February 2001 Vol.4, No. 2

Contents Quake in Gujarat: Foretaste of the Future? by Matthew Fenchel Germany and Russia-Shifting Balance of Power by Melvin Rhodes When the Angel Leaves the Storm by Darris McNeely In Brief...World News Review by Cecil E. Maranville This is the Way...Sharing the Front Porch by Robin Webber Germany and Russia-Shifting Balance of Power More than a century after his death, Otto von Bismarck's dream for Germany seems closer to being realized. by Melvin Rhodes Otto von Bismarck, Germany's Iron Chancellor who presided over the unification of Germany and guided the new nation to great power status, was noted for his sometimes conflicting secret alliances that tried to secure Germany's future. Having secretly entered into a pact with the Austrian Empire in 1879, extended to include Italy seven years later, Bismarck then entered into a secret agreement with Russia, even though Russia and Austria were rivals in the Balkans. Bismarck's great fear was of a Germany compelled to fight on two flanks, east and west. This is exactly what happened in both world wars with the result that Germany lost. These two defeats contributed to a century of political upheaval in Germany. In the 20th century there were six distinct Germanys, each in its own way different from the others. The Second Reich of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1888-1918), defeated in war, gave place to the Weimar Republic (1918-33). This was followed by Hitler's Third Reich (1933-45). Again defeated in war, the country came under Allied control for a brief period before the Federal Republic of (West) Germany was established in 1949, soon followed by the creation of the communist (East) German Democratic Republic. In 1990 these two were united, thereby establishing the sixth distinct German nation of the 20th century. Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0102/power.htm Related Information on UCG Sites: Table of Contents that includes "Germany and Russia-Shifting Balance of Power" Other Articles by Melvin Rhodes Germany: _Fascism Returns to Europe _Oskar Lafontaine _World News Review February 1999 _So, Who Goes First? _World News Review August 1999 _Never on Sunday? _Ten Years After the Wall Came Tumbling Down _Building Walls or Building Bridges? _World News Review January 2000 _Deutschland AG Versus Corporate America _Five Trends to Watch in Europe _World News Review January 2001 _French Intellectuals see Germany as Potential Threat _Reflections From Rotunda _The Coming Clash Between Europe and America _From Kosovo to Conflict? _Who Will Lead the New Europe? _Germany's Record Unemployment and Political Change _The World's Number One Exporting Nation _What Is Germany's Destiny? _Is the EU an Attempt to Revive the Holy Roman Empire? _Terror Alarm in Germany _A Pan-German Plan _Germany's Rising Economic and Political Power _From Berlin to Brussels _Should the West Encourage German Military Expansion? _Financial Crisis Crushing Britain _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - May/Jun 1997 _The Marshall Plan Revisited _After Kosovo: Power Shift Taking Place? _What Is Berlin's Destiny? _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Nov/Dec 2002 _World News and Trends - Jul/Aug 2003 _World News and Trends - Nov/Dec 2003 _World News and Trends - Mar/Apr 2004 _World News and Trends - Mar/Apr 2005 _World News and Trends - Nov/Dec 2005 _World News and Trends - November/December 2006 _World News and Trends - January/February 2007 _World News & Trends Jan 2009 _Europe and the Church, Part 11: Germany's Dream of Conquest _History's Twists and Turns _Why Is Europe So Important? _Could a Greek Tragedy Bring Down the Euro? Russia: _May They Rest in Peace _World News Review September/October 1998 _Russia's Dangerous Nuclear Arsenal _World News Review Jan. 1999 _World News Review March 1999 _World News Review July 1999 _What to Watch to Discern the Times _World News Review September/October 1999 _Will Russia Win in Chechnya? _Russia's Time of Troubles _What Lies Ahead for U.S. Leasership? _World News Review Dec 2003 _Seeing It With Your Own Eyes _Russian Resurgence in a Unipolar World _Europe's Growing Energy Worries _A Growing Confederacy Against Modern Israel _North Korea's Nuclear Blast: What Does It Mean? _Five Significant Trends of 2006 _International Power Shifts Threaten the Western World _What's Ahead for America? _Exit President Putin, Enter Prime Minister Putin _Georgia on Moscow's Mind _Syria, Small but Significant _U.S. Election-Year Challenges Beyond President's Control _World News and Trends - Nov/Dec 1998 _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Jan/Feb 1999 _What Should We Watch to Discern the Times? _An Overview of Conditions Around the World Nov/Dec 1999 _Are We on the Threshold of a New Age? _World News and Trends - Jan/Fen 2000 _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Sep/Oct 2000 _Russia's Time of Trouble _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Jan/Feb 2001 _An Overview of Conditions Around the World - Jul/Aug 2002 _North Korean Nukes: What's Next? _World News and Trends - September/October 2007 _The Russian Bear Has Awakened _World News and Trends - September/October 2008 Search Our Site Key Subjects Index General Topics Index Biblical References Index Good News Magazine Index Booklets and All Literature Index Home Page of this site