1917-19 Germany Flashcards
What was the Burgfriede?
- a political truce between all political parties
- the unanimous passing of laws for necessary loans to finance the war
- even the SPD (often viewed as unpatriotic pacifists) promised their support for a defensive war - voted for war credits in Aug 1914
What was the impact of the Burgfriede?
- failure to secure a quick victory and the onset of military stalemate by Dec 1914 meant the Burgfriede lasted over 2 years and the gov faced no opposition from the public or Reichstag
What was the Silent Dictatorship?
- Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff were considered heroes of Germany due to their success in the war e.g. Hindenburg’s successful Battle of Tannenberg
- they began to run the country: they simply had to threaten to resign to get their way with Bethmann
- Kaiser increasingly exerted no control over political/military affairs during the war, and was kept in the dark about political developments with his advice rarely sought
- Bethmanns gov was becoming more isolated and unable to resist military interference
What was the impact of the Silent Dictatorship?
- several opportunities for peace were turned down
- Auxiliary Service Law was introduced
- Bethmann sacked in 1917 and replaced with ministers favoured by the military
What did Hindenburg and Ludendorff introduce which made the war seem not defensive?
- the Kreuznach Programme
- the Zimmerman Telegram
What was the Kreuznach Programme?
- set out what Hindenburg and Ludendorff wanted to achieve in terms of the war
- called for annexation if the Baltic region, Poland, Luxembourg, French coal and iron fields, economic dominance over Belgium territory, control of Romanian oil fields and territory to allies
- Bethmann was forced to agree due to Silent Dictatorship (but thought demands were unrealistic)
What was the Zimmerman Telegram?
- a message from Germany to Mexico asking for military alliance if the US joined the war (1917) uncovered by Britain, which led to US joining the war in April -917
- the US’s decision was enhanced by Ludendorff’s “unrestricted submarine warfare” where Germany attacked any ship approaching British ports (Bethmann was against as it would bring US into the war), which led to German sinking of the US Lusitania in 1915 (killing 1,200)
What was the July Crisis 1917?
- Russia’s democratic revolution (Feb 1917) inspired calls for political reform in Germany
- Kaiser’s Easter message stated that reform of Prussia’s voting system would take place after the war - Bethmann wanted this to go further but was blocked by Ludendorff
- this forced Bethlann’s resignation in July 1917
- weak Michaelis was appointed new chancellor (easily manipulated by Hindenburg and Ludendorff)
- Foreign Secretary also forced to resign by Ludendorff for proposal of a “weak” policy against Russia
What was the Siegfriede 1917?
- a victory peace of the war, where Germany would exert its position of strength to achieve its world power status
Who expressed the Siegfriede in its most extreme form?
Pan-German League (wanted a central African empire, annexation of military/industrial regions in Netherlands, Belgium and France; economic domination of Western Europe; and annexation from Russia of territory in the east)
- the basic ideas of the Siegfriede were supported by many parties (except the SPD) and middle/upper classes
What were the economic consequences of the war? (6)
- KRA (war raw materials office)
- Labour
- Finance
- Food
- Military Service Law
- “Total War”
What was the KRA?
- war raw materials office (in gov) that oversaw acquisition, storage and distribution of raw materials towards war effort
- established a chemical section, backed construction of several plants producing nitrates to combat the shortage
- in 6 months, provision of most essential supplies had been organised
Who decided who should be conscripted/exempt from war?
the War Ministry, local war boards were made representative of management of labour
What happened to Germany’s finance during the war?
- it had already been running in massive Gov debt in peacetime, which rapidly increase in wartime
- sale of war bonds attempted to narrow gap between income and expenditure
- only 16% of war expenditure was met by taxes, the rest met by war bonds and printing money which caused hyper-inflation and reduction of monetary value internationally
What happened to food supplies during the war?
- Germany had an inability to feed itself with the blockade and conscription leading to declines in grain supply and production
- War Nutrition Office set up to regulate supplies but was met with resistance from the powerful agricultural lobby
- insufficient food available at regulated prices causing the black market to flourish
