The harmony collapsed between Germany and France in 1905
when Germany took an aggressively hostile position to French claims to Morocco.
This brought very much anger from the French for the next 50 years.
After WWI France was the leading supporter of harsh peace
terms against Germany at the Paris Peace Conference.
Germany failed to
pay damages under the Treaty of Versailles in 1923 (Germany being accused of
not having delivered telephone poles on time), so France responded with the
occupation of the Rhineland and the industrial area of Germany, the center of
German coal and steel production, until 1925.
French Army troops gathering before their departure from Rhineland, occupied
Mainz, 1930.
The French dominated
the International Olympic Committee which banned Germany from the Olympic Games
of 1920 and 1924. This illustrated the French’s desire to isolate Germany.
The French did
not want another war on their soil so they prepared for war when Hitler took
power. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 it pushed France and Britain
to declare war on Germany.
When the Germans launched their blitzkrieg invasion of France in 1940, the
French Army crumbled within weeks, and with Britain retreating, an atmosphere
of humiliation and defeat swept France. But by the end of war, the French army
occupied south-west Germany and a part of Austria.
With France
wanting to integrate Europe it led to the signing of the treaty of the European
Defense Community (EDC) in 1952 which would bring the French and Germans closer
together.
The post-war Franco-German cooperation is based on the Élysée Treaty, which
was signed on January 22, 1963. The treaty contained a number of agreements for
joint assistance in foreign policy, economic, military integration, and
exchange of student education.
Ever sense
Germany and France’s relationship has continued to grow.
To Brandi's blog: http://ge110brandivi.blogspot.com/
Calvin's: http://ge110calvinsm.blogspot.com/
Slade's: http://ge110sladesi.blogspot.com/
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