Seventy-five years have passed since World War Two concluded in Europe. Over this time, the United States has maintained security across the continent. However, Donald Trump is currently casting doubt on this longstanding arrangement.
On May 8, 1945, the German Wehrmacht capitulated, signaling the conclusion of World War II in Europe. The conflict started on September 1, 1939, with Germany’s invasion of Poland. However, fighting persisted in Asia for several additional months until Japan gave up unconditionally. Notably, just before this, Adolf Hitler, the totalitarian leader of Germany, took his own life within the confines of the "Führer" Bunker located in Berlin.
The horrors of this war exceeded those of all preceding conflicts: approximately 60 million individuals perished globally, six million Jews were systematically killed by the Nazi regime, extensive regions across Europe lay devastated, and countless people went missing or found themselves displaced.
Following the collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945, a fresh, two-sided global structure arose and persisted for approximately four decades. Throughout World War II, the Western Allies—the United States, Britain, and France—collaborated with the Soviet Union to overcome the fascist regime.
But tensions emerged even before the end of the war: The Western powers stood for democracy and aimed for a free alliance with the defeated states, while the Soviet Union, on the other hand, subjected all the countries it occupied during its military campaign to a communist system.
In 1947, U.S. President Harry Truman introduced what would subsequently be known as the Truman Doctrine. This doctrine pledged American support for nations fighting against "attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by external pressures."
The objective was to halt the spread of the Soviet Union. Europe became split into a Soviet-controlled east and an American-influenced west.
Reliance on protection from the US was assured.
Germany emerged as the central stage for this confrontation: a dividing line swiftly split the nation and even cut through Berlin itself. This period marked the height of the Cold War. Mutual deterrence between the two major nuclear coalitions—the NATO led by the United States and the Warsaw Pact dominated by the Soviets—prevented a full-scale nuclear conflict from erupting. Nonetheless, the globe teetered perilously near disaster multiple times during these years.
In the western portion of Germany, which stayed divided until 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany received protection from the United States under NATO membership.
This remained the case even after the end of the East-West confrontation in 1989/90, German reunification, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For a few years, it looked as if the entire continent, including Russia, would develop peacefully and democratically. Countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union joined NATO.
Trump switches sides
However, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this illusion was shattered. A key tenet of the former system—that national boundaries could only be altered through peaceful means—no longer holds true.
In the meantime, U.S. President Donald Trump has been raising doubts about NATO’s security agreements. He reiterated in March, “If those (other NATO countries) do not contribute their share, I will not come to their defense.”
"We are in the midst of a historical upheaval, comparable to the major political turning points in the 20th century, especially those of 1945 and 1989/91," historian Norbert Frei from the University of Jena told Folknews ID. "The transatlantic order established after the Second World War, largely by the US, from which Germany benefited greatly — first in the context of Western European unification, but then also after the end of the East-West conflict and the integration of Eastern Europe — is disintegrating before our very eyes."
His colleague, Potsdam historian Manfred Görtemaker, told Folknews IDthat Trump's presidency has shown "that the Europeans have neglected their own self-defense while looking to the Americans."
Donald Trump wasn't the initial U.S. president to urge Europe to increase spending on its defense. In 2016, Barack Obama stated, "Europe has occasionally been overly complacent regarding its defense efforts."
However, Trump has pushed this even farther. During the Ukraine conflict, he is essentially aligning himself with Russia. If a peace deal were to occur, Ukraine would not regain full control over its territories or have the opportunity to become part of NATO. This development is favorable for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Putin stated last year that the entire Euro-Atlantic security framework is collapsing right before our eyes.
Friedrich Merz seeks 'autonomy' from Washington
In Germany, some people are optimistic about returning to the previous transatlantic relationship following President Trump’s term. However, Norbert Frei remains doubtful: “It’s difficult at this point to determine what will remain once the Trump administration ends—and predicting whether we can recreate past dynamics seems even more uncertain.”
His advice for the German government? "Ever since Konrad Adenauer introduced an unconditional commitment to the West, Germany has been firmly anchored in Europe. And Germany should now do everything it can to ensure that the European Union can survive politically, economically, and militarily, if necessary, even without the US."
Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz agrees. Immediately after the Bundestag elections, he said that Europe must develop its own security policy independent of America.
This is an idea that Manfred Görtemaker cautions against: "Independence from the US is a complete illusion." The Europeans will not be able to go their own way, "because it is the Americans who will have to continue to guarantee nuclear deterrence. So it makes the most sense to return to close cooperation between the US and Europe based on a new realpolitik calculus."
Görtemaker conveyed his wish that Merz visits Washington at the earliest convenience and stated, "I trust this collaboration, which has historically functioned extremely efficiently, will persist."
In 2025, as we mark eight decades since the conclusion of World War II, will a more robust European Union step into the role vacated by an America no longer seen as dependable? Alternatively, could there emerge a fresh partnership with Washington? It falls upon the newly formed German administration to address this issue.
This article was originally written in German.
As long as you’re here: Each Tuesday, Folknews IDeitors compile updates on developments in German politics and society. You can subscribe here for the weekly email newsletter called Berlin Briefing.
Author: Christoph Hasselbach
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