What were three positive and negative long-term affects World War II had on Germany?

Before answering the question, it's important to note that whether something is positive or negative is often subjective. This means that what one group might consider a positive effect could very easily have a negative influence on another group.

With the disclaimer out of the way, there are some pretty important ways in which Germany was positively impacted by the events and outcome of WWII. Most importantly, the death of Adolf Hitler and demise of...

Before answering the question, it's important to note that whether something is positive or negative is often subjective. This means that what one group might consider a positive effect could very easily have a negative influence on another group.

With the disclaimer out of the way, there are some pretty important ways in which Germany was positively impacted by the events and outcome of WWII. Most importantly, the death of Adolf Hitler and demise of the Nazi Party meant that Germany was able to rid itself of a fascist dictatorship. In the context of WWII, the Germans are often described as a monolithic group; however, many people were against the attempted annexation or invasion of other countries and Hitler's authoritarian regime. The end of the Nazi Party allowed Germany to reorient its political structure to become a republic.

Another positive effect of the war was job creation. Despite the negative reasons for the economic boost, the war created many manufacturing jobs, particularly those related to military need. Along those same lines, a third example is technological innovation. Although the purposes of the inventions were unfortunate, there were many new innovative products that were produced by Germans during this period. The jet plane, for example, was first developed by the Germans, although it was at the end of the war and ultimately didn't help.

As for negative long-term influences, those are a little easier to identify. The most significant was the destruction of the landscape and infrastructure. Due to heavy bombing, large sections of Germany were destroyed and took many years to rebuild. On a national level, Germany's role in the war heavily influenced their relationship with other countries and the United Nations. After the war, many nations reclaimed territories that had been annexed or invaded by the Nazis and Germany had a fairly bad reputation. Moreover, to this day Germany remains heavily associated with fascism and genocide, despite their humanitarian efforts and politically progressive system.

Finally, one of the most significant long-term effects of the war has been that Germany has had to live with a legacy of horrific violence. In some ways, this has had a positive influence because they have made a very strong effort to ensure that such things never happen again. However, there were many German people who suffered greatly during the war, including those who lost loved ones, property, and so on. Given the nature of their country's crimes, these ordinary citizens have never felt comfortable or been allowed to properly grieve their loss because they felt as though they don't have the right.