German Revolution Essay

Question 1

Introduction - Background Sentences

Answer 1

Between 1918 and the end of 1919, Germany underwent a series of events that became known as the German Revolution. This resulted in Germany changing from a monarchy with Kaiser Wilhelm, into a democratic nation with a civilian government.

Question 2

Introduction - Factors

Answer 2

This essay will discuss the role of military defeat in causing the German revolution. It will also discuss the argument that the Revolution was caused by those ‘above’ and the arguments that the Revolution was caused by those ‘below’.

Question 3

Introduction - Line of Argument

Answer 3

This essay will argue that military defeat was the most important reason for the German revolution. Military defeat provided the background for all decisions made in Germany at this time, whether from above or below, and proved to be the primary catalyst in all of the major events of this period.

Question 4

Introduction - Historiography

Answer 4

This view is backed up by Kolb while others such as Wietz and Nicholl both emphasise the role of naval mutinies in pushing their ‘revolution from below’ argument.

Question 5

Military Defeat

What was Burgfrieden and when did it begin to break down?

Answer 5

Agreed in 1914, Burgfrieden was a declaration where political parties agreed to be peaceful with one another for the duration of the war. However, in 1917 Burgfrieden broke down and different political parties came out as against continuing the war. In July 1917 the Reichstag voted for peace.

Question 6

Military Defeat

What happened with the Spring Offensive?

Answer 6

The Spring Offensive was Germany’s first chance of getting closer to winning the war in 1918, as in late 1917 Russia surrendered and Germany could now fight on one front only. However, Germany couldn’t hold out for much longer and was forced to play offensive as they were lacking in resources and supplies.

Question 7

Military Defeat

analysis - what happened to morale?

Answer 7

This significantly contributed to the argument that the German revolution started due to the military defeats of the army in WWI because morale within Germany started to decrease after the many failures of the German army, proving the incompetence of Germany leaders and turning many towards revolutionary groups.

Question 8

Military Defeat

analysis - what happened due to fighting on two fronts?

Answer 8

Similarly, due to the lack of resources from having to fight on two fronts the German army was slowly losing their fight in the war. This caused the German public to lose hope in the army and its leadership as they didn’t believe that the army was going to be strong enough to win the war, even after Russia had surrendered.

Question 9

Military Defeat - Historiography

Answer 9

Kolb argues that the defeat in WWI was the most important reason for the German revolution. Kolb believes that the revolution began after the war as the revolution began to gain support and recognition once the war was lost and the public started to lose faith in the Kaiser’s leadership.

Question 10

Military Defeat - Evaluation

Answer 10

Military defeat was the most important reason for the revolutionary events of 1918-19 because the defeat in WWI was the starting point for the revolution as many Germans were angered at the government’s decision in regards to the end of the war and decided to revolt against the government in hopes of a change in power/leadership.

Question 11

From Above

What happened in November 1918 regarding Ludendorff and the Kaiser?

Answer 11

In November 1918, Ludendorff persuaded the Kaiser to abdicate and to hand over power to a new civilian government as many political parties were starting to withdraw their support. He elected Prince Max Von Baden into the position of leading the new civilian government, in which he introduced the October Reforms, in hopes that this action would absolve the army of any blame for losing the war.

Question 12

From Above

What was the Ebert-Groener Pact?

Answer 12

On the 7th November 1918, Friedrich Ebert and General Groener secretly made a deal which ensured that the army would lend its support to the new civilian government, and in return that the new civilian government would maintain the army’s current command structure, ensuring that they remained in power and control of the important sectors in Germany’s society.

Question 13

From Above

Analysis

Answer 13

On the one hand, people like Ludendorff and Ebert, who were already in charge of the army and government, were responsible for the major political decisions at this time, not the people of Germany.

Question 14

From Above

Analysis +

Answer 14

On the other hand, Max Von Baden, under increasing pressure from popular unrest and discontent in the armed forces due to the October Reforms, was forced to hand power over to a new civilian government, showing that those from above were acting in response to the pressure from below, therefore those from below held a strong level of influence.

