As the bombs continued to fall and the fires continued burn a question arose from the rubble of what was once Germany. The question was how to deal with Germany. Germany was responsible for the start of World War II and they were partially responsible for the start of World War I. Since Germany has caused these problems, how can we let them be their own autonomous country? If we let them have their own country again, would they just then try to start another war? A.J.P. Taylor once said, "Nothing has been normal in German history except violent oscillations." These violent oscillations have lead to the constant demise of Germany. The Germans had an idea that was quite similar to one that the Americans had in its early days. This idea was manifest destiny, or the idea that Germany should own all land from ocean to ocean and that they were superior people and were able to conquer everyone in their path. This manifest destiny is what was the problem that caused the Germans to overstep their bounds and cause the demise of their empire. So now that the empire lies in waste, everyone is waiting for what will happen next? The question is what should we do with Germany?.
On May 7, 1945 the Germans finally surrendered, though their fate was sealed well before this date. Germany knew that the tide of the war was turning when the American, British, and Soviet forces entered Germany. This was very significant because throughout all of World War I there were no major battles fought on the German homeland. When it came time to decide on Germany's fate as a nation we must remember what happened at the end of World War I. First off, the Germans did not believe that they caused World War I and also they did not believe that they were defeated. This is because they had a homeland to go back to that was untouched by the war. In the city of Versailles, which is near Pairs, is where the peace treaties were signed to end World War I.