The impact of WWI Flashcards
How was the war going for Germany at the start of 1918?
It was going well: Russia had signed a humiliating treaty on the Eastern Front. This allowed Germany to move troops to the Western Front, which had led to a massive breakthrough with the Ludendorff Offensive
What was the name of the humiliating peace treaty the Russians had to sign with Germany?
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Spelt: BREST - LIT-O-VSK)
What happened in June 1918?
The Ludendorff Offensive slowed and then ground to a halt.
What happened in August 1918?
The Allies counter-attacked and regained all the territory that had been lost in the previous 3 months.
By September 1918, what was clear to German leaders?
That the war would soon be lost and that Germany must make peace
What was one of the key conditions of peace that the Allies put forward regarding the Kaiser?
That he abdicate (give up the throne)
What did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk give Germany?
Germany gained one quarter of Russia’s best land and three quarters of its iron ore.
How did the war affect farming in Germany?
As many farmers were drafted into the armed forces, by 1918 Germany was only producing 50% of the milk and 60% of the butter and meat that it had produced before the war.
Why could Germany not simply avoid import more food to deal with the farming crisis?
For the last two years of the war, the British navy had blockaded German ports, preventing any food getting through
What happened in the winter of 1916-17 that badly affected German citizens?
They ran out of potatoes and had to live largely on turnips.
How many German citizens likely died from the combined effects of hunger and disease?
750,000
How did WWI affect Germany psychologically?
Before the war, Germans had been proud and ambitious for their country. But the war made them bitter and angry - and left many searching around for someone to blame.
What was sweeping Germany in 1918?
A flu epidemic that killed many Germans, already weakened by a lack of food
What happened in Kiel in October 1918?
Naval commanders sent their ships out to fight the British fleet in one final, suicidal mission. The sailors mutinied (refused to follow the order).
What did the mutiny at Kiel trigger?
Widespread protests against the war and the Kaiser
What did many people believe would take place in Germany?
A communist revolution - as had happened in 1917 in Russia with the Bolshevik revolution.
Fearing revolution, what did a member of the Social Democrat Party proclaim on 8 November 1918?
That the Kaiser had abdicated and that a new German Republic had been established.
When did Kaiser Wilhelm flee to Holland?
10 November 1918 (the day before the Armistice was signed)
When was the Armistice (ceasefire) between Germany and the Allies signed?
11 November 1918
What had happened to the average national income during WWI?
It had decreased massively - it was about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
How many widows had the war created in Germany?
600,000
How many children in Germany lost fathers in WWI?
2 million
By 1925, what percentage of the German budget was being spent on war pensions?
1/3
How was industrial production affected by the war?
It was 2/3 of what it had been in 1913
How many demobilised (and disillusioned) soldiers returned to Germany?
Roughly 1.5 million
What did many people believe the politicians had done to the army?
The politicians had ‘stabbed them in the back’
What German word was given to the stab in the back theory?
Dolschtoss (Dolsch-toss)
Who did many ex-soldiers and civilians blame for the loss of the war?
Freidrich Ebert, the first Chancellor of the new German Republic
What name was given to the politicians involved in the signing of the Armistice (and later the Treaty of Versailles)
November Criminals
