欧洲强国抑或世界强国——20世纪德国的选择和命运

The primary theme of the German history in the 20\+\{th\} century world politics was the making,in the process of rapid growth of her national strength and power,of a choice most significant for deciding her destiny.That meant what attitude would Germany adopt toward the basic international status quo,what international status would she strive for herself,and in what kind of way to do it.Both in the period of the Second Reich under the reign of Wilhelm Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and during the Third Reich of Hitler and his Nazi tyranny,the choice Germany faced was at all being an European Power or a World Power.In other words,it was that should Germany rather satisfied with the position of the most powerful nation in the western and middle Europe,or break loose from the limitations of geopolitics and power magnitude,to become a world superpower in terms of status,resources,and spheres of influence not at all less than the British Empire and the United States.It was the latter choice that Germany made twice,and in no time in the way other than military imperialism(during the Third Reich there was in addition racial imperialism).History proves that the German national aspiration can be at most only an European great power,rather than a World Power.