of Germany for financial compensation. This agreement, followed by many other successful ones by Stresemann, is known as the cornerstone of Germany's international diplomacy. So, hats off to Gustav Stresemann for making these things happen, and making the peace-keeping process that much easier!

- Sophie F.