Issues Flashcards
Industrialisation - details
By 1914 Germany was producing 1/3 of worlds electrical goods
Led world in chemical and steel industries
Bosch was known worldwide
Industrial production increased and overtook Britain
Byer invented aspirin
Industrialisation - consequences
Population grew (40mil in 1871 to nearly 68mil in 1914)
1914 - only 1/3 of labour force still worked in agriculture
Food imports rose quickly 1/5 of Germany’s needs by 1914
Diseases
Reliant on imported food so worried about war
Social reform - details
Rich people had much influence with kaiser
More working class people joined trade union and organised strikes
Brought social reforms eg. Old age pensions in 1889
Sickness and accident insurance schemes introduced - covered nearly 14 million Germans by 1911
Social reform - consequences
Many people being helped so cost was concerning
Kaiser saw people working together against him
Workers joined trade unions and held strikes
Interested in communism
The growth of Socialism - details
Many ordinary workers voted for SPD (Social Democratic Party)
SPD -> around since 1875 but kept small until 1891 because of anti-socialist laws brought by Bismarck
Some in SPD thought about revolution
The growth of Socialism - consequences
Kaiser did not feel need to listen to peoples’ opinions
Did not want to give wealth to everyone
Prussian militarism - details
Most important state of all 25
2/3 of population and over 1/2 of territory
Military activity - army swore oath of allegiance to Kaiser
Gov. and many civilians admired army
German foreign policy concerned with expansion
Prussian militarism - Consequences
Kaiser picked friends from army to help run country
Other countries worried as army was running country
Worried about start of a war
Some people thought was was solution to socialism
Building army to build empire
The Navy Laws - details
After Admiral Tirpitz became State Secretary of Navy (1907) laws were passed:
- First Navy law - 1898 - opposition frowm Conservative Party and Social Democratic Party; allowed for addition of 7 battleships
- 3 more passed before WWI - Idea spread that Britain had ambitions to be more powerful and that policy was to deny German ambitions to become colonial empire
- Money was borrowed to build army
The Navy Laws - Consequences
Britain worried about strength of Germany
Building large navy -> expensive so difficult to carry on with funds for schemes Eg. Social reforms
War Weariness - details
Aug. 1914 - Wilhelm II - “You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees”
Ordinary people not as keen to go to war as Kaiser
1915 - Women gathered in front of Reichstag, protested to bring men back from trenches
1916 - 10000 workers protested in Berlin - “Down with war, down with gov.”
War Weariness - Consequences
Turned people away from Kaiser
Against going to war
British Blockade - details
Ger. relying on imported food from overseas and access to Ger. was bad as it was surrounded
British cut off Ger. supplies by shooting down ships
British Blockade - Consequences
For short time - Ger. not affected greatly
Later - were shortages
Food was rationed and was adapted (sawdust and acorns used)
Eventually, food supplies ran short and people were living on barely anything
Spanish Influenza - details
1918 - Spanish influenza
Spread across world
Twice as many killed by flu than there were in whole of WWI
Ger. especially affected as people were already weak from lack of food
Spanish Influenza - Consequences
Millions were killed and Ger. was impacted most from flu
Kiel Mutiny - Details
Kiel - a naval port in N. Ger.
People were sent to Kiel to stop British Blockade
Kiel Mutiny - Consequences
Many thought it was pointless
Anger was spreading throughout Ger.
Communism spread
Abdication of Kaiser - Details
General Ludendorff told others that Ger. would lose
Navy soldiers refused to follow orders and took over Ger. towns/cities Eg. Munich and Hamburg
Kaiser ran away and left Ger. for Holland - Nov. 9th
Abdication of the kaiser - Consequences
Left Ger in chaos as there was no leader or Gov.
People were protesting for communism
Armistice - Details
Frechrich Ebert (leader of SPD) took Kaiser's place as leader of Ger. temporarily Told people there would be democracy Nov 11th 1918 - Ger. surrendered as Ebert signed the Armistice
Armistice - Consequences
Fighting was stopped
War was over
Allowed Ger. to figure out what to do next (Gov., socialism etc.)
GERMANY - 1.7 million killed, 4.7 wounded