Question 15

From Above

Evaluation

Answer 15

While it is true that the actions of the ruling elite were important in causing the revolutionary events of 1918, however military defeat was more important because those we consider as above only reacted to the defeat in WWI and wouldn’t have taken these actions if Germany had won the war, as the leadership wouldn’t have been seen as destructive towards the image of Germany if the Kaiser had managed to lead the army to victory.

Question 16

From Below

What happened at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven?

Answer 16

In Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, sailors erupted into widespread mutinies after the German admiralty gave orders for one last major North Sea battle. On November 3rd, the sailors at Kiel, joined by workers from the nearby city, detained their officers and took control of their ships as well as formed elected councils.

Question 17

From Below

What happened during the Spartacist Revolt?

Answer 17

On the 6th January, a general strike was called where 100,000 workers went on strike and targeted important buildings for the government. The Friekorps, called upon by Ebert, came to put a stop to the revolt, which ended in the assisination of the leaders of the Spartacists, and the remaining members were forced to go underground along with the party.

Question 18

From Below

Analysis

Answer 18

As a result of these small revolutions, the leaders were able to see the vast amount of support they were receiving, which gave them the confidence to continue to strike in hopes of finally having their voices heard. From these strikes, this gave the inspiration from the Spartacist Revolt to take place in January 1919.

Question 19

From Below

Analysis +

Answer 19

However, on the other hand, the anger seen across the country from within Germany’s troops was directed towards the war, once the armistice had been declared. The armed forces returned to relatively high levels of obedience to the state, which was shown when SPD deputy Gustav Noske arrived at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven and managed to take control over the soviets uprising, under the orders of the new government.

Question 20

From Below

Historiography

Answer 20

Wietz differs from Kolb’s view when he argues that the revolution only truly started after the events of the Kiel mutiny as the soviets formed took action and were challenging those in power. In Wietz’s view, the spark of the revolution was the mutinies, not necessarily military defeat.

Question 21

From Below

Evaluation

Answer 21

Military defeat was more important in causing the revolutionary events of 1918 than the actions of the people of Germany because the soldiers involved with the mutinies wouldn’t have joined if they weren’t wronged by the politicians who signed the armistice and invalidated all the effort the soldiers put into the war.

Question 22

Conclusion - Line of Argument

Answer 22

In conclusion, military defeat provided the background for all decisions made in Germany at this time, whether from above or below, and proved to be the primary catalyst in all of the major events of this period.

Question 23

Conclusion

Military Defeat

Answer 23

Due to the many defeats of the army during the war, the German public started to lose hope in the leadership of the Kaiser and seeked out a new form of governance which they hoped would provide the German public with more opportunities for them to have their say, Kolb argues that same ideas that military defeat was the starting cause of the revolution.

This supports the argument that military defeat is the cause of the revolution as this provided the background for all the decisions that were being made in Germany after the war.

Question 24

Conclusion

From Above

Answer 24

After the war was finished, those who were in power remained in power and therefore were responsible for any political action that was to be taken. There was no share of the responsibilities to the public, which caused the public to put pressure on the government, specifically Max Von Baden in hopes of allowing the public to have more say in political decisions. However, military defeat was more important in causing the revolutionary events of 1918 as those who are considered as above were only reacting to the army’s defeat in the war, which was spearheaded by the Kaiser, however if the Kaiser proved to be a competent leader then there would be no need to have a change in leadership and therefore wouldn’t have taken these actions.

Question 25

Conclusion

From Below

Answer 25

Due to the vast amount of support that the small strikes were receiving, many of the leaders like Luxemburg and Liebknecht decided to take a step further and planned the more extreme strikes in order to get their opinions heard. However, much of the anger that the soldiers and strikers had was directed towards the war and their failures in it. This meant that after the war their loyalty remained within the state and didn’t show any form of defiance in terms of the new form of leadership. Military defeat was more important in causing the revolutionary events of 1918 than the actions of the people of Germany because the soldiers involved with the mutinies wouldn’t have joined if they weren’t wronged by the politicians who signed the armistice and invalidated all the effort the soldiers put into the war.