1 - Consequences of the first world war Flashcards
why were the german people shocked when german defeat was announced?
german generals had told the public throughout the war that they were close to victory
what was the political impact of the defeat?
kaiser abdicated on the 19th november
Germany would now be governed by a temporary government
what was the name of the temporary government, set up after the Kaiser abdicated?
Council of people’s representatives
Who was the head of the Council of peoples representatives?
Fredrick Ebert, head of the SPD
Why did Ebert want to avoid civil war?
it would:
lead to war
disrupt demobilisation
disrupt food distribution
hinder peace negotiations
How did Ebert attempt to avoid civil war?
maintaining support of the army
keeping support of the industrialists
What were the economic effects of the First world war?
shortages of goods
high prices
inflation
Rise in dependency on the black market
What were the social effects of the first world war?
Civilian death
The influenza epidemic
Casualties of war
Infant mortality
How many died from hypothermia in 1918?
293,000
How many germans were killed and wounded in the war?
2 million dead
6 million injured
Why did Ludendorff want to change the political situation of Germany following the war?
opposition was growing towards politicians, who were pushing a total war economy, who had also benefited from the war economically
What did Ludendorff want to change about the german political system?
wanted to change from an autocracy (as it had been in imperial Germany) to a constitutional monarchy
What was the overall aim, for Ludendorffs political turnaround?
to achieve the best terms for peace with the allies
to prevent political revolution
What was the stab in the back myth?
The view that the German army and leadership did not lose Germany the war, but unpatriotic groups such as jews and socialists has undermined it. this would later create weakness in weimar.
