Germany - 1.2.1 War weariness and economic problems

Question 1

How many people died roughly during WW!?

Answer 1

2 million troops

Question 2

How many people were wounded from fighting in WW1?

Answer 2

4 million

Question 3

What was the affect on women from this many men dying? (ww1)

Answer 3

It left 600,000 women as widows

Question 4

How was the home front also affected by the ww1? (3)

Answer 4

• 763,000 civilians died from starvation
• 150,000 died from the flu pandemic (country-wide disease)
• 600,000 women became widows

Question 5

Describe briefly what economic problems there were in Germany by 1918 (6)

Answer 5

• British Royal Navy was preventing food supplies reaching Germany by sea. By 1918, there were serious food shortages. People malnourished, surviving on turnips and bread
• Germany printed more money to finance the war, didn’t have the gold to support it = value of german mark was much lower
• Germany had lent money to its allies to help their war effort however these countries had economic problems themselves: couldn’t repay their debts
• As the Royal Navy prevented ships reaching Germany, there were non-food shortages such as raw materials needed by some industries and medicines
• With the loss of workers and a focus on producing equipment for the war effort, industrial production in 1918 was about 33% lower than it had been in 1913
• Germany’s debt had increased over WW1 from 50 billion marks in 1914 to 150 billion marks in 1918

Question 6

What effect did The Allied blockade of Germany have on the people?

Answer 6

The Allied blockade of Germany (which prevented goods entering or leaving) caused great suffering, with people reduced to scavenging. According to German statistics at the time nearly 763,000 Germans died of starvation during and immediately after the war. Another 150,000 died in the flu pandemic of autumn 1918.

Question 7

How was trade disrupted by the ww1?

Answer 7

As well as the reduction in manufactured goods to sell, trade had been severely distrusted by the war, and national income was 2/3 less than it had been before the war

Question 8

Describe the uneven distribution of wealth after ww1 (2)

Answer 8

Wealth became distributed more unevenly over WW1
- The average wage for a worker in 1918 was only 60% of what they earned in 1913
- But big armament (military weapons) business owners made lots of money from the war, this caused social problems as workers resented business owners

Question 9

Describe war weariness in the military during 1918

Answer 9

As the war went on, more soldiers became disheartened with the war, although most remained confident of victory. However, in the summer of 1918 disillusionment became worse and desertions from the army dramatically increased as allied forces, reinforced by US troops, won battle after battle. Sailors in the navy were also becoming increasingly unhappy. This led to mutiny (rebellion) in October 1918 which in turn led to the Kaiser’s abdication and Germany’s defeat

Question 10

When did mutiny begin to take place in Germany?

Answer 10

October 1918

Question 11

What happened on the 29th September 1918 that changed Germany?

Answer 11

• Field Marshal Hindenburg and General Lundendorff informed Kaiser Wilhlem II and members of the Bundesrat and Reichstag that Germany would never be able to win the war. They advised negotiating with the allies for an armistice (formal agreement to end the war) based on US President Wilson’s conditions for peace, which demanded greater democracy in Germany

Question 12

What happened on the 3rd of October 1918? (4)

Answer 12

• Hindenburg informed the Reichstag of the decision to create a more democratic government
• The Kaiser appointed a liberal man, Prince Max of Baden as chancellor and reluctantly transferred some of his powers to the Reichstag
• A new government was formed, which took back control of Germany from the army leaders. This wasn’t enough, President Wilson demanded Kaiser Wilhlem II should abdicate (give up his throne).
• In Germany, popular demonstrations against the war increased

Question 13

What is meant by the term ‘abdicate’

Answer 13

To give up their throne

Question 14

What happened on the 28th October 1918?

Answer 14

The Kaiser lost the support of his military
- On the 28th of October 1918, sailors in the navy stationed at Kiel in Northern Germany and refused to follow orders to attack the British Royal Navy. This was called the Kiel Mutiny

Question 15

Describe how the Kiel Mutiny was the catalyst for other uprisings in Germany (4)

Answer 15

• The mutiny quickly spread to other ports where more sailors refused to follow their orders
• The naval mutinies triggered other uprisings across Germany. Some workers went on strike and held large protests in the streets
• Kurt Eisner, a communist, caused massed strikes in Munich after supporting an uprising against the Kaiser
• Some soldiers refused to restore order. Within days, some local authorities had been overthrown; councils of workers and soldiers were running many towns and cities. Meanwhile, at the front, soldiers were deserting

Question 16

Describe what happened from the 9th of November 1918 to the 11th November 1918

Answer 16

• 9th November: Kaiser Wilhlem II fled to the army headquarters in Spa, Belgium. Ministers tried to persuade him to abdicate. He refused.
• Army leaders withdrew their support
• 10th November: He fled to the Netherlands. Germany was then declared a republic by Philipp Scheidemann, a leading member of the SPD, the largest party of the Reichstag. The November Revolution had begun. SPD leader Friedrich Ebert was made temporary leader of the country. Ebert formed the Council of People’s Representatives with leading socialists, to run the country until elections could be held. The army leaders agreed to work with the new government.
• 11th November: new government signed the armistice. WW1 was over and Germany had been defeated

Question 17

When was the German Republic born?

Answer 17

10th November 1918

Question 18

Who declared the new German Republic?

Answer 18

Philipp Scheidemann

Question 19

Who became the leader of the German Republic

Answer 19

Friedrich Ebert

Question 20

What was the Council of People’s Representatives?

Answer 20

Ebert created the Council of People’s Representatives as a temporary government. This Council ran Germany until new elections were held in January 1919

Question 21

Some Germans felt that Germany could have won the war and so were ‘stabbed in the back’ by Ebert and his government. What did Ebert and the politicians who negotiated peace become known for?

Answer 21

They became known as the ‘November Criminals’. Berlin became a hotbed for revolt (rebellion)

Question 22

Why did German people feel as though they were ‘stabbed in the back’ (3)

Answer 22

• Throughout the war, many Germans believed it when they were told Germany was winning. Although many were relieved the war was over defeat was an unexpected shock
• This led to the idea that the German army had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by politicians. Many historians believe that army leaders were largely responsible for this idea as, despite being in charge in 1918, they forced politicians to seek peace and left negotiations to them
• They never admitted defeat. As Germany had never been invaded, some found defeat difficult to accept